Asphalt industry in Trinidad
Encyclopedia
The Asphalt industry in Trinidad is located at the Pitch Lake
at the town of La Brea in southwestern Trinidad and it has gained a reputation for itself as the world's largest deposit. The Pitch Lake is considered a tourist attraction
and attracts about 20,000 visitors annually. It is also mined for asphalt by Lake Asphalt of Trinidad and Tobago
.
, according to Sir Walter Raleigh speaking on March 22, 1595 is most excellent good. The asphalt industry is the second most important mining activity after petroleum. The industry is a government-owned state enterprise. This natural deposit of asphalt or pitch
is of volcanic origin. The lake covers about 46 ha
and is reported to be 76 m deep with a maximum of 87 m in the center. Deposits are estimated to be 6.1 million tonnes. The deposits occur in a syncline less than one km from the sea.this asphalt is used for roads fixing ships etc.
is found in lake
s or in seep
s where oxidization of petroleum
takes place. It is black
or brown
in color due to its hydro-carbon composition and comprises nitrogen
, sulphur and oxygen
. It is made up of an emulsion
of mineral elements and bitumen.
is dug manually and mechanically by tractors. After it is excavated, asphalt comes up slowly to the surface. Mining
operations begun since 1815 and continuous exploration has led to the surface level dropping by 9.1 m. It is decreasing at a rate of 155 mm per annum. The asphalt is taken by trucks to railway cars which are on the incline. They are pulled by cable
s up to a trestle
to be treated into dried asphalt and asphalt cement for export
.
s and boiled or heated for 24 hours to produce the dried asphalt for export. In this way, water and gas are removed. This leaves it free from moisture
which accounts for 30% of the weight. Asphalt cement is made by adding bituminous oil.
Containers are loaded at filling sites. A tramway or aerial cableway takes the products to the pier at Brighton for export. The entire operation is streamlined.
is one country which imports asphalt from Trinidad while there are countries on the continents of Africa
, South America
and Europe
that import as well. Exports, however, have declined considerably in recent years due to a factor of the increasing use of refinery bitumen in road making all over the world.
services as typists, accountant
s and payroll clerks. Some of the workers include tractor
and overload
operators, rakers, trestlemen, still men, container staffers and shipping workers.
Pitch Lake
The Pitch Lake is the largest natural deposit of asphalt in the world, located at La Brea in southwest Trinidad, within the Siparia Regional Corporation. The lake covers about 40 ha and is reported to be 75 m deep....
at the town of La Brea in southwestern Trinidad and it has gained a reputation for itself as the world's largest deposit. The Pitch Lake is considered a tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
and attracts about 20,000 visitors annually. It is also mined for asphalt by Lake Asphalt of Trinidad and Tobago
Lake Asphalt of Trinidad and Tobago
Lake Asphalt of Trinidad and Tobago is a company based in La Brea in Trinidad involved in the mining, processing and exporting of asphalt products from the Pitch Lake.-History:...
.
Origin & Deposits
AsphaltAsphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
, according to Sir Walter Raleigh speaking on March 22, 1595 is most excellent good. The asphalt industry is the second most important mining activity after petroleum. The industry is a government-owned state enterprise. This natural deposit of asphalt or pitch
Pitch (resin)
Pitch is the name for any of a number of viscoelastic, solid polymers. Pitch can be made from petroleum products or plants. Petroleum-derived pitch is also called bitumen. Pitch produced from plants is also known as resin. Products made from plant resin are also known as rosin.Pitch was...
is of volcanic origin. The lake covers about 46 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
and is reported to be 76 m deep with a maximum of 87 m in the center. Deposits are estimated to be 6.1 million tonnes. The deposits occur in a syncline less than one km from the sea.this asphalt is used for roads fixing ships etc.
Composition & Structure
AsphaltAsphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
is found in lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s or in seep
Seep
A petroleum seep is a place where natural liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons escape to the earth's atmosphere and surface, normally under low pressure or flow. Seeps generally occur above either terrestrial or offshore petroleum accumulation structures...
s where oxidization of petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
takes place. It is black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
or brown
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
in color due to its hydro-carbon composition and comprises nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
, sulphur and oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
. It is made up of an emulsion
Emulsion
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible . Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Although the terms colloid and emulsion are sometimes used interchangeably, emulsion is used when both the dispersed and the...
of mineral elements and bitumen.
Uses
Asphalt has practical advantages in that it is elastic and can be used in several ways:- Use as an anti-corrosive agent for underwater natural gasNatural gasNatural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
pipelinesPipeline transportPipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
and for engineeringEngineeringEngineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
works as the lining of reservoirReservoirA reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s and in fittings.
- Use in chemical and oil resistant flooring and as insulating compounds for cableCableA cable is two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics cables, otherwise known as wire ropes, are used for lifting, hauling and towing or conveying force through tension. In electrical engineering cables are used to carry...
and electrical industries.
- Use as a binder or adhesiveAdhesiveAn adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials...
in road construction & paving of airports; water proofing floorings; making battery casings, brake linings & metal coatings.
Mining
AsphaltAsphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
is dug manually and mechanically by tractors. After it is excavated, asphalt comes up slowly to the surface. Mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
operations begun since 1815 and continuous exploration has led to the surface level dropping by 9.1 m. It is decreasing at a rate of 155 mm per annum. The asphalt is taken by trucks to railway cars which are on the incline. They are pulled by cable
Cable
A cable is two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics cables, otherwise known as wire ropes, are used for lifting, hauling and towing or conveying force through tension. In electrical engineering cables are used to carry...
s up to a trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
to be treated into dried asphalt and asphalt cement for export
Export
The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...
.
Refining & Transport to Port
The asphalt is dumped into one of six stillStill
A still is a permanent apparatus used to distill miscible or immiscible liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor...
s and boiled or heated for 24 hours to produce the dried asphalt for export. In this way, water and gas are removed. This leaves it free from moisture
Moisture
Humidity is the amount of moisture the air can hold before it rains. Moisture refers to the presence of a liquid, especially water, often in trace amounts...
which accounts for 30% of the weight. Asphalt cement is made by adding bituminous oil.
Containers are loaded at filling sites. A tramway or aerial cableway takes the products to the pier at Brighton for export. The entire operation is streamlined.
Exports
Trinidad has long been an exporter of refined asphalt or epure. AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
is one country which imports asphalt from Trinidad while there are countries on the continents of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
that import as well. Exports, however, have declined considerably in recent years due to a factor of the increasing use of refinery bitumen in road making all over the world.
Employment
The industry provides jobs for about 600 workers. There are those who are engaged in the mining and processing operations and those engaged in clericalClerk
Clerk, the vocational title, commonly refers to a white-collar worker who conducts general office or, in some instances, sales tasks. It is also occasionally used to refer to third-year medical students completing a medical clerkship. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record...
services as typists, accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
s and payroll clerks. Some of the workers include tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
and overload
Overload
-Bands:* Overload * Overload * Overload -Albums:*Overload *Overload *Overload -Songs:*Overload , a dance song by Voodoo and Serano...
operators, rakers, trestlemen, still men, container staffers and shipping workers.