To remove bitumen (a tar-like substance) from something, especially from coal or rock.
From 'de-' (removal) + 'bitumen' (from Latin, originally from Semitic languages referring to asphalt-like substances) + '-ize' (to make or cause). A technical term formed in the modern era.
This is a real technical term in coal chemistry—when scientists heat coal at low oxygen, it releases gaseous products and leaves a 'debitumenized' solid residue. It's how some alternative fuels are created!
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