Bitumen-based fuel is fuel specifically developed for industrial use. Raw bitumen, processed from

Bituminous rocks Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

, has an extremely high

viscosity The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to deformation at a given rate. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of "thickness": for example, syrup has a higher viscosity than water. Viscosity quantifies the inte ...

Properties

Bitumen has an extremely high

, between 8 and 10 API degrees (at ambient temperatures), rendering it unusable for use in electric power stations. Bitumen can be modified by mixing it with fresh water and a small amount of

phenol Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it ...

-based surfactant. The resulting mixture has properties similar to conventional fuel oil. A newer version of bitumen-based fuel has replaced the original version with an alcohol-based surfactant, making it easier to transport the fuel and eliminating the health concerns associated with the phenol group of surfactants.

Industrial exploitation

The most well known bitumen-based fuel has been developed by Intevep, the Research and Development Affiliate of

Petroleos de Venezuela Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA, ) (English: Petroleum of Venezuela) is the Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company. It has activities in exploration, production, refining and exporting oil as well as exploration and production ...

SA (PDVSA), in a collaboration with BP, Ashmar (2010), pp. 14–15 and is branded "

Orimulsion Orimulsion is a registered trademark name for a bitumen-based fuel that was developed for industrial use by Intevep, the Research and Development Affiliate of Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), following earlier collaboration on oil emulsions with ...

." It is an

emulsion An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible (unmixable or unblendable) owing to liquid-liquid phase separation. Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Altho ...

of natural bitumen mined from the Orinoco Belt and fresh water. Bitumen-based fuel is currently used as a commercial boiler fuel in power plants in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, Japan, Lithuania, and China. Commonly available air pollutant control technology can limit emissions from Orimulsion to levels considered

Best Available Control Technology A State Implementation Plan (SIP) is a United States state plan for complying with the federal Clean Air Act, administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The SIP, developed by a state agency and approved by EPA, consists of narrat ...

, as defined by the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...

Properties

Industrial exploitation

See also

References

Further reading