E-Publication DOI

Deicing Salts: An Overview

Charola, Elena; Rousset, Bénédicte; Bläuer, Christine

Jahr: 2017

Datei zum Herunterladen: pdf (8 pages, 210.0 KB)

Beschreibung:
The world production of salt (NaCl) was over two hundred million tons in 2015. The US is the second larger producer of salt after China, produced over four million tons of which 43 % were consumed in highway deicing. While NaCl is the most commonly used salt, other salts are added to it to improve its performance, such as CaCl2, MgCl2. To reduce the use of the deteriorating NaCl, other salts are also used, such as magnesium acetate, calcium magnesium acetate or potassium and magnesium formate. The addition of sand and other inorganic insoluble compounds to aid in making surfaces less slippery is discussed, as well as the recent use of organic deicers and the problems that these can induce. The paper aims to present an overview of deicing salts, and the differences with anti-icing or antifreeze solutions. It also discusses the problems they induce to vehicles, buildings and constructions, while also considering the negative aspect they have for the environment as well as their contribution to air pollution. Some examples are presented to illustrate the problem and less aggressive alternatives are discussed, especially with regard to the conservation of valuable architectural heritage.

Zitation:
Charola, Elena; Rousset, Bénédicte; Bläuer, Christine:
Deicing Salts: An Overview. Fachhochschule Potsdam 2017
doi:10.5165/hawk-hhg/316