United States Department of Transportation
i
Comparison tests of deicing liquids on snow plow routes in northern Maine.
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2004-08-01
[PDF-271.91 KB]
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Abstract:The Maine Department of Transportation, like other state transportation agencies in the northern U.S., utilizes solid salt to maintain bare pavement conditions on its roads and bridges during winter. Like many other states, Maine is progressively adopting recommended Federal Highway Administration procedures aimed at improving
winter road maintenance. One procedure in particular, involves mixing a liquid deicing chemical with solid
granular rock salt, and has proven to be effective at enhancing snow and ice melting. This procedure, called pre
wetting, creates a damp mixture of deicing chemicals, that not only tends to reduce the scattering of salt, making it more effective on the pavement, but it also aides in the formation of a brine. The faster that brine
forms on the road, the faster that the melting action occurs. Several liquids can be used for prewetting rock salt. The most popular liquids are salt brine, liquid calcium, magnesium chloride, and calcium magnesium acetate. Chemical effectiveness, expected temperatures, availability, and cost are considerations in the choice of de
icing chemicals. There is a significant cost difference between theses chemicals. Salt brine is the least expensive
due to low cost of rock salt and ease of producing the brine onsite. Liquid calcium is among the most
expensive, costing at least ten times more that salt brine.
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