WHAT IS DEICING SALT?

In the winter months removal of snow and ice on sidewalks, roads and parking spaces, as well as driveways could make travel in Minnesota much more convenient. The lack of attention to icy surfaces can cause serious falls and accidents in cars and issues with liability. However, before reaching for the deicing solution to ensure your safety be aware of the impact these chemicals can cause to waterways and plants.

Although regular snow removal reduces the chance of having the icy conditions, ice does develop and cause risk the salt used to deice is applied to frozen surfaces to decrease the water's melting temperature. It can be anywhere between 20degF and 30degF dependent on the formulation. This helps to prevent from the development of ice.

OVERVIEW OF DEICING CHEMICALS

sodium chloride, the most commonly used deicer for pavements and sidewalks, parking areas and driveways, as per the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Magnesium chloride and calcium calcium magnesium acetate, as well as urea are just a few of the deicing chemicals.

Although deicers certainly enhance safety and mobility in winter, it is important to properly maintain hard surfaces , and apply deicers only in areas where they are needed.

USAGE OF DEICING SALT DEICE

5 liters of water could be affected by one tablespoon of salt.

The runoff from deicing chemicals pollutes the groundwater that is the main source for most drinking water used by Minnesotans.

Deicing salt can be detrimental to plants and could eventually kill them. The most commonly used deicer used in the Twin Cities, sodium chloride is the one that causes the most severe injury to plants.

Salt Damage to Plants manifests itself in the Following Methods:

• Leaves and brown needles that have dried out.
• Flowers, buds, and branches have all gone.
• The death of a plant occurs too early.
• The salt can lead to dryness to the plant's roots. Salt sprays can cause burns to leaves and turf, in particular on evergreens.

Since the sodium in soil causes clay to expand it causes it to compact the soil, reducing the amount of water that is absorbed and makes it more difficult for roots to expand. Plants such as Canada thistle however thrive in soil that has been compacted.

ACETATES TO DEICING SALT

In Minnesota winter, the weather can cause ice on streets and sidewalks, creating danger to motorists and pedestrians. To address the issue the use of deicers. A deicer is a substance which melts or stops the formation of ice by reducing the temperature at which water freezes, and prevents ice from adhering to the pavement. According to study by Marquette University, salting roads can reduce the risk of accidents to 88 percent, and the number of injuries is reduced by 85 percent.

How DOES DEICING SALT WORK?

Deicers work by reducing freezing point of water. When choosing a deicer various factors should be considered, among them the most important of which is the temperature of the pavement and the trend. For instance, rock salt can melt at temperatures of as low as -6° Fahrenheit. The lower the temperature of the pavement, the faster it melts.

Dry rock salt shouldn't be used in temperatures lower than 15 degrees Fahrenheit as it's slow. The addition of a liquid deicer the granular product, or making straight liquids are the most commonly used methods of speeding melting (DLA Direct Liquid Application).

Waste stream products GENERATED FROM DEICING SALT

Chloride- and non-chloride chemical compounds are used for a long time to deice waste streams. Other methods for deicing or anti-icing include low-cost or free cheese brine, juice from pickles, and other industrial by-products. They should, however, not use it without taking the appropriate precautions. Below are the steps you need to take prior to using a waste stream material but they aren't comprehensive.

• Verify your chemical makeup of every garbage bag is the same.
• Find out the effects of the product and then determine what you can add to it, and in what proportions to ensure the best performance.
• Get permission to use the device in your region.
• Learn about the process by trying it out within a small space.

DIFFERENT Applications for DEICING SALT

Traditional deicing the most popular deicing ingredient can be described as road salt (sodium chloride). The three salts of vacuum, rock as well as sea salt comprise all three distinct types of salts that can be mined/extracted in various ways. Because of the method of extraction the vacuum salt is a very fine road salt that can be extremely damaging for the earth. Since this kind of salt is extremely fine and dry and brittle, many individuals want to buy deicing salt it is likely to evaporate when it is not gritted with brine. Sea salt extraction is, however is eco-friendly. Because the salt grains are more coarse which means that the salt's effect lasts longer.

What is the most effective THAWING AGENT for DEICING?

The following factors should be considered when selecting the thawing agent to use:

Capacity to melt at the temperature of -5°C the ice weight is 12kg for each kilogram of sodium chloride pure.

Usability What's the impact from the freezing agent cutting down the freezing point and to what extent can it be effective?

Accessibility: Is the defrosting agent accessible in sufficient quantities? Can you preserve the agent in large quantities over a period of time?

Health and Health and Safety Do you have to implement drastic measures to ensure your safety and health?

Is this the deicer produce any adverse effects to the natural environment? Be aware that when winter comes around it is commonplace to use thawing agents on a large scale over a prolonged length of time...

Cost: What about the cost-benefit analysis?

CONCLUSION

Gritting preventively is, without certainty, the best solution as it will assist you in avoiding most of the problems. Additionally, gritting to prevent problems can save you lots of cash. One kilogram of preventive gritting for instance, amounts the equivalent of 5kg of curative salt for deicing. If the gritting you did prior to time didn't work, preventing the accumulation of snow and ice from getting in ensure that you have cleared the snow prior to applying deicing salts or granules on the surface. This will result in the best results!

With winter just around the corner it's always good to be aware. Do not hesitate to contact us should you want to know details about our most efficient solutions!