Every winter, millions of tons of rock salt is sprinkled across roads in the US, mainly in the Midwest as well as Northeast regions. It’s a affordable as well as efficient method to prevent accidents. rock salt is chemically the exact same as the stuff that sits next to the pepper, except it isn’t as finely ground, as well as it doesn’t have sodium or potassium iodine added to it to prevent goiters. Both table salt as well as rock salt melt ice by reducing the freezing point of water. So does sugar.
Much of what we salt the earth with every winter comes from underground networks of salt crystal that developed when different ancient seas dried up. As natural as it may be, rock salt is poor for the environment. For one thing, chloride is forever, as well as can’t quickly be decoupled from the soil as well as water it taints when it laundries away. rock salt likewise corrodes concrete, makes its method into the groundwater, as well as is poor for pets. Worst of all, its efficacy drops together with the temperature. At 15° F (-9° C), rock salt loses more than 86% of its melting power.
Disposable Detroit
All this salt is not excellent for cars, either — it’s poor for the paint as well as eats up the frame. In the saltiest parts of the US, aka The Salt Belt, vehicles only last a handful of years before they ended up being Flintstones mobiles. Well, not really, however salt is terrible for the brake lines as well as most of the undercarriage. consumer woes aside, there’s a genuine environmental effect to producing all these disposable vehicles to satisfy the demand.
But the issue is that we requirement to utilize salt, or at something like it. even though millions of people are staying house a whole great deal more, the trucking market still relies on salted highways as well as regional roads. So if you like stocked grocery stores as well as stuff showing up from the Bezos Barn in a timely fashion, you can see the problem. So what are the alternatives? are there any?
Adding Abrasives
A handful of poultry grit. picture via Omelet
Freezing point depressants aren’t the only solution, however they’re usually a big part of it. For years, lots of jurisdictions supplemented salt with sand up until it started clogging the sewer pipes. one of the contemporary options to salting the streets willy-nilly is to meter out usage based on road temperature readings. one more technique is to distribute a liquid salt solution instead, which works quicker as well as won’t bounce into the gutter.
As far as eco-friendly options go, some individuals utilize abrasives on their sidewalks as well as driveways like kitty litter, coffee grounds, or poultry grit, which is a blend of shells as well as little pebbles that assists their digestion. however of course, all of these are just traction agents — they don’t melt the ice. Although when it comes to your property, unless there’s a layer of ice under the snow, some type of traction agent will most likely suffice after shoveling or snow-blowing.
Of course, these would likely cause the exact same issues as sand if utilized on a big sufficient scale, particularly coffee grounds. So even though these may be much better for the environment, they include their own set of problems.
Brine is Fine, kind Of
Cheeses take in the light after their brine bath. picture via recycle Reminders
Several years ago, we heard that Wisconsin was utilizing cheese brine on their roads, as well as not only is it true, it works at much lower temperatures than salt. however exactly how does the typical Joe source his cheese brine for house use? We’re not sure. Fortunately, other food by-products work too, like sugar beet juice as well as pickle juice.
But a few of those have their problems, too. Sugar beet juice still needs salt to work — the point is to make a goo that won’t run off into the gutters as readily. The issue is that the organic material can deplete the oxygen in rivers, lakes, as well as streams.
Possibly the worst brine of all comes from fracking, an already questionable practice. This radioactive runoff has already been utilized in locations like Pennsylvania. road salt is starting to look quite good, no?
Is There a Nicer De-Icer?
But there is one that’s kind of much better than salt: potassium acetate. It contains no chloride as well as is biodegradable, however it has that oxygen-lowering issue as well as has been proven harmful to aquatic insects. Potassium acetate is more efficient as a preventive measure, as it keeps ice from bonding to surfaces. It’s approximately three times as costly as rock salt, however a bit goes a long way, so the expense is almost even. one more preventive treatment understood as calcium magnesium acetate is environmentally friendly, however it’s only as efficient as rock salt when the temperature plummets.
So, what’s the answer? We suppose modification begins at home, so think about the contents when you go to buy de-icer, or try making your own. Whatever you do, do it sparingly.
[Main as well as thumbnail pictures via Shawn Dearn on Unsplash]