Maintenance agencies are constantly seeking an alternative to chloride-based deicing salts, one with maximum anti-icing efficiency and minimum drawbacks. This project developed a high-performance “green” anti-icer, based on grape skins and other agricultural wastes, that can minimize the harmful impacts of traditional chloride-based salts.
Recent years have seen increased reliance on the use of chemical products for snow/ice control operations on roadway pavements. In fact, about 27 million tons of chloride-based salts are used in the U.S. annually Yet the affordable products available on the market are plagued by concerns over their corrosion of metals (chlorides), impact on concrete and asphalt (acetates), and toxicity to aquatic resources.
In recent decades, agro-based chemicals such as de-sugared beet molasses and glycerin (glycerol) have been introduced in snow- and ice-control operations, used alone or more commonly as additives for chloride-based products. Agro-based chemicals are produced by fermentation and processing of beet juice, molasses, corn, and other agricultural products. The deicer formulation is noncorrosive, inexpensive, water soluble, and readily available in large quantities. Agro-based additives provide enhanced ice-melting capacity, reduce deicer corrosivity, and remain effective on roadways longer than standard chemicals.
This project evaluated the performance and impacts of several agro-based anti-icers, along with a traditional chloride-based anti-icer (salt brine). Selected constituent materials in the anti-icers pose minimal toxicity to the environment (e.g., have no heavy metal content) and are derived from eco-friendly, cost-effective processes. Agro-based solutions derived from locally sourced agro-based materials, such as grape skins, mixed with salt brine and commercial additives (with little toxicity) were tested for their ice-melting capacity, ability to protect asphalt binder and concrete, effect on the friction coefficient of iced asphalt pavement, and anti-corrosion performance. The main criterion for choosing the best-performing anti-icer was ice-melting capacity.
The introduction of a new class of high-performance “green” anti-icers provides maintenance agencies with more options for sustainable and less costly winter road service. The use of bio-based renewable additives for snow/ice control operations may also add value to agricultural wastes and fruit by-products and stimulate local economies.
This research gained wide media attention, including mention in USA Today, The Philadelphia Enquirer, New Atlas, Fast Company, and on TV stations Q13 and KREM 2. Technical details are also published in the ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering and ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering.
Authors:
Xianming Shi
Mehdi Honarvar Nazari
Taekil Oh
Alexander Charlemagne Ewing
Deborah Ave Okon
Yan Zhang
Brandon Avalos
Eisa Alnuaimi
Eden Adele Havens
WSU Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Sponsors:
Center for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation in Cold Climates
Washington State Department of Transportation
WSDOT Technical Monitor: James Morin