Bitumen
From RitchieWiki
Bitumen is a black, sticky, viscous mixture of hydrocarbon molecules making up the heaviest existing form of petroleum. Heavier than water, with a viscosity greater than that of molasses, the highly molecular substance is commonly used for paving roads, producing roofing felt and another waterproof materials, as well as being refined into crude oil, gas, and kerosene.[1]
Generally, bitumen is a term used to refer to any material consisting of a high percentage of bitumen but it can comprise a small mixture of other components as well. Bitumen itself consists of light fractions of high napthenes, which are used to make gasoline and other petrochemicals; heavy fractions of asphaltenes; methane; as well as five percent sulfur and minimal amounts of oxygen, water, heavy metals, and other contaminants.
In its original state, bitumen is used for paving roads but is not suitable for much else. To be used for other purposes, bitumen has to undergo a refining process to remove impurities and to balance the hydrocarbon molecule count. Bitumen is used to produce synthetic crude oil, although the production process is both complex and expensive. It must be diluted with a type of natural gas to reduce the viscosity that will enable it to be pumped. Bitumen can be refined into other products, such as gasoline, kerosene, and gas oil (before it is processed into crude oil).
The two largest sources of bitumen are located in Alberta, Canada and in eastern Venzuela.[2]
Originally, Aboriginals from the Athabasca and Clear Water regions used bitumen to waterproof their birch bark canoes. In 1719, it was traded for other goods to the Hudson Bay Co. by a Cree tribe called Wa-Pa-Su. Henry Kelsey, the man it was traded to, was the first European to record a description of it. His record indicated: “At about 24 miles (39 km) from the fork (of the Athabasca and Clearwater Rivers) are some bituminous fountains into which a pole of 20 feet (6.1 m) long may be inserted without the least resistance.”[3]
Petroleum, the main component of bitumen, is used to make a variety of different materials and objects, including erasers, straws, lipstick, toothpaste, Velcro, and computers.
