Bitumen Modification Plant. Modified Bitumen Production

The compatibility of bitumen and polymers is essential to obtain a high-quality final product. In such case, the polymer is able to absorb oil components of the binder, preserving the structure. Due to the modification process, bitumen is turned into an elastomer¹An elastomer is a polymer with viscoelasticity (i.e., both viscosity and elasticity) and very weak intermolecular forces, and generally low Young’s modulus and high failure strain compared with other materials. that possesses better elasticity.

Modern petrochemical industry professionals attempt to maximize the yield of light oil products and extract most of the paraffin-naphthenic fractions from bitumen. This reduces its flexibility at low temperatures and reduces the softening point at high temperatures. Most modern bitumen will lose elasticity at approximately twenty degrees (20 ⁰C) and begin to soften at between +45 ⁰C to 48 ⁰C. The use of non-modified bitumen therefore, in both road construction, which requires a binder with a temperature range from -40 ⁰C to +70 ⁰C, and for roofing materials, which are often subjected to temperatures up to 90 ⁰C, is not efficient. Fortunately, there are ways to change and improve the properties of bitumen by mixing it with various additives. This is best achieved in special bitumen modification units such as the GlobeCore USB-3 bitumen modification system.