GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT BITUMEN EMULSION PRODUCTION

1 BITUMEN EMULSION PRODUCTION

Bitumen emulsion mixture process is made by mechanical & physicochemical energy. Colloidal mill of
the emulFALT emulsion plants produces the mechanical energy for dividing the bitumen & WAE mix
into particles. The physicochemical energy provided by the emulsifier.
Preparation of bitumen emulsion will be described as:

KEROSENE LATEX
BITUMEN (OPTIOANAL) WATER ACID EMULSIFIER
(OPTIONAL)

BITUMEN WATER – ACID – EMULSIFIER (WAE) MIXTURE

emulFALT
COLLOID MILL

BITUMEN
EMULSION

To produce bitumen emulsion, the following materials are used:

Bitumen; bitumen is produced by petroleum refineries. Penetration of bitumen is important for good
quality emulsion. In below chart, required temperatures can be seen for penetrations ratios.

Penetration Bitumen Temperature

160/220 pen 110-120 °C
100/150 pen 120-130 °C
70/100 pen 130-140 °C
50/70 pen 140-150 °C
40/50 pen 150-160 °C
Table 1: Penetration vs. process temperature

Kerosene (optional); kerosene is the most common diluents which is used for fluidizing the bitumen.
These diluents are in low viscosity.

Water; the selected water must be clean and contains less amount of minerals. In some applications
calcium tablets will be added to WAE mixture for good bonding.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT BITUMEN EMULSION PRODUCTION

 GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT BITUMEN EMULSION PRODUCTION

Emulsifier; proper emulsifier must be selected to produce good quality emulsion. It depends on
bitumen type also water naivety.

Acid; cationic emulsifiers are insoluble in water, acidic environment is needed in the WAE mixtures for
dissolving of emulsifiers.

Latex (optional); polymer modification can improve the properties of bitumen in terms of cohesion,
resistance to cracking at low temperatures and resistance to flow at high temperatures.

Types of bitumen grade, WAE-bitumen composition, time-temperature profile during blending are the
major parameters affecting capacity and quality of the bitumen emulsion.

Emulsion receipt, quality and specifications of the product are fully under the responsibility of the
operating company.

Also cutting setting types of emulsions RS/MS/SS can also be done in emulsion plants.

RS (Rapid Settings); this type of emulsions set quickly in contact with clean aggregates of low-surface
area, such as the chippings used in chip seals.

MS (Medium Settings); this type of emulsions set sufficiently less quickly that they can be mixed with
aggregates of low surface area, such as those used in open-graded mixes.

SS (Slow Settings); this type of emulsions will mix with reactive aggregates of high surface area.

Cationic Emulsions Anionic Emulsions

Rapid Settings (RS) Type CRS-1 CRS-2 RS-1 RS-2

Medium Settings (MS) Type CMS-2 MS-2

Modified Modified
Slow Settings (SS) Type CSS-1 CSS-1h SS-1 SS-1h
CSS-1h SS-1h
Table 2: Types of Emulsions

1.1 Cationic Bitumen Emulsion

When the emulsion is being produced the cations are adsorbed by bitumen droplets, negatively ions
remain in the water.
The undeniably most complete field of use is represented by the rapid setting emulsions.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT BITUMEN EMULSION PRODUCTION

 GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT BITUMEN EMULSION PRODUCTION

The mostly used surfactants are the alkylamines, the alkylamidoamines etc. These molecules must be
in salt form. Even though it is possible to use organic acids – acetic, formic, lactic etc., practically only
hydrochloric acid is used due to the limited number of restrictions concerning its use.

1.2 Anionic Bitumen Emulsion

Most often, fatty acid and resin acid alkaline salts are used. They are obtained by saponification of the
liquid resin, called Tall-Oil. This substance is a residual, distilled substance, a by-product of the paper
pulp industry from resinous wood treated using the “sulfate” process.

The Co2Na group is the hydrophilic polar part. When in a solution in the continuous aqueous phase,
the soap molecules become ionized; the Na (or K) ions are the cations adsorbed by the water and the
rest of the molecules are the anions adsorbed by the bitumen globules.

2 BITUMEN EMULSION STORAGE

2.1 Storage Requirements

Emulsion is a cold product which may be stored for up to several months. This characteristic has the
following advantages:

 The emulsion may be manufactured as soon as bitumen used to make it received, which makes
it possible to avoid storage of this raw material at a given temperature. It is said that the plant
“stores cold”
 The application sites whose emulsion consumption is variable (weather conditions, equipment
availability, miscellaneous incidents) are practically independent of the production plants.
Similarly, a short shutdown at manufacture does not affect the job site progress.
 As the hourly production rate of emulsion plants is usually greater than the demand, the
storage facilities make it possible to have larger production runs, thus improving factory
productivity.

2.2 Storage Places

Emulsion may be stored:

 Either at the production site itself,

 In mobile or fixed depots close to the job sites.

Do not forget that drum storage is practically no longer used for economical and practical reasons.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT BITUMEN EMULSION PRODUCTION

 GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT BITUMEN EMULSION PRODUCTION

2.3 Storage Time

The highly variable storage time depends on:

 Product requirements,
 Job site requirements and unforeseeable,
 Relative capacity of supply and storage tanks.

The present-day emulsions may be stored for up to several months without any of their properties
being altered.

3 BITUMEN EMULSION TRANSPORTATION

3.1 Transportation Legislation

Bitumen emulsion is a non-flammable product.

Consequently, it is not in the nomenclature of dangerous materials; the transport vehicles therefore do
not need special signaling (danger code, material code and labeling).

3.2 Transport Conditions

Bitumen emulsion may be transported:

 Either from the manufacture plant to the storage depot,

 Or from the plant or the depot to the job site.

The transport facilities are the same as those used for the transport of hot bituminous products.
However, they may be simpler as it is not necessary to provide them with a temperature maintaining
or heating system.

Depending on the transport distance, the transport facilities are provided with tanks of highly varying
capacity, from 23m3 tanks (approx.) mounted on trailers, up to small 2 ton tanks designed for
maintenance teams.

All shapes of tanks may be used; cylindrical or elliptical.

For high capacities, in excess of 8 to 10 m3 it is mandatory to divide the inside of the tank with breaker
partitions. For fluid transport, these partitions help to improve transport facility stability and, for
emulsions prevent excessive mixing which may be prejudicial to the good stability of the emulsion.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT BITUMEN EMULSION PRODUCTION