ANALYSIS OF SULFUR IMPACT ON THE OXIDATION OF
PETROLEUM RESIDUES

Abstract
This study investigates the effect of introducing elemental sulfur into the oxidation feedstock during the production of oxidized petroleum bitumen.
Vacuum residue from fuel oil distillation and granular sulfur were used as the base materials. Oxidation experiments were carried out at 230 °C with controlled
air flow, varying the sulfur concentration from 0 % to 5 %. The results showed that introducing sulfur in optimal amounts (up to 2 %) significantly improves the
physical and mechanical properties of the resulting sulfur–bitumen binders — increasing penetration and ductility and lowering brittleness temperature —
compared to conventional oxidized bitumen. Higher sulfur concentrations (> 5 %) lead to process inefficiency and deterioration of binder properties. The
findings confirm that sulfur additives can be effectively used to intensify the oxidation process, enhance product quality, and optimize production parameters
for bitumen manufacturing.

Keywords oil bitumen, sulfur, needle penetration, tar, oxidation process, softening point

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