Strata Global

stratasphere geogrid.com

Bitumen

What is bitumen?

A successful and long-lasting structure comprises several good engineering choices of construction materials. One of the most important materials is bitumen. Bitumen is naturally available and extracted from crude oil. For over 4,000 years, it has been an integral part of the construction industry. Earlier, bitumen insulated houses, boats, castles, and other structures. Over time, the utilization of bitumen extended to creating roads, bridges, and other structures. The texture of bitumen is sticky and has high viscosity. It is found in both liquid and semi-liquid form. This blackish-brown component is a mixture of petroleum by-products and asphaltene resin. Let’s explore what Bitumen is, how it serves the construction industry, and its properties, types, advantages, and disadvantages.

What are the properties of bitumen?

Bitumen is a versatile natural product. Its properties may vary depending upon its availability, extraction process, types, and ingredients used for extracting. Some of the lesser-known properties of bitumen are:

  • Bitumen, a hydrocarbon, is extracted from the fractional distillation process.
  • It is a temperature-sensitive petroleum by-product.
  • It has a natural quality that resists water or moisture.
  • It is easily soluble in carbon disulfide (CS₂) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)

 

Some other essential properties of bitumen include:

  • Viscidity: Bitumen has a very high viscidity. This means that it remains in semi-solid form at room temperature. Once heated, it becomes liquid, making it suitable as a binder and water-proofing agent.
  • Strong binding agent: Bitumen is a strong binding agent because of its dense viscidity. Once it hardens, it becomes smooth and sticks to the surface, leaving no small openings.
  • Longevity: Bitumen is not only water-resistant, but it also provides resistance to weather and other factors that can cause degradation of the structure.

What are the different types of bitumen?

Bitumen is mainly available in three different forms. Some forms are obtained naturally, and some are obtained by refining and mixing.

  • Natural bitumen: As the name suggests, natural bitumen is a type of bitumen found naturally. It is formed due to climatic conditions and can be used without refining or processing. Natural bitumen is also called native asphalt.
  • Coal tar pitches: The coal tar pitches are formed by coal tar distillation. Coal tar’s texture is hard, coarse, and black in colour. When heated, coal tar loses its viscosity and becomes liquid.
  • Petroleum asphalt: The petroleum asphalt is derived from refining crude oil. It is directly produced by the distillation process and can be in solid and semi-solid forms. Compared to other types, petroleum asphalt is a commonly used bitumen.

What are the applications of bitumen?

Bitumen has various applications in the field of civil engineering. Here are some applications listed below:

  • It is a natural binder that can bind any construction material with the surface on which it is applied. Hence, engineers use bitumen to construct roads, runways or racing tracks.
  • It is an excellent water-resistant component. Therefore, it is also widely used for roofing.
  • Engineers often use bitumen for waterproofing because of its high viscidity.
  • It is also an essential material in huge industries. It is used for waterproofing, providing a protective coating to pipes, and adhering two surfaces together.
Bituminous layer for tank foundation stabilisation
Bituminous layer for tank foundation stabilisation

Methods of extracting bitumen

The method for extraction of bitumen entirely depends on their availability. It can be extracted from crude oil or found naturally.

Natural bitumen Extraction

  • Open-Pit Mining: Natural bitumen can be extracted through open-pit mining. In this method of extraction, large machines are used to remove the upper layer of soil and the rocks. Once the layer is removed, the bitumen can be scooped using excavators.
  • Underground Mining: Underground mining is another method of extracting natural bitumen. It includes shaft mining or in-situ leaching. Shaft mining involves making a vertical shaft go underground and scooping up the bitumen without removing or destroying any layers of soil or rocks. On the other hand, in-situ leaching is a long process. Hot water and other solvents are pumped underground to mix with the bitumen. The solution is then pumped out, which is then processed and separated.

Petroleum bitumen Extraction

  • Vacuum Distillation: The crude oil is refined at high pressure and temperatures. Once this distillation process is done, bitumen is obtained.
  • Further Processing: Bitumen extracted from vacuum distillation cannot be used directly. It involves other processes, including refining, processing, and mixing cleaning solvents.

Advantages of bitumen

Here are some advantages of bitumen

  • Bitumen has diverse properties. It can be utilised in different ways depending upon its application.
  • It is durable and provides resistance against weather and other degrading factors.
  • Due to its high viscidity, bitumen is an excellent adhesive. Engineers often use it to bond two surfaces.
  • Bitumen is not only an excellent construction material but also cost-effective.

Disadvantages of bitumen

With some advantages, bitumen also has some disadvantages:

  • Bitumen can have an adverse environmental impact. It is extracted through mining or crude oil and then refined for use, which pollutes the air and water.
  • At present, we have ample bitumen available. However, it is not a sustainable resource. It is a non-renewable material.
  • Another disadvantage of bitumen is that it is frangible at low temperatures. It loses its adhesive property and breaks easily.
  • While refining bitumen, it releases harmful fumes and particles that can be hazardous to health.

 

While bitumen is one of the most considerable and utilised materials, it has disadvantages. Bitumen is versatile, durable, and cost-effective. It is also an excellent water-proofing agent. Since it is a non-renewable resource, engineers continue to find an alternative to bitumen.

Back to Glossary Index Page

Need a consultation? We’re at your service.

Tell us a little about yourself and what you’re looking for, and our experts will get back to you with a perfect solution!

Harold W. Hill, Jr

Director, President – Glen Raven Technical Fabrics

Strata/Glen Raven tenure: 10 years/28 years
Total industry experience: 35 years


MBA – Wake Forest University

 

Directs the strategic direction of Glen Raven’s automotive, protective apparel, military, geogrid, outdoor and logistic businesses.

J. Craig Bell

Director, General Manager, Strata Inc.

Strata/Strata Inc. tenure: 3 years/14 years
Total industry experience: 25 years


MBA – Georgia State University

 

Led the integration of Strata Inc. business operations into the headquarters of GRTF and transition from USA based to India based manufacturing.

Ashok Bhawnani

Director

Strata tenure: 17 years
Total industry experience: 47 years

CA – ICA

 

Played a key role in the establishment of Strata’s India operations. Provides vision for product innovation and leveraging new technology trends.

Phil McGoldrick

Global Technical Sales Director

Strata tenure: 7 years
Total industry experience: 32 years


Civil & Geotechnical Engineer (First class)


Provides highly technical and innovative civil engineering solutions in India and around the world. Responsible for the design and execution of large-scale geotechnical projects around the world including Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and South America.

Shahrokh Bagli

CTO – Chief Technology Officer

Strata tenure: 9 years
Total industry experience: 48 years


BTech (Hons), MTech (Civil) Both IIT Bombay, DMS (Bombay University), FIE, FIGS, Chartered Engineer

 

Streamlines the designs of Geosynthetics and has brought innovation in geogrid and geocell design application.

Mujib Katrawala

COO – Projects and Sales

Strata tenure: 13 years
Total industry experience: 24 years


MBA – University of Gujarat

 

Leads the monetization of products and solutions while ensuring highest execution quality and project profitability.

Chandrashekhar Kanade

COO – Technical Textiles

Strata tenure: 13 years
Total industry experience: 33 years


BE (Mechanical) – Nagpur University

 

Drives excellence in process design, product features and cost effectiveness in production.

Govind Keswani

CFO – Chief Financial Officer

Strata tenure: 8 years
Total industry experience: 35 years


CA – ICA, ICWA – ICWAI

 

Leads the finance, accounting, taxation, commercial, legal and IT functions and assisting on all strategic and operational matters.

Gautam Dalmia

CDO – Chief Development Officer

Strata tenure: 10 years
Total industry experience: 13 years


MBA – ISB, Hyderabad

 

Leads diversification of the product portfolio, monetizing the new products and ensuring successful sustained financial growth of the company top line.

Narendra Dalmia

CEO – Chief Executive Officer

Strata tenure: 14 years
Total industry experience: 42 years


B Tech (Chemical) – IIT Delhi

 

Leads day-to-day business operations of the company with focus on capacity expansion, product and process improvement.

Need a consultation? We’re at your service.

Tell us a little about yourself and what you’re looking for, and our experts will get back to you with a perfect solution!