Bitumen, primarily used in industry, was originally valued for its natural adhesive and waterproofing properties. It also had medicinal uses and served to bind building materials and line the bottoms of ships. Ancient civilizations traded bitumen extensively, and the fifth-century BC Greek historian Herodotus noted that the walls of ancient Babylon contained bitumen.
Composed of complex hydrocarbons and elements like calcium, iron, sulfur, and oxygen, bitumen’s quality and production ease depend on the crude oil source. Its most common application is in road paving, with the majority of U.S. roads made from bitumen or a combination of bitumen and aggregates like concrete. Engineers can recycle asphalt from old roads for new projects. Additionally, manufacturers use bitumen in roofing products due to its waterproof properties.
Under heavy loads, bitumen can permanently deform, influenced by the asphalt mixture’s composition, ambient temperature, and stress level. Bitumen also oxidizes over time, making the asphalt brittle and prone to cracking.
Bitumen also refers to oil sands, a type of partially consolidated sandstone that contains a naturally occurring mixture of sand, clay, and water, saturated with a dense, highly viscous form of petroleum. These bituminous sands are particularly abundant in Canada, especially in Alberta, where rising oil prices have made large-scale extraction of petroleum from these sands economically viable. According to the Canadian Energy Research Institute, the price of crude oil must reach $70.08 per barrel for a stand-alone bitumen mine to be profitable.
Bitumen is composed of complex hydrocarbons and contains elements such as calcium, iron, sulfur, and oxygen. The quality of the material and the ease of production depend on the source and type of crude oil it is derived from. It is most commonly used in road paving, with the majority of roads in the United States constructed from bitumen or a combination of bitumen and aggregates like concrete. Engineers can recycle asphalt from old roads for use in new projects. Additionally, manufacturers use bitumen in roofing products due to its waterproofing properties.
Under heavy loads, bitumen can deform permanently, depending on the composition of the asphalt mixture, the ambient temperature, and the amount of stress placed on the material. Bitumen also oxidizes over time, making the asphalt brittle and prone to cracking.