Bitumen is a rock formed from the decomposed remains of living organisms and occurs in four types, the best known being asphalt - which is used for road surfaces and roofing, other types being albertite, elaterite and ozokerite. Bitumen burnss like pitch, with much smoke and flame. It consists of 84 to 88 of carbon and 12 to 16 of hydrogen, and is found in the earth, occurring principally in the secondary, tertiary, and alluvial formations. It is a very widely spread mineral, and is now largely employed in various ways. As the binding substance in mastics and cements it is used for making roofs, arches, walls, cellar-floors, etc, water-tight, for street and other pavements, and in some of its forms for fuel and for illuminating purposes. The bricks of which the walls of Babylon were built are said to have been cemented with bitumen, which gave them unusual solidity. Research Bitumen
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Research Bitumen
