What is Natural Bitumen (Gilsonite)?

Revealing Gilsonite: Nature's Distinct Hydrocarbon

Gilsonite, or Natural Bitumen, is a remarkable, naturally occurring hydrocarbon resin with a rich and multifaceted history and uses in industry. As opposed to man-made materials, this untainted hydrocarbon develops over a period of millions of years by a singular geological process, creating a distinctive material that possesses outstanding characteristics.

Found embedded deep within the earth in vertical columns of veins, fresh Gilsonite has a lustrous, obsidian-like appearance. However, weathering can make it a dark, coal-like color. It's easily recognizable by its low specific gravity, a characteristic brown streak on paper when scraped, and solubility high in organic solvents.

How Gilsonite Forms and Where It's Found?

Millions of years went by, and proto-petroleum deposits flowed into giant underground crevices. Over time, these deposits hardened under immense pressure to become the hard, resinous rock we now refer to as Gilsonite.

Gilsonite is presently largely handmade from underground shafts with pneumatic jackhammers. When it is removed, it can be delicately processed through temperature grading, drying, screening, and sizing to suit customer requirements. Quality is controlled rigorously to ensure purity before being exported to over 80 countries worldwide.

Iran is richly endowed with enormous reserves of this valuable mineral, extensive mines in western and southern Iran. It has some of the largest Gilsonite mining fields in Iran in the Ilam, Kermanshah, and Khuzestan provinces.

Gilsonite vs. Petroleum Bitumen

Despite being allied, observe how petroleum bitumen and Gilsonite differ. Gilsonite is a geologic bitumen, a solid hydrocarbon, and therefore most compatible with petroleum bitumen derived from petroleum. Combined together, the two form a strong molecule bond, blending the fluidity of petroleum bitumen with Gilsonite's toughness and hardness. A synergistic blend, this yields materials with superior performance characteristics, well adapted to high-demand industrial applications.

(Note: The "Heavy Oil" subsection in your original text was somewhat of a digression from Gilsonite. It being in the way of improved focus and readability, I have removed it. If you need to have content on heavy oil, it is best as a stand-alone, dedicated section or article.)

Diverse Applications of Gilsonite

Gilsonite's unique properties make it a premium raw material or processed ingredient in a wide range of industries. Its adaptability makes it possible to utilize it to enhance performance and advance the characteristics of most products.

Drilling Fluid Loss Control

Gilsonite has been a key oilfield drilling fluid additive for decades. There are several grades and types of Gilsonite that are utilized to:

Prevent stability problems with boreholes.
Sustain lubricity, especially in deviated wellbores.
Serve as a bridging fluid to prevent differential pressure sticking.
Form a low-invasion coring fluid.

Gilsonite products that are properly designed are said to minimize collapse of holes in water-sensitive shales and decrease occurrences of stuck pipe through the formation of a thin, effective wall cake and inter-matrix filter cake.

Cement

Originally introduced to the oil industry as a cement additive in 1957, Gilsonite solid hydrocarbon has found application in thousands of cementing operations. It's particularly ideal in reducing slurry weight without compromising compressive strength and is an excellent bridging and plugging agent to seal fractures in fragile rock formations during cementing.

Oil Sector (Greater Uses)

Apart from cement and drilling fluids, Gilsonite is a standard ingredient of oil-based drilling muds, especially in problematic shales and complex geological formations. When specially treated, Gilsonite improves water-based drilling fluids by stabilizing problem shales and closing permeable sands, while reducing torque and drag simultaneously.

Asphalt & Road Paving

Being a natural hydrocarbon substance with a very high softening point (in excess of 110°C), Gilsonite is an asphaltite. It's applied in asphalt and has been well-known for many years as a good asphalt hardener and reinforcing filler. Globally, Gilsonite is marketed widely as a road bitumen improver as a dry bulk granular powder, significantly enhancing pavement durability and performance.

Chemical Industry

Gilsonite's unique physical and chemical properties are an excellent feature for it to serve as a superior additive to other chemicals and materials. Its versatility surpasses in binder and coating applications in metallurgical, wood products, refractory, and other diversified industries.

Paints & Inks

Gilsonite is a highly valued additive in the paint and ink industry.

Paints: Incorporating Gilsonite into bitumen-based paints enhances hardness, adhesion, UV stability, water resistance, and chemical resistance. Paints with Gilsonite are often used on car frames and radiators. It is also used as an additive in wood stains to improve roughness, gloss, and overall weatherability.
Inks: Gilsonite and solvent-extracted resin derivatives of Gilsonite serve as wetting agents for carbon black used in black news ink, heat-set ink, and gravure ink. Gilsonite not only wets and disperses the carbon black pigment, but also bonds the pigment onto the paper, resulting in smudge- and rub-resistant high-gloss prints.

Foundry

In foundry and refractory applications, especially for molding precious metals where finish is of paramount concern, Gilsonite is a great carbon additive. It effectively replaces sea coal, and it contains significantly more carbonic value.

Safety of Natural Bitumen

Natural Bitumen (Gilsonite) is non-toxic and non-hazardous. It is a very pure, resinous rock, made up of a complex blend of various hydrocarbons, and by itself, it poses no hazard to be dealt with industrially if proper measures are followed.

General Specification of Gilsonite