Comparison of Bitumen Asbuton Diluents: Kerosene vs. Diesel Oil

Asbuton (aspal Buton) is a vast natural asphalt reserve owned by Indonesia and located on the island of Buton. This substance was composed of bitumen and minerals. Bitumen is the major ingredient used as an adhesive in the construction of roads. Because Asbuton bitumen is tightly bonded to the mineral calcite, a suitable diluent is required for the process of releasing the bitumen. The purpose of this research is to compare the recovery percentage of Asbuton bitumen using kerosene or diesel as a diluent. The choice of kerosene and diesel diluents in this investigation was based on Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) analysis, which revealed the proximity of the kerosene and diesel functional groups to Asbuton bitumen. The first stage is to conduct a viscosity analysis by dissolving Asbuton bitumen and diluent in a ratio of 30:70, 40:60, 50:50, 60:40, and 70:30 (%, w/w) at temperatures of 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 °C. According to the results of the experiments, the viscosity of the combination of bitumen Asbuton – diesel oil/kerosene with range 0.5–2 Pas is related to the optimal percentage removal of bitumen in both diluents. This result indicates that the separation process was carried out at a temperature of 50–90 °C, with an Asbuton-diesel oil/kerosene ratio of 50:50 and 40:60 (%, w/w), respectively. The best bitumen separation results were obtained with kerosene as a diluent, with a removal percentage of 76.30% at a temperature of 90 °C and a ratio of 40:60 (%, w/w).