WHAT IS BITUMEN?

This petroleum product is a black material that has a pasty shape and its main application is in waterproofing and asphalt making. There are different types of this petroleum products, each of which has its own different applications. More specifically, it can be said that the combination of hydrocarbons in this petroleum product is a paste and colloidal shape of natural or refinery origin. this petroleum product is material in terms of physical behavior that shows a specific behavior at any temperature. At ambient temperature, it has neither the behavior of an elastic material nor a viscous material. The behavior of this petroleum product includes a combination of these two states, ie viscoelastic behavior.
Bitumen from petroleum products is often produced in refineries.

Bitumen is solid at ambient temperature.
It becomes doughy with increasing ambient temperature.
It becomes liquid if we raise the ambient temperature too high.
Water impermeability and adhesion of this petroleum product are the properties that make this material have many applications.

Types of bitumen
This petroleum product is extracted from oil or special minerals called pure bitumen. This substance is classified according to the origin of its formation. This kind of Pure petroleum product is subjected to processes for use in various applications to obtain the necessary properties and properties and form a variety of this petroleum product such as (blown bitumen, soluble bitumen, emulsion bitumen, polymer bitumen, etc.).

Petroleum Bitumen
This petroleum product is usually obtained from the distillation of crude oil.
Another name for this product is petroleum bitumen or distilled bitumen.
This petroleum product is obtained from two stages of crude oil distillation in the distillation tower.
In the first stage, distillation at pressures close to one atmosphere, lighter materials such as gasoline and propane are separated from the crude oil, and the rest is transferred to the next stage. In the second stage, heavier compounds such as diesel and kerosene are separated from the crude oil residues of the first stage. This process takes place at a pressure close to vacuum pressure. Finally, a mixture of very fine solid particles immersed in a grease-like substance remains called asphaltene.

Natural bitumen
But there are some types of these petroleum products in nature.
These materials are obtained by the gradual conversion of crude oil as well as by the evaporation of its volatiles over many years, which is called natural bitumen. Bitumen may be present in pure form in nature, which is called lake bitumen. As you know, this type of bitumen is found in Iran in Behbahan bitumen lake and also in the United States in Trinidad bitumen lake.
Natural bitumen is more durable than petroleum bitumen.

Discovery of This Petroleum Product
This petroleum product has been used as a waterproofing material since ancient times and in the time of Sumerians, Assyrians, and even many previous civilizations, and it has been mostly used in building and insulating ships against water intrusion and sinking. Also in ancient Egypt and Greece, this petroleum product was used to embalm corpses, as well as sculptures and decorations, and even in wars to defend the enemy gates to the city gates. This valuable material has also been used in combination with baked bricks as mastic in the construction of temples and bridge pillars or as paving streets and houses. Another very valuable application of this material has been its use as a moisture-proof material and a connecting agent in water storage devices. Recorded use of this petroleum product dates back to about 3800 years ago, the time of the Sumerians.

The use of This petroleum product dates back more than 5000 years
The role of this petroleum product in ancient Iran, which was known as (Mamaton) was also very basic. Khuzestan bitumen, which was known as “Mamatan” during the Achaemenid period, had many applications such as use in tool making, making utensils with this petroleum product, stamping, and ornaments, etc., and also over time this material has religious, military, architectural and medical applications. Found and played an essential role in the growth and development of the Achaemenid civilization. The Achaemenid dynasty used this petroleum product for sealing and waterproofing the palace with the grandeur of Persepolis. Remains of it can be seen in the historical complex of Persepolis.
Ancient Susa artists used a mixture of this petroleum product and kalbit and heated it to obtain a composition that was very similar to stone. They used this material to make various objects as well as to make sculptures and fossils.

Bitumen in modern industry
In modern industry and in the modern era, the production of this petroleum product can be related to 1712 AD.
The use of this petroleum product in the industry began with the discovery of natural bitumen stones in France.
The first roads were built using this petroleum product, in which pieces of bitumen were dumped in clumps on the passages and paths to be crushed by the movement of carts and horses and to cover the road surface, then after a while, They pedaled these materials and poured bitumen powder on the road surface and pounded it. This was done for the first time in Europe. By heating and pounding this powder, they covered the roads with a resistant bitumen surface.

This petroleum product used in asphalt
The use of this petroleum product in asphalt began in France in the early nineteenth century.
The use of asphalt was first seen on French sidewalks in 1830.
The world’s first asphalt road was built in the United States in 1870.