Introducing ECO-THAW

The environmental solution for melting ice and snow on roads, highways, parking areas and walkways.

 ECO-THAW is a natural liquid concentrate residue derived from agricultural processes.  It is environmentally friendly and non-toxic to vegetation.  ECO-THAW is designed to be mixed with existing salt stockpiles or applied directly to road surfaces for anti and de-icing.  It is non-corrosive and when applied to chlorides it acts as a corrosion inhibitor.

Benefits

• Saves money, time and labour by reducing the need for salt by 20-50%
• Ice melting capability proven below -32°C (-25°F)
• Biodegradable, safe for people, vegetation and animals
• Non-toxic, making it safe for workers to handle
• Less corrosive on roads and equipment
• Prevents sand and/or salt stockpiles from freezing
• Improves melting capacity when treated on salt
• Can reduce overall annual snow/ice control budget by as much as 40%
• By making roads safer, ECO-THAW saves lives!

Note the difference in corrosion!

Spreader, after one season of straight salt application

Spreader, after 3 seasons of using ECO-THAW treated salt

The following two bridge photos were taken by a road superintendent in New York State, USA and clearly shows how using ECO-THAW can extend the life of roadways and cut down on maintenance costs

New York State Route 31 Bridge over Conrail Railroad. Built in 1979 - Concrete Clear Span Bridge Winter Maintenance by New York State Department of Transportation. 1979 - 2003 - 350 lbs/lane mile of salt first pass of a storm event and 250 lbs every pass thereafter during a storm event. This Bridge is scheduled to have a totally new deck on it and new concrete supports which are very corroded in 2005

New York State Route 237 Bridge over the Barge Canal. Built in 1984 - Concrete Clear Span Bridge Winter Maintenance done by Town of Murray (since new) 1997 - 2003 application rate of 100% salt, 8 gallons of ECO-THAW per ton at 200lbs/lane mile This Bridge has not been patched or repaired in 19 years. State Engineers have stated the bridge is in excellent condition with no signs of corrosion.

Benefits of ECO-THAW as compared to other de-icers is illustrated in the following chart

ECO-THAW AS AN ADDITIVE TO LIQUID MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE

Before the introduction of ECO-THAW into the de-icing market, the optimum liquid de-icer was liquid Magnesium Chloride.  This de-icer is less harmful to the environment than Sodium or Calcium Chloride, and it continues to melt ice down to extremely low temperatures.  Although it was the best choice of the three, it still had a number of problems.

1. It was not a good anti-icer, as it could be easily washed from the road by the winter precipitation.
2. When used as an on board pre-wetting agent, Magnesium Chloride could cause corrosion problems with some equipment.
3. It was not good for stockpile anti-freezing treatments because it did not have the “stickiness” quality and would run out of the sand or salt pile shortly after treatment.

By adding ECO-THAW to the Magnesium Chloride, these problems can be greatly reduced and in most cases, eliminated.

1. The addition of the extra de-icing solids, and the inherent sticky nature of ECO-THAW, dramatically increases the anti-icing abilities of Magnesium Chloride.
2. Because of ECO-THAW’s anti-corrosive properties, equipment stays free of corrosion up to 5 times longer.
3. The addition of ECO-THAW to stockpile treatments ensures the product stays in the stockpile and not all over your yard.

The following phase diagram illustrates how the addition of ECO-THAW at 50% mix with Magnesium Chloride outperforms all liquid de-icers.

Clearly shown, is how the extra de-icing solids available in the ECO-THAW blend, allows for longer de-icing at lower temperatures, for a greater length of time.

PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION OF PHASE DIAGRAM

ECO-THAW AS AN ADDITIVE TO SALT BRINE

With the hope of stretching their de-icing budgets, a number of regions have implemented salt brine into their winter season strategies. Unfortunately, there are a number of problems with this de-icer.

1. Corrosion, Sodium Chloride is highly corrosive and damages equipment, vegetation and roadways.
2. Temperature, Salt brine will not work on very cold winter days.
3. As with Magnesium Chloride, the brine is a poor anti-icer, diluted out quickly by the winter precipitation.

ECO-THAW can help solve these problems by

1. Dramatically decreasing the rate of corrosion of salt brine.
2. Increasing the effective temperature of the salt brine by up to 50%.
3. Increasing the available anti-icing solids, allowing more time before dilution.

Resources and Presentations

Agricultural by-product (ABP) use in road de-icing - U. K. Environment Agency

A presentation by Northumberland County documenting the use of Eco-Thaw on their roads

Estonia