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Many municipalities have found treated rock salt to be worth the extra investment, due to its increased effectiveness at lower temperatures and lower application rate when compared to standard rock salt application practices. Furthermore, the process of pre-wetting rock salt with brine or an agricultural by-product (beet juice for example) as it is applied can help the mixture better adhere to road and pavement surfaces better and reduce excess waste. To note, the effectiveness of agricultural by-products is still under some evaluation, as some major cities, including Toronto, use it under certain conditions, several Lake Simcoe watershed municipalities have tested it and found it not to be effective, as it is generally only effective at temperatures below -12°C. Furthermore agricultural by-products have to be applied before a snowfall event to melt the fallen snow in a relatively short period of time, which generally is not possible or practical (if applied after a snowfall event it takes a long time to begin the melting process). Read more about these alternative applications in [https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Alternatives-to-salt-technical-brief.pdf STEP's Technical Brief: Alternatives to Salt]<ref>STEP. 2020. Alternatives to Salt: What else melts snow and ice? Technical Brief. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Alternatives-to-salt-technical-brief.pdf</ref>, which highlights how municipalities across Canada using salt as their primary deicer agent in winter, poses significant impacts to their regions. This includes, corrosion of infrastructure and other metal structures such as railings and doorways, damage to vehicles, contamination of surface and groundwater, impacts to roadside vegetation, increased wildlife collision rates and large amounts of product waste due to blowing or bouncing off roadways). Read more about the benefits, drawbacks, cost estimates and lowest working temperature for a given deicing agent at the link above.
→Salt Alternatives
===Brine & Agricultural By-Product===
===Brine & Agricultural By-Product===
Many municipalities have found treated rock salt to be worth the extra investment, due to its increased effectiveness at lower temperatures and lower application rate when compared to standard rock salt application practices. Furthermore, the process of pre-wetting rock salt with brine or an agricultural by-product (beet juice for example) as it is applied can help the mixture better adhere to road and pavement surfaces better and reduce excess waste. To note, the effectiveness of agricultural by-products is still under some evaluation, as some major cities, including Toronto, use it under certain conditions, several Lake Simcoe watershed municipalities have tested it and found it not to be effective, as it is generally only effective at temperatures below -12°C. Furthermore agricultural by-products have to be applied before a snowfall event to melt the fallen snow in a relatively short period of time, which generally is not possible or practical (if applied after a snowfall event it takes a long time to begin the melting process). Read more about these alternative applications in [https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Alternatives-to-salt-technical-brief.pdf STEP's Technical Brief: Alternatives to Salt]<ref>STEP. 2020. Alternatives to Salt: What else melts snow and ice? Technical Brief. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Alternatives-to-salt-technical-brief.pdf</ref>, which highlights how municipalities across Canada using salt as their primary deicer agent in winter, poses significant impacts to their regions. This includes, corrosion of infrastructure and other metal structures such as railings and doorways, damage to vehicles, contamination of surface and groundwater, impacts to roadside vegetation, increased wildlife collision rates and large amounts of product waste due to blowing or bouncing off roadways). Read more about the benefits, drawbacks, cost estimates and lowest working temperature for a given deicing agent at the link above.
[[File:Sand accumulated road.PNG|thumb|200px|Sand accumulates on the ride of the road after being applied after a snowfall event. Sand can travel into nearby watercourses, wetlands, and increases clean-up associated costs for the municipality. Photo source: [https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Sand-vs-Salt-tech-brief.pdf LSRCA, 2018.]<ref>LSRCA. 2018. Sand versus Salt: Should sand be used for winter maintenance? Technical Bulletin, Volume 1 October 2018. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Sand-vs-Salt-tech-brief.pdf</ref>]]
[[File:Sand accumulated road.PNG|thumb|250px|Sand accumulates on the ride of the road after being applied after a snowfall event. Sand can travel into nearby watercourses, wetlands, and increases clean-up associated costs for the municipality. Photo source: [https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Sand-vs-Salt-tech-brief.pdf LSRCA, 2018.]<ref>LSRCA. 2018. Sand versus Salt: Should sand be used for winter maintenance? Technical Bulletin, Volume 1 October 2018. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Sand-vs-Salt-tech-brief.pdf</ref>]]
Further detailed analysis of the performance of varying de-icer agents can be found in STEP's earlier technical brief entitled, [https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2015/11/AlternativeSalt_TechBrief_Nov2015.pdf Evaluation of Organic Anti-icing Materials for Winter Maintenance]. <ref>STEP. 2015. Evaluation of Organic Anti-icing Materials for Winter Maintenance. Technical Brief. Salt Management. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2015/11/AlternativeSalt_TechBrief_Nov2015.pdf</ref>. This study compares the performance of liquid road salt (brine) to three types of organic/semi-organic alternatives applied on a university parking lot in Waterloo, Ontario. Products are evaluated as anti-icers (applied pre-snowfall) based on the coefficient of friction (CoF). The results indicate that in general, anti-icing treatments improved friction levels by 10-40% relative to a control without any application of anti-icers. Despite containing less chloride, the organic and semi-organic products performed as well as traditional sodium chloride brine at similar application rates. Although organic anti-icers contributed less chloride into receiving streams, they contain higher concentrations of nutrients and organic content, which may limit their applicability in some context. To read more about these salt alternatives click the link above.
Further detailed analysis of the performance of varying de-icer agents can be found in STEP's earlier technical brief entitled, [https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2015/11/AlternativeSalt_TechBrief_Nov2015.pdf Evaluation of Organic Anti-icing Materials for Winter Maintenance]. <ref>STEP. 2015. Evaluation of Organic Anti-icing Materials for Winter Maintenance. Technical Brief. Salt Management. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2015/11/AlternativeSalt_TechBrief_Nov2015.pdf</ref>. This study compares the performance of liquid road salt (brine) to three types of organic/semi-organic alternatives applied on a university parking lot in Waterloo, Ontario. Products are evaluated as anti-icers (applied pre-snowfall) based on the coefficient of friction (CoF). The results indicate that in general, anti-icing treatments improved friction levels by 10-40% relative to a control without any application of anti-icers. Despite containing less chloride, the organic and semi-organic products performed as well as traditional sodium chloride brine at similar application rates. Although organic anti-icers contributed less chloride into receiving streams, they contain higher concentrations of nutrients and organic content, which may limit their applicability in some context. To read more about these salt alternatives click the link above.