Bitumen – Transport and Storage
What is bitumen?
Bitumen is a mixture of organic substances that occurs naturally on earth, but can mainly be obtained from petroleum. For instance, it is often used as a sealing and insulating material, or processed into roof tiles or asphalt.
Bitumen boxes with a special coating
It is a widespread misbelief that bitumen can only be transported in a liquid, hot state. In fact, it is also possible to transport or store bitumen in so-called "bitumen boxes" in a cold, solid state. The inside of the cardboard boxes are equipped with a special coating, which ensures, thanks to its high release properties, that the bitumen can be removed without leaving any residue after transport or storage.
Bitumenbox from BRANOpac - the economical alternative to conventional transport options
While liquids are often transported in barrels, which have to be laboriously cleaned and then disposed of as hazardous waste, handling the cardboard boxes is a lot easier
Since the boxes are delivered flat, the transport volume of the empty boxes is low. With a simple folding technique, the bitumenbox can be set up quickly and then immediately be filled with the hot bitumen mass (at temperatures under 220°C / 428°F). Within the cardboard, the bitumen cools down and solidifies – thus, the subsequent transport is not only made easier, but in contrast to liquid transport, also not dangerous.
Safe transport of bitumen
Due to the high temperatures of liquid transports (including loading and unloading), liquid bitumen is classified as a dangerous good. Liquid transports require temperatures of about 200°C (392°F), which is not only dangerous for the workers who load and unload bitumen, other traffic participants are endangered as well.
However, bitumen that is transported in a cold state is not classified as a dangerous good since it is neither dangerous to health, nor to the environment. Up to a temperature of 220°C (428°F), the storage of bitumen in cardboards is possible without any problems.
Advantages of our bitumenbox
- Less volume at delivery of the empty units (and thus less costly delivery)
- Environmentally-friendly (no barrel-cleaning necessary)
- No hazardous waste (in contrast to barrels)
- Solidified bitumen can be easily removed from the cardboard
- Empty cardboards can be energetically utilized