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Salt, Sand and Beets: What’s the Best Deicing Method?
Traditional solutions like salt and sand are used to pre-treat roads before they become dangerously slippery. However, the high use of road salt has been linked to environmental problems due to salt’s high chloride content. About five million tons of road salt are used in Canada each year to mitigate ice and snow conditions on roads. However, according to the Canadian government, nearly all chloride ions from road salts eventually make their way into waterways.
Sand is another popular de-icing method used by many municipalities to increase friction between icy pavement and vehicles driving over it. However, according to Lake Simcoe Region, Conversation Authority, multiple studies and community assessments have found sand to be relatively ineffective. One of the main problems is that at speeds above 40 km/h, sand is blown off the road after just a few vehicle crossings. The biggest downside is that many communities still mix sand with salt.
So what about beet juice?
The beet juice mixture works by lowering the freezing temperature of the brine solution, which still contains salt, but not as much. While sodium chloride can help pre-treat roads at around -7°C, the sugar, when mixed with beet juice, helps bring the freezing point down even further. Consequently, ice should not form unless it is extremely cold.
Due to the sticky nature of beet juice, this type of ice melt minimizes the amount of salt draining into the waterways. It’s less corrosive, reuses a by-product and is easier on our vehicles, roads and facilities. The only downside is that it can leave a red stain, but it’s not permanent and doesn’t cause property damage.
Thumbnail of Cheryl Santa Maria.
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