The industry is sometimes in need of low viscosity bitumen. There manufacturers came to a solution to deliver cutback bitumen which is a low viscosity liquid dissolved in a solvent. The main advantage of this type of bitumen is that there is no need to heat it before using.
Cutback bitumen is made by the addition of controlled amounts of petroleum extracts such as kerosene, naphtha, diesel oil, and furnace oil to perform as a solvent. Although these adhesive materials are added to lessen the need for heating before using, they will evaporate as the bitumen is applied. This process is done for a temporary reduction of the bitumen viscosity. Cutback bitumen is more appropriate for cold regions than the others. Primer sealing and sprayed sealing are some items for which cutback bitumen is suitable.

A short comparison between Bitumen, Cutback, and Emulsion

Bitumen should have been heated before application, to lower its viscosity rate.
Cutback bitumen offers some advantages over other types of bitumen. After the production of this low viscosity bitumen, the heating operation was put aside. Because the volatile solvents in cutback bitumen met the need for heating by alleviating its viscosity.
The only concern was the harm that cutback bitumen had, to the environment. The volatile solvents were noxious to nature, human and environment.
Then the Emulsifiers and Bitumen Emulsion came to the industry. Not only were they considered as innoxious and safe materials since only water evaporated, but also they were energy efficient.