What is Bitumen Used For?

Bitumen is used for a wide variety of purposes, but it’s mainly used for making asphalt and paving roads. Its sturdy traits enable it to make the roads last for long periods of time under many different weather conditions. Bitumen, whether it is mixed with asphalt or used alone, actually covers around 98 percent of all the roads in America. Bitumen is also used for waterproofing materials like dishwashers and swimming pools and is sometimes used to soundproof rooms. It is also used in particular rubbers and paints and it can be a strong sealant when fixing and making roofs, and it is used in making shingles for houses. Over the past few years, there has been a new use for bitumen that has been discovered, and it is now becoming increasingly popular with gasoline manufacturers. Bitumen has become a main component in the production of synthetic crude oil that runs through our vehicles, heats our homes and acts as our overall energy supplier. Recently, bitumen extracted from tar sands are becoming more important to gasoline and energy suppliers because it is a stable source of energy compared to other synthetic crude sources.