What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Bitumen Emulsion?

Bitumen emulsion is becoming popular in advanced countries due to its benefits, ease of use, and better environmental compatibility.

There are positives and negatives to every product, including bitumen emulsion. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive list of the advantages and disadvantages of bitumen emulsion.

Advantages of Bitumen Emulsion

1- The water in the bitumen emulsion leads to a decrease in viscosity. This enables bitumen emulsion to penetrate easily into cracks and tiny pores. 

2- Bitumen types with high viscosity are heated before use to make them easier to use. Due to its low viscosity, this preparation process does not exist in emulsion bitumen.

 As a result, the construction process starts at a higher speed and without extra energy.

3- Bitumen emulsion can be used in road construction instead of regular or refined bitumen. This type of asphalt is called cold asphalt.

4- Due to using water instead of petroleum solvents, bitumen emulsion is more compatible with the environment and causes less damage to it.

5- This bitumen contains water; hence, its fire hazards are much less.

6- Bitumen emulsion can be used in many areas at a temperature range of 8 to 50 degrees Celsius.

7- Unlike cutback bitumen, emulsion bitumen can be applied on wet surfaces.

 8- The bitumen emulsion can be cleaned easily with water just before it dries, while other types of bitumen require expensive special solvents.

9- There is no need for a ventilation system when using it in closed spaces. Because bitumen emulsion is made of water instead of petroleum solvents which may have a bad smell and toxicity.

Disadvantages of Bitumen Emulsion

1- It is necessary to protect bitumen emulsion from freezing during storage and transportation. 

2- Bitumen emulsion is easily washed by water and should not be used on rainy days.

3- One of the issues related to the bitumen emulsion is the separation of bitumen and water during storage and transportation.

Since it is important to keep the bitumen emulsion stable, adding some additives like calcium chloride is necessary. Also, the storage tanks must have a stirrer, and the bitumen emulsion must be mixed every two weeks.

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