What is Gilsonite? | Characteristics, properties and application of mineral bitumen

 What is Gilsonite? | Characteristics, properties and application of mineral bitumen

Gilsonite or asphalt is a black mineral with high viscosity, whose structure consists of dissolved solid hydrocarbons. Bitumen is commonly found in mines. The melting temperature of this mineral solid is relatively high, and its main sources in the United States are in the states of Colorado and Utah. Although the main sources of mineral bitumen are related to the American region, recently other sources have been discovered in countries such as Colombia and Iran, from which a significant amount of this mineral is extracted.

Gilsonite or mineral bitumen, which is extracted from underground mines, is similar to the mineral obsidian, black in color and shiny in appearance. This compound was discovered in the 1860s and about 25 years later was marketed by a man named Samuel Gilson as a varnish, electrical insulator and a waterproofing compound.

 A look at history

This mineral, now known as "Gilsonite" or Asphaltum, was discovered in the early 1860s, but it wasn't until the mid-1880s that Samuel H. Gilson began promoting it as a waterproof coating for wooden posts, as wire insulation. Cable and as a unique varnish.

Gilson's introduction of bitumen was so successful that in 1888, he and a partner established the first company to mine and market it on a commercial scale. Gilsonite was chosen because of its better purity, good solubility, and usefulness in paint and varnish industries. Mineral bitumen had a high softening point and its hydrocarbon structure was known.

Time and technology have gradually changed the extraction and grading of bitumen and the classification system. Processing in factories or mines now removes most inert contaminants and provides newer, more powerful solvents with higher degrees of softening for a variety of applications.

Today, Gilsonite is graded by softening point (a rough measure of solubility) and particle size. All grades of mineral bitumen have a degree of quality that is far superior to the first few samples that were introduced to the market in the 1880s.

Production methods

mineral bitumen

mineral bitumen

Gilsonite or Asphaltum is a natural hydrocarbon, with a resin-like structure, which was found in southern Turkey in 1930. This natural asphaltite is a hard hydrocarbon and is often referred to as natural asphalt, asphaltite, unitite, or asphalt.

Gilsonite or Gilsonite is soluble in aromatic and aliphatic solvents as well as petroleum bitumen. Gilsonite is mainly used to harden softer petroleum products.

Gilsonite is a shiny and black material that looks similar to obsidian mineral. This substance is brittle and can easily be crushed into a dark brown powder.

The mineral gilsonite is found underground in vertical veins or seams that are generally two to six feet wide, but can be as large as 28 feet. The veins are almost parallel to each other and are located in the northwest to southeast direction.

These veins are several miles long and up to 1500 feet deep. The veins of this material appear as a thin ridge on the surface and gradually expand as it deepens. To mine narrower veins, workers usually use pneumatic breakers and mechanical jacks, but for greater depth, mining machines must be used.

Properties and applications

Gilsonite is classified as a substance soluble in oily solutions such as 2CS or TCE (trichloroethylene). This material is a main component of carbon gilsonite. It also contains several other elements including nitrogen and sulfur and some volatile compounds.

Asphaltite is a hard and solid mineral composed of several natural bitumen whose main compounds, asphaltenes, have very large molecules.

The color of asphaltite is dark brown to black. They are insoluble in naphtha solution, one of the petroleum derivatives, and therefore require heat to release the petroleum content.

Although gilsonite is related to asphalt, asphaltite is chemically and physically different from it in some ways. For example, asphaltites usually have little or no mineral content, but asphaltenes may have relatively high percentages of these minerals. Also, unlike asphalt, asphaltites do not boil easily.

Asphaltites differ fundamentally in terms of specific gravity and softening temperature.

** Gilsonite solubility:

Gilsonite is soluble in cyclic hydrocarbon solvents, aromatic solvents and chlorine. The solubility of this substance is limited in most ketones, but it is soluble in mixed aromatic solvents that contain an organic compound element. Gilsonite is insoluble in water, alcohols or acetone.

Physical and chemical characteristics of Gilsonite

Gilsonite/ Gilsonite

Name of the compound

Gilsonite / Gleasonite

Other names:

Natural asphalt, asphaltite, unitite or asphalt, mineral bitumen

Properties and characteristics

Long hydrocarbon chains

chemical formula

3000 aum

on average

Molar mass

Solid black and shiny

Appearance

135 to 205 °C

(275 to 400 °F)

melting point

Soluble in cyclic hydrocarbon solvents, aromatic solvents and chlorine

Limited solubility in most ketones

Insoluble in water, alcohols or acetone

Solubility

1/04-1/06

Special Weight

Related compounds

Asphalt-petroleum bitumen

Related compounds

 

Applications of Gilsonite

Gilsonite deposits are mainly distributed in oil basins worldwide. Mineral bitumen is used in more than 160 industrial products, primarily in the production of printing inks and dark colors, oil well drilling cements, asphalt modifiers, foundry sand additives and a wide range of chemical products.

1- The use of Gilsonite in the preparation of bitumen:

A common application of gilsonite is in the bitumen compound. This application is carried out in countries such as China, India and Iran. We are all familiar with the use of bitumen for building insulation.

2- Application of mineral bitumen in ink and printing industry:

Gilsonite is one of the important elements of printing inks, paints and industrial coatings. Gilsonite is used as a hard resin and carbon black dispersant in a type of coating.

The formulation of various types of printing inks and industrial coatings is different. The amount of bitumen powder used in these products is different. The quality and applications of the products determine what the initial formulation should be.

Converting dry, granulated gilsonite to a liquid state provides the opportunity to remove the small amount of abrasive grit that is present in natural asphalt. If a weak solvent or a high concentration of gilsonite is used, stabilizing additives may be present in the formulation in excess amounts.

Gilsonite is used in more than 160 products due to its unique chemical and physical properties.

3- Application of Gilsonite in road construction and preparation of road asphalt:

For road construction and construction projects, mineral bitumen is mixed with asphalt to create a more resistant texture. Mineral bitumen is used in the form of granulated powder in this method. In some cases, modifying polymers are used instead of this compound.

Asphalts prepared with gilsonite are better than other conventional asphalt models in terms of physical and performance characteristics. Asphalts reinforced with mineral bitumen are resistant to water and deformation and have a more stable structure. These asphalts are very suitable for roads and paths that are under high traffic or pressure.

4- Applications of gilsonite in drilling mud:

Gilsonite is mixed with drilling mud. With this, the erosion of the well walls is reduced, making the drilling process easier.

5- Application of mineral bitumen in casting industry:

Due to the hydrocarbon structure of mineral bitumen, it is used as a carbon-rich compound in foundry sands. In this way, at the end of casting and molding, the processing operation is completed without defects.

This feature is also used for the steel industry and iron smelting. The presence of mineral bitumen in the structure of molten steel, impurities of sulfur, silica and phosphorus are separated from the mixture towards slag.

6-Gilsonite applications in the production of anti-corrosion coatings:

Another important application of mineral gleisonite is its use to produce anti-corrosion coatings in the oil and gas industry. This material is used in the texture of coatings along with other additives and is used to insulate oil, gas and petrochemical pipes.

safety

When crude oil formed over millions of years and made its way to the Earth's surface, it formed as crystals near the Earth's upper surface. Geographically, this valuable material was discovered for the first time in the Utah region of the United States, as well as in the west of Iran in the province of Kermanshah and Ilam.

** Stimulation of the eyes:

Gilsonite produces dust when worn and may cause eye irritation. The amount of damage from this contact depends on the amount of substance that enters the eye. Signs and symptoms of irritation with mineral bitumen powder may include pain, tearing, swelling, redness, and blurred vision.

**Skin irritation:

This substance is not expected to cause long-term or significant skin irritation.

Maintenance

Hazardous decomposition products: NA

Stability and stability in terms of reactivity: it is stable

Hazardous Polymerization: Polymerization will not occur.

Incompatibility: may react with strong oxidizing agents such as chlorate, nitrate, peroxide, etc.

Special Precautions: Gilsonite dusts are subject to ignition or explosion upon contact with sparks, flames, or temperatures exceeding 1,000°F (570°C). Any ignition spark or ignition must be away from the environment before the bitumen is pulverized or any other process that results in dust generation.

Where prolonged exposure to vapors, distillates, or solids from heating Gilsonite above 550°F (288°C) is foreseeable, the use of protective clothing and respiratory equipment is recommended.

packing

Gilsonite packaging will be standard in 25 kg laminated bags or prepared for the customer in 1000 kg jumbo bag.

According to the customer's request, the type of packaging of this material (including belts, pallets) is prepared and its costs are almost the price of mineral bitumen.

 Gilsonite market situation and sales

Gilsonite mines are operating and operating as a center for the production of industrial minerals around the world. This material is known as Kermanshah Gilsonite, Mehr Afzon Saman mineral bitumen and Gilangreb Gilsonite in the Iranian and world markets.

Gilsonite is a shiny, black, solid hydrocarbon that resembles hard asphalt in appearance and is believed to be found in commercial quantities in the United States, Iran, Colombia, Argentina, and Albania.

The buying and selling of Gilsonite is very prosperous and demanding in the world markets. The price of Gilsonite depends on factors such as changes in the price of oil derivatives, currency prices and the volume of demand in the world markets.