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Is there a difference between bitumen and coal tar?

April 26, 2017Bitumen Coal difference tar

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Is there a difference between bitumen and coal tar?

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Absolutely. Coal tar was used for road building and water proofing before being replaced by bitumen after the Second World War. Although similar in appearance, the chemical composition of coal tar is quite different from bitumen. Bitumen is distilled from crude oil, while coal tar is derived from processing (pyrolisis) of coal at very high temperatures. The different raw material and manufacturing processes are the reasons for the large differences in the chemical composition of the two products as well as the nature of hazard that coal tar presents to the user. Consequently coal tars are classified as carcinogenic, whereas bitumens are not.