Question

When a volatile diluent is added to bitumen to change its viscosity the resultant material is called?

Answer 1

Bitumens are engineering materials produced by the distillation of crude oil during petroleum refining and exist in numerous forms and types. Bitumens are dark viscous liquids or semi-solids that are non-volatile at ambient temperatures and soften gradually when heated. In North America, bitumen is commonly known as “asphalt cement” or “asphalt binder”. “Asphalt” is the term used for a mixture of small stones, sand, filler and bitumen (~5%), which is used as a road-paving material. Bitumen emissions are defined as the complex mixture of aerosols, vapours, and gases from heated bitumen and products containing bitumen. Although the term “bitumen fume” is often used in reference to total emissions, bitumen fume refers only to the aerosolized fraction of total emissions (i.e. solid particulate matter, condensed vapour, and liquid bitumen droplets). Accordingly, the term “bitumen emissions” is more appropriate for referring to total content of bitumen in air.