Chicago fights road ice with beet juice
Bob Morris @ Mar 22nd 2008 14:45 - Category: Unfiled
Juice from sugar beets is key in a new formula tested here to prevent ice buildup on the roads. Chicago mixes a cocktail of 15 percent beet juice, a gelatinous liquid that resists freezing even in subzero weather, with 80 percent briny water, and sodium chloride.
Salt will also work, but it erodes bridges and roads, gets into the food chain and kills vegetation and weakens bird egg shells, etc. So, alternatives are always needed.
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Ten Bears on 22 Mar 2008 at 8:14 pm #
Never-the-less, the ‘briny solution’ is salt.
Bob Morris on 22 Mar 2008 at 9:49 pm #
True. But less sale is used. I wonder if the beet juice turns the snow red?
DJ on 24 Mar 2008 at 10:06 am #
Indeed, the formula suggests that the mix is 80% “briny water” and 5% salt (NaCl). My homemade brine (for cheesemaking) is nearly 1/4 salt. I wonder how that’s better than the 15% salt/sand mix many states use.