United States Department of Transportation
i
Assessing the Effectiveness of Potassium Acetate to Control Snow and Ice on Minnesota Highways
-
2020-06-01
-
[PDF-5.65 MB]
Details:
-
Creators:
-
Corporate Creators:
-
Corporate Contributors:
-
Subject/TRT Terms:
-
Publication/ Report Number:
-
Resource Type:
-
Geographical Coverage:
-
Edition:Final Report (July 2018 - December 2019)
-
Corporate Publisher:
-
Abstract:As an alternative for snow and ice control, potassium acetate (KAc) has potential advantages compared with salt and brine—reduction of chlorides entering receiving waters, a lower effective deicing temperature, and reduction in corrosion impacts—but success in the field has been largely anecdotal. MnDOT District 1 worked with an investigator team to test KAc applied on four plow routes in the Duluth, Minnesota, area over the 2018–2019 winter season. Field trials protocols and data collection methods and forms were established to capture the following data during winter storms: vehicles and routes; material used; application rates, frequency, and timing; weather conditions; and pavement conditions. Due to issues beyond the control of MnDOT or the research team involving process gaps and data availability, a quantitative assessment of KAc could not be completed for this study. However, interviews with field crews yielded a wealth of useful observations and practical recommendations in the areas of training, liquid and sand concentrations, vehicles and equipment, snow removal procedures, application rates, and environmental concerns. The investigators also developed process recommendations for improving the chances of success for similar types of research studies in the future.
-
Format:
-
Funding:
-
Collection(s):
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
Download URL:
-
File Type:
