Sources and Types

Bitumen Guide
• Definitions
• Sources
• Properties
• Types of Bitumen
• Bitumen Handling

Definitions

Bitumen is a non-crystalline viscous material, black or dark brown, which is substantially

soluble in carbon disulphide (CS 2 ), possessing adhesive and water-proofing qualities.
It consists essentially of hydrocarbons and would typically comprise at least 80% carbon and
15% hydrogen, the remainder being oxygen, sulphur, nitrogen and traces of various metals.
Asphalt is a word with different meanings. In American usage asphalt, or, in full, asphalt
cement, is used to mean bitumen (or bitumen binder). In the term 'rock asphalt' it defines a
mineral substance that may be impregnated with bitumen or pitch. Outside America the word
asphalt means a mixture of bitumen and mineral aggregates laid as a road surface.

Sources

Bitumen does occur naturally, but for all intents and purposes it is petroleum on which the
world relies for its supplies of bitumen today. The bitumen content of crude can vary between
15% and 80%, but the more normal range is 25% to 40%. In fact the three broad
classifications for crude oils are:

• bitumen based
• paraffin based
• bitumen and paraffin based

Depending on the type of crude, bitumen is present either in the form of colloidally dispersed
particles or in a true solution. During the refining process, as petroleum oils are taken away by
distillation, the proportion of oil to bitumen particles changes. Instead of being dispersed and
relatively few in number, the particles become closer to one another and the size of the
particles increases. At the point when the distillation process is usually stopped, the
petroleum bitumen is a colloidial dispersion of black solids (hydrocarbons), known as
asphaltenes, in a dispersion medium, which is an oily brown yellow liquid known as malthene
fraction. Also present to act as a stabilizing agent to keep the asphaltenes in suspension are
another group of hydrocarbons known as resins.
Bitumen is found in nature in several forms, from the hard, easily crumbled bitumen in rock
asphalt to the softer, more viscous material found in tar sands and asphalt 'lakes'. It is
commonly mixed with varying proportions of mineral or vegetable impurities that need to be
extracted before it can be used effectively as an engineering material. However it may be
found as an asphaltite, a natural bitumen without impurities that varies in the extent to which it
is soluble in carbon disulphide. Natural bitumen occurs, as does petroleum, as the result of
the special decomposition of marine debris. It will have been moved over many thousands of
years through porous rocks such as limestone or sandstone, often by volcanic action. In some
areas notable for their petroleum resources, for example the Middle East, semi-fluid bitumen
can be found oozing out of fissures near hot springs or seeping out of the ground.
Rock asphalt, with its variable and relatively low content of bitumen, tends to be found away
from the places where bitumen is needed. It is costly to move around and to process.
It is important to draw the distinction between bitumen and coal tar. The latter is obtained from
the carbonisation of coal and, although it is black and viscous in appearance, it has very
different chemical properties.
Engineering projects in every part of the world, from the construction of transcontinental
highways to the waterproofing of flat roof surfaces, rely on the particular properties of
bitumen. Crude oil processed by the petroleum industry provides all but a small percentage of
this vital material.

Properties

Bitumen's main property is that of a very strong and durable adhesive that binds together a
very wide variety of other materials without affecting their properties. Its durability is essential
to major engineering projects such as roads and waterways where it must do its job for 20
years or more.
Bitumen is insoluble in water but is soluble in numerous organic solvents. As it is highly
waterproof, it can act as an effective sealant. It also resists action by most acids, alkalis and
salts. It does not contaminate water so it can be used to line watercourses.
It is a thermoplastic material: it softens and becomes liquid with the application of heat and
hardens as it cools.
Bitumen can be spread relatively easily in the areas where it is required because it can readily
be liquefied by one of three methods:

• applying beat
• dissolving it in petroleum solvents
• dispersing with water (emulsification).

Bitumen gives controlled flexibility to mixtures of mineral aggregates which is why so much of
the total annual production is used in road building. It is available at an economic cost virtually
all over the world.

Types of Bitumen

There are five major classifications of petroleum bitumen produced by the refining and
manufacturing process:
Paving grade bitumen (or asphalt cement in American usage) is refined and blended to
meet road engineering and industrial specifications that take into account different climatic
conditions. As a product it is the most widely used bitumen. It may also be considered as the
parent bitumen from which the other types, listed below, are produced.
Cutback bitumens consist basically of bitumen that has been diluted in order to make it more
fluid for application, mainly in road making. Their fluidity depends on the degree of hardness
of the bitumen base and the proportion of diluent (or flux) to bitumen. They are classified
according to the time it takes them to become solid, as rapid curing (RC), medium curing
(MC) or slow curing (SC) cutbacks. The cutback varies according to the flux, white spirit
commonly being used for RC grades, kerosene for MC and diesel for SC. They set as the flux
evaporates. This evaporation is currently regarded as a potentially undesirable characteristic
from the point of view of the environment and health and safety, so cutback bitumens are
looked upon less favourably than the more modem bitumen emulsions.
In bitumen emulsions the basic bitumen has also been diluted in order to facilitate
application. Hot bitumen, water and emulsifier are processed in a high-speed colloid mill that
disperses the bitumen in the water in the form of globules that are normally in the 5-10
micrometre size range but may be even smaller. The emulsifier produces a system in which
fine droplets of bitumen, of between 30% and 80% of the volume, are held in suspension. if
they separate in storage, the emulsion can easily be restored by agitation.
Bitumen emulsions have a low viscosity and can be workable at ambient temperatures, which
makes them ideal for use in roadbuilding. This application requires controlled breaking and
setting. The emulsion must not break before it is laid on the road surface but, once in place, it
should break quickly so that the road can be in service again without delay.
Particles of bitumen
are dispersed in
water to make
bitumen emulsions
are usually between 5
and 10 micrometres
in size. This diagram
gives an indication of
relative size

The mechanical performance of bitumen emulsions can be tailored like that of other
construction materials.
Bitumen emulsions are divided into three categories:

• Anionic with negatively charged globules

• Cationic with positively charged globules
• Non-ionic with neutral globules.

The main grades for bitumen emulsions are classified as follows:

Anionic Cationic

ARS CRS Rapid setting

AMS CMS Medium setting

ASS CSS Slow setting

The development of bitumen emulsions is an area where technological progress is still being
made to meet engineering demands. The first emulsions were the anionics. They are
currently less favoured than the cationics because the positively charged globules of bitumen
coat the aggregates more thoroughly and have greater adhesion. Use of cationic emulsions is
therefore increasing.
Industrial bitumen (or oxidized bitumens) are made by blowing air through hot paving grade
bitumen. The result is a product that softens at a higher temperature than that at which paving
grade bitumen softens. It also has more rubberlike properties and its viscosity is much less
affected by changes in temperature than is the case with paving grade bitumen.
Modified bitumens are formulated with additives to improve their service performance by
changing such properties as their durability, resistance to ageing, elasticity and/or plasticity.
As well as natural rubbers, polymers such as styrene butadiene styrene (SBS), thermoplastic
rubbers and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) are commonly used to modify bitumen and some
companies, including BP, have their own proprietary technology using special polymers or
polymer blends.
This is an exciting development of growing importance due to the ability of modem technology
to satisfy the demands of the bitumen market internationally. For example, polymers that
extend the range of temperatures at which bitumen is worked will enable roadbuilders to work
effectively for more months of the year. A modified bitumen that increases the extent to which
a road 'bounces back' after being subjected to heavy traffic, in terms of weight and volume,
will contribute towards a longer road life and lower maintenance costs.
Bitumen Handling

The four major factors involved in handling bitumen are:

• the high handling temperatures and the need for purpose-designed vessels
• the flammable nature of certain grades
• the need to safeguard the health and safety of personnel
• the training of personnel

Owing to their high viscosity, most bitumens have to be heated to make them sufficiently fluid
for bulk distribution and for application. Contact with bitumen or the equipment involved in
transporting, storing or applying it can cause severe skin burns at the recommended handling
temperatures. For example, even a fleeting touch at 80°C can be expected to burn
unprotected skin.