Slippery sidewalks and roads caused by ice and snow are a great danger to both vehicles and pedestrian alike. Every winter, you’ll notice a common winter service vehicle spreading salt on the roadways. This process enables snow and ice to melt faster and as a result free the roadways from this potential winter hazard.

Kinds of De-icing Salts

Winter service vehicles spread salt onto roadways when it is needed. A special kind is used on roads and sidewalks since using this sea mineral could cause environmental hazards. Following are the three major kinds of salts that are used for road de-icing:

Potassium Chloride - This mined element is called potash or muriate. Generally it is used in making soil fertilizer but sometimes it is used to melt street ice in states such as Arizona. It can, however, result in vegetation growth on highway medians. This attracts animals and thus increases the risk of traffic accidents.

Halite - Like potash, halite is a mined element also commonly known as "rock salt." Like the table version of sodium chloride, halite is the same basic chemical compound. Although it can be harmful to vegetation, it has been commonly used for road usage on both residential and commercial roadways.

Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA) - This is a kind of mineral that is biodegradable and has a minimal negative effect to both wildlife and vegetation. Therefore this type of road salt is safer since it is the least damaging type to the environment. CMA is non-corrosive, which means it causes little rust damage. This is one of the major complaints of using sodium chloride on the roads during the winter months. It is used for road de-icing in areas with fragile environments and is mixed with other such minerals to help reduce the risk of environmental damage. Unfortunately, this kind of salt is more expensive when compared to others and it is not widely used for everyday road de-icing operations.

Ways to Improve De-icing Trucks Efficiency

Every year there are about 10 million tons of salt that needs to be spread on the roadways to prevent snow and ice build-up. Trucks that are used to transport and spread this mineral need to be in good running condition to be able to complete the task.

Spreading of NaCl can be made more efficient by:

Equipping the truck with an electronic spreader control. This electronic device can help the truck efficiency in spreading the material on the road and at the same time help reduce the amount used for melting ice and snow.

Getting accurate predictions of the weather and temperature conditions since this will greatly help shorten the lead time for spreading of this material. Getting the particular real-time temperature measurement will allow it to be spread at the right temperature. This will help to determine the amount to be applied at a certain time, for instance as the temperature starts to rise, the need for salt to melt the ice or snow decreases.

Cooperation between cities and towns regarding snow management plans to prevent environmental hazards.

Conclusion

Although salting greatly helps in de-icing many of our residential and commercial roads, there are some risks for environmental hazards as a result. Determining the right amount of salt to be used for de-icing at the right time can help lower environmental hazard risks. Then salt can be used to its full effectiveness in your de-icing jobs and make it an easy chore to accomplish during the winter months!