15+ DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BITUMEN

AND TAR USED IN ROAD

CONSTRUCTION

Difference between bitumen and tar

The following are the differences between bitumens and tars.

1. The weathering properties of bitumens are superior to those of tars. Generally

greater deterioration is produced in tar than in bitumen when exposed to equal
weather conditions. Bitumens have a better durability and resistance to
weathering than tars.
2. Tars are more susceptible to temperature changes than bitumens. Hot weather
will soften a tar surface more than a surface made with bitumen of the same
viscosity, and it will become more brittle at low temperatures than bitumen. In
other words tar becomes brittle in cold weather and the surface treated with tar
is apt to bleed in hot weather if a little extra quantity has been used. Tar is
therefore considered unsuitable for locations with wide temperature changes.
Gritting or surface dressing can be delayed a little where bitumen has been used
but not with tar.
3. Surface dressings with bitumen are more prone to failure by water displacement
than those made with tar. Tars generally adhere better than bitumens on wet
aggregate.
4. Tars can be brought to a spraying condition at lower temperatures than those
needed for bitumens; stones need not be heated to high temperatures.
5. Setting time for tars is more than that of bitumens and this property is useful in
the production of pre-coated aggregate which can be transported to large
distances or kept for sometime before spreading.
 6. Tars harden much quicker than bitumens.
7. Tars have higher specific gravity than bitumens and lower viscosity and these
properties give them greater penetrating power and which are more marked
during summers. Higher viscosities can generally be used with tars than with
bitumens.
8. Tars produce a less slippery surface than bitumens.
9. Bitumens have a tendency to stay at or just near the surface resulting in a rich
and fat surface.
10. Roads built of bitumen need constant traffic to be maintained in good order;
otherwise the surface will crack and reduce the life of the road.
11. Tars make harder surfaces (but such surfaces are brittle) than bitumens and
should be preferred for roads in areas where bullock carts or other hard tyred
traffic predominates. Bitumens make more elastic surfaces and are better suited
for pneumatic traffic. Hardening of bitumens is very gradual.
12. Tar is more suitable for dense fine grained surfaces and bitumen for more open
surfaces.
13. Volume of tar required is about 10 percent less than that of bitumen for the same
type of road work.
14. Tar is cheaper than bitumen.
15. A primer is not generally needed with tar.
16. Road tars do not dissolve in a petroleum distillate such as petrol, kerosene, diesel
oil. As such tar carpets have proved to be good material for parking sites as it
remains unaffected by spillage of oil and petrol from automobiles.

Difference Between Bitumen and Tar

What is Bitumen?

Bitumen is a mixture of organic substances that are usually liquid consisting of aromatic
hydrocarbons. It also occurs in solid form as in the case of the mineral gilsonite.
Additionally, bitumen is sometimes referred to as asphalt in the United States. Bitumen
tends to be darkly colored, viscous, and forms in the vicinity of oil and coal deposits.
Formation of Bitumen

Bitumen usually forms in environments with abundant algae, plants, and other organic
matter. Because of this, it typically forms under the same conditions as oil and coal,
namely in lakes, marshes, and areas of high vegetation where plant matter can be
preserved in mud deposits which become altered due to heat and pressure as they get
buried. The main geological source for bitumen is organic shale. A well-known location
where bitumen is seeping out of the ground is the land containing the La Brea Tar Pits
in Los Angeles.

It is also possible that bitumen forms in hydrothermal vents. Veins of the mineral
gilsonite have been found in rocks originating from hydrothermal settings. An example
of this would be the Uinta Basin of Utah.

Uses of Bitumen

Bitumen has been known and used since antiquity. It has been used to make roads,
waterproof boats, and construct walls and buildings. Its earliest use was probably as a
sealing agent for baskets and boats. Bitumen has also become indirectly important for
paleontology and archaeology because of locations such as the La Brea Tar Pits where
animals have become trapped and preserved in the bitumen or asphalt over tens of
thousands of years. The La Brea Tar Pits contain a detailed record of the natural history
of the Los Angeles basin going back 38,000 years. Bitumen has also been used for
medicinal purposes. There is evidence that bitumen or asphalt from the Dead Sea area
was used to treat skin diseases.
What is Tar?

Tar is a viscous black liquid made of hydrocarbons which can form in multiple ways.
Because of this, the chemical composition of tar varies, though it is always made of
organic matter of some sort. It has many uses as a waterproofing and sealing agent. It is
also used for many medicinal purposes.

Formation of Tar

Tar can form in a variety of ways and tar will have different properties depending on
how it forms. Two common types are coal tar and wood tar. Coal tar is distilled from
petroleum and coal sources while wood tar is obtained from vegetation through a
similar distillation process.

Coal Tar

Coal or petroleum-derived tar is made of hydrocarbons that occur geologically in

association with coal and oil deposits. This tar used in the construction of roads.
Additionally, it also has medical properties and has been used to treat psoriasis.
Because it has high benzene content, however, it is also considered to be a carcinogen.

Wood Tar

Wood tar is derived from various parts of trees through the same distillation methods
used to obtain coal tar. The biproducts of the process that creates wood tar are
turpentine and charcoal. Wood tar is made through the process of destructive
distillation. Wood tar has been used in northern Europe for thousands of years for
waterproofing boats among other uses. It also has important medical applications since
it is microbicidal.

General Uses of Tar

Tar has many uses as a sealing agent. It is used to seal boats and roof tiles. It is also used
in the process of mummification. Wood tar is used to seal the interiors of buildings.
Additionally, it is used as flavor in candy and foods as well as a scent for various
purposes including saunas because of its pleasant smell. Wood tar has also been used in
cosmetics. Coal tar on the other hand is considered a hazardous material because of its
association with cancer-causing agents such as benzene and is primarily used in road
construction.

Similarities between Bitumen and Tar

Bitumen and tar are both viscous dark organic liquids which seep out of the ground.
They are also both used as waterproofing and sealing agents in the construction of boats
and buildings. They also both have medicinal uses.

Differences between Bitumen and Tar

Although there are many similarities, there are some differences between bitumen and
tar. They include the following.

Composition:

Bitumen is primarily composed of aromatic hydrocarbons associated with oil deposits.

Tar, on the other hand, can form in association with oil or it can be formed from wood.

Characteristics:

Bitumen can occur in solid form or as a dark viscous liquid whereas tar is chemically
distinct and occurs primarily as a viscous liquid.
Production:

Bitumen occurs naturally and can be prospected from the ground whereas tar is usually
produced through distillation.

Bitumen vs. Tar

Characteristics Bitumen Tar
Derived only from sources Can be derived from petroleum or
Source
associated with coal and oil coal and wood
Occurs in solid form and as a Usually occurs only as a viscous
Occurrence
viscous liquid liquid
Nature Can be naturally occurring Usually needs to be distilled

Summary of Bitumen vs. Tar

Bitumen is a naturally occurring dark substance composed of aromatic hydrocarbons

and can occur in solid and liquid forms. It forms in association with oil from plant
matter that has been altered due to heat and pressure due to burial. Bitumen is used to
waterproof boats as well as to seal and bind materials used to construct buildings. It
also has medicinal properties. Tar is a viscous black liquid which is derived through the
process of destructive distillation. It can be derived either from coal or petroleum
sources, or from wood. Coal tar is considered to be a carcinogen, but it has medicinal
value in the treatment of psoriasis. Wood tar is derived from trees and is used in
sealing, waterproofing, folk medicine, and even in flavoring since it is used to flavor
candy and other foods. Wood tar is also microbicidal. The two substances are very
similar and sometimes the terms tar and bitumen are used interchangeably. There are
however differences between them. These differences include the following. Bitumen
can be naturally occurring whereas tar usually has to be artificially distilled. Also,
Bitumen occurs in both solid and liquid forms whereas tar is generally always a viscous
liquid.