Asphalt Plant What is Bitumen?

What does an asphalt plant do?

Bitumen, which is used in asphalt plants in asphalt production, is one of the most important petroleum derivatives used in transportation. If you say what is bitumen, we can say that it is a by-product that is released as a result of the exposure of oil to various refinery processes. Bitumen is an organic mixture that is generally brown, gray or black in color, contains petroleum tar, and is largely used in road construction today. It can be found in nature in its natural state, as well as it is obtained from the refining of crude oil. Undoubtedly, this substance, which is the main component of asphalt and called bitumen, is the most used substance on all roads today. The main task of bitumen is to bind the aggregates in the road construction materials to each other, to make the upper surface of the road hard and impermeable to liquids.

Bitumen can be examined in two parts as natural and artificial. However, in order for natural bitumen to be used, it must be exposed to some processes. This hydrocarbon material with a high viscosity ratio is a bituminous mixture with a viscous structure. This product, which emerged during the refining of petroleum, was initially considered as a useless waste material. However, due to excessive accumulation, the need to evaluate this item arose. As a result of the searches arising from this need, it was decided that this substance could be used in road constructions and isolation projects.
In order to make transportation more comfortable and safe today, the municipalities, which are informed about how asphalt is made, have established asphalt plants for sale and asphalt plants in their own vicinity. This ensures that transportation is carried out in a more professional way.

History of Bitumen

Bitumen, which has a very complex chemical composition and is the main material of asphalt, is a hydrocarbon structure. Bitumen is a secondary product formed during the refining process in oil refineries. The history of obtaining bitumen in different ways by humans dates back to 3 thousand BC. It was used to mark crop collection areas in those years.

The Dead Sea was a natural source of bitumen for the Romans. Bitumen was used by the Sumerians as mortar between bricks. In the Mesopotamian region, bitumen was used in ship linings due to its water-isolating feature, and this led to the development of fisheries. It was later used by the Egyptians to embalm the dead.

The Chinese and the Japanese used bitumen in the manufacture of sword scabbards. It was also used in the construction of the Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the seventh wonder of the world. At that time, bitumen was also used in the production of swords and sculptures and in the construction of granaries. In the 1800s, it was first used in Europe in France, asphalt roads and pavements.