Bitumen

Related FAQ

Bituminous materials are used for road construction, roofing, waterproofing, and other applications.

Bitumen is actually the liquid binder that holds asphalt together. A bitumen sealed road has a layer of bitumen sprayed and then covered with an aggregate. ... Asphalt is produced in a plant that heats, dries and mixes aggregate, bitumen and sand into a composite mix.

Bitumen can be produced to different specifications depending on how it's going to be used but in all cases, bitumen is created by distilling crude oil. This process removes the lighter liquid and leaves a thick sticky substance that, in the case of asphalt, will hold heavy aggregate like stones and gravel with sand.

Bitumen has a generally lower upfront cost. Simply put, this is because the amount of materials (aggregates in particular) required to create a bitumen road is less than concrete. ... Concrete will therefore cost slightly more to create, but recoups this cost in terms of savings on maintenance in the long run.  

Bitumen, dense, highly viscous, petroleum-based hydrocarbon that is found in deposits such as oil sands and pitch lakes (natural bitumen) or is obtained as a residue of the distillation of crude oil (refined bitumen)