Cutback & Cationic Bitumen Emulsion
Cutback & Cationic Bitumen Emulsion are petroleum products. Cutback bitumen is produced by diluting bitumen in petroleum hydrocarbon and cationic bitumen emulsion is widely used in road construction (known as cold asphalt) and maintenance.
International EMC is active in supplying and exporting all kinds of bitumen emulsions and has succeeded to export a variety of emulsions to Iraq, Tanzania, Oman, Armenia, and Turkmenistan. Also, we as the exclusive representative of local emulsifiers and antistripping additives honored to serve the road and construction community. During the past 9 years over 700 tons of mentioned products were exported to other countries.
How is Bitumen Emulsion made?
Bitumen emulsion is developed in two simple steps. The water is first combined with an emulsifying agent and other chemical agents. Then, a colloidal mill is used to combine water, emulsifier, and bitumen. Depending on the end-use of bitumen emulsion, the quantity of bitumen is added to the mixture. When the emulsifier is being made as a key product, it can be used between 60-70%.
The typical amount of bitumen added to the mixture is between 40% and 70%. The colloidal mill separates the bitumen into microscopic particles. The average droplet size is approximately 2 microns. But the droplets try to settle down and join with each other. The emulsifier, thus added, produces a coating of the surface charge around every droplet of bitumen which, on the other hand, helps keep the droplets away from each other. The blend obtained from the colloidal mill is processed and used according to guidelines and later stored in storage tanks.
Types of Bitumen Emulsions:
- Cationic Bitumen Emulsion
- Anionic Bitumen Emulsion
Cationic Bitumen Emulsion
Bitumen emulsion is produced by the suspension of ultra-fine particles of bitumen in water with the aid of an emulsifier, a chemical additive, and is widely used in road construction – known as cold asphalt – and maintenance. In these products, after the gradual evaporation of water, the remaining layer of bitumen on the surface penetrates the lower asphalt layers.
The existence of water as the lubricant is accompanied by some advantages among which, compatibility with the environment, energy saving, convenient transportation and warehousing, economic efficiency, and safety at work could be referred to.
Types of Bitumen Emulsion:
The bitumen emulsion is categorized into two types:
- Based on setting time
- Based on surface charge
Based on Setting Time
If emulsions of bitumen are added to aggregates, water is evaporated, and the solvent is removed. Then bitumen flows over the aggregate base, serves as a binding agent, and slowly reinforces itself. This process is divided into the following three groups, depending on the speed at which water evaporates and bitumen particles disperse from water:
- Rapid Setting Emulsion (RS)
- Medium Setting Emulsion (MS)
- Slow Setting Emulsion (SS)
- Quick Setting (QS)
Bitumen is meant to break easily as the emulsion is a rapidly setting type of emulsion. This form of emulsion sets easily and cures. Once placed on aggregates, the emulsions of the medium setting do not crack unexpectedly. However, when the mineral’s coarse shards are combined with the aggregate emulsifier mixture, the breaking process begins. Slow setting emulsions are created with the assistance of a special type of emulsifier which slows down the setting process. These emulsion forms are quite robust.
Cutback Bitumen
Cutback bitumen is a petroleum product produced by diluting bitumen in petroleum hydrocarbon (Kerosene). The aim is to decrease the viscosity and increase the penetration of bitumen on asphalt surfaces. In comparison with bitumen, cutback bitumen is sprayed on different layers of roads at a notably lower temperature. Once the solvent is evaporated, the remaining bitumen equals penetration bitumen in terms of hardness.
Cutback bitumen is categorized into 3 groups, according to its curing time:
Rapid Curing (RC)
Medium Curing (MC)
Slow Curing (RC)
- all products comply with International Standards: ASTM D2027 M – 13 and EN 15322 for cutback bitumen and ASTM D2397 M and EN 13808 for cationic bitumen emulsion.