When temperatures fall below 15 degrees Fahrenheit (F), salt loses its effectiveness at melting snow on roads. To accommodate lower temperatures, transportation agencies often combine an alternative deicer with salt brine to treat roads and return them to an appropriate level of service. This project investigated the most common alternative deicer used in Minnesota to provide guidance to state and county winter maintenance managers about its application at different concentrations and temperatures.
Continue reading Evaluating the Use of a Common Alternative DeicerTag Archives: alternative deicers
New Clear Roads Research: Understanding the Effects of Deicer Additives
Originally published in Clear Roads News April 7, 2025
Combining road salt with common additives such as corrosion inhibitors, anticaking agents, cold temperature modifiers, thickeners and friction enhancers can increase the effectiveness of the deicer, allowing it to work more quickly or remain on the pavement longer.
To determine how well mixed salt products perform at lower temperatures and inform transportation agencies’ winter maintenance decisions, this Clear Roads project tested eight solids and prewet solids to evaluate the influence of additives on chloride-based deicer performance, including the freezing point or eutectic temperature, ice-melting capacity using the rocker test and pavement friction.
Download the final report and two-page brief: CR 22-03 – Effects of Additives in Deicing Salts at Lower Temperatures, February 2025.
New Project: Alternative Deicer Performance Characterization: Know Before the Snow
MnDOT uses alternative deicer brines containing potassium chloride, magnesium chloride and calcium chloride for winter road maintenance. The alternatives are more effective in melting roadway ice than sodium chloride alone when temperatures are below 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
Continue reading New Project: Alternative Deicer Performance Characterization: Know Before the Snow
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