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Gilsonite has two types of molecules, a straight carbon and a ringed carbon. When you heat the Gilsonite, the two components separate. The ringed carbon vaporizes and is called a volatile. A straight carbon remains and becomes the residue, or sometimes called carbon or carbon black.We are exporting the carbon in the residue form. The volatile after cooling done can be used as a fuel and fuel should be refined to segregate sulfur or other elements and add additives.
The liquid is as a raw material in petrochemical processing and a refinery feed stock for cracking into products like gasoline. Usually Gilsonite has over 60% volatiles and under 40% residues. Typically the residue is in the 36 to 38% range. The volatiles are labeled typically as the amount "lost in ignition".
