Profile: Bitumen Exchange imports and exports bitumen products. Bitumen is the oldest known engineering material and is used as an adhesive, sealant, and waterproofing agent. Bitumen is produced from selected crude oils through a process of fractional distillation. The crude oil is heated to temperatures of between 300 and 350 degrees celsius & fed into a distillation column allowing the lightest fractions of the crude to be separated through vaporization, from the heavier fractions that remain as liquid. The higher boiling point fractions are then drawn-off via a heat exchanger and enter a vacuum distillation column. This process produces a short residue that is used to manufacture several grades of bitumen. The pressure and temperature conditions within the vacuum process determine the hardness of the short residue. The short residue is further modified by air blowing in which air is passed through the residue at temperatures of 250-300 degrees celsius. Natural bitumen is extracted from Alberta oil sand deposits. It is black/brown in color and completely soluble in toluene. It is very viscous/near solid at ambient temperatures and gradually softens when heated. It is widely used in a variety of applications including roofing, flooring, and pipe coating.