BIOMELT® S Anti-Icing / Deicing Fluid

DESCRIPTION

BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid is a natural, agricultural product blended with sodium chloride liquid that features ice control performance equal or superior to traditional brines, but less corrosive. BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid is derived from renewable resources providing an attractive choice where environmental concerns are important.

TYPICAL PROPERTIES

APPLICATIONS

BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid is highly effective for anti-icing, deicing, and prewetting. The suggested usage levels should be considered as starting points and should be adjusted as needed based on operator experience and to meet local conditions such as current and expected road and air temperatures, precipitation, traffic volume, etc.

Anti-icing

• Apply to 20 to 30 gallons per lane mile. For sidewalks and parking lots, apply 1 fluid ounce per square yard.
• Apply in a configuration to give large droplets in a manner to adequately cover target surfaces in the recommended rate given for Pre and Post use.
• Begin application when the pavement temperature is expected to drop to 32°F or below, ideally as precipitation is beginning.

Benefits:

• Prevents ice and snow from sticking to the pavement, making removal easier.
• Lowers maintenance costs be reducing applications/quantities needed.
• No dust-causing abrasives needed.

Deicing

• Apply 40 gallons per lane mile depending upon accumulation. For sidewalks and parking lots, apply 2 fluid ounces per square yard.
• Stream apply. Do not fan spray or mist.
• Allow to penetrate accumulation then plow as usual.

Benefits:

• Starts thawing immediately. No sunshine needed.
• Eats through hardpack to spread along the pavement.
• Breaks the bond between the ice and snow and the roadway.
• Makes removal easier.
• No dust-causing abrasives needed.

Prewetting

• Apply at 5 to 10 gallons per ton at the spinner or directly to the salt/sand during loading.

Benefits:

• Enhances the deicing performance of dry salt/sand.
• Starts the deicing process immediately.
• Reduces bounce and scatter losses during application from 30% loss down to only 4% loss. Prewetted salt/sand stays on the road.
• Less salt/sand is needed for the same effectiveness.

PERFORMANCE

BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid is supplied ready to use and is designed as a direct replacement for salt bring in existing equipment. However, BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid works at temperatures where salt brine is no longer effective. Anti-icing performance equal to salt brine can be achieved with less BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid; therefore, fewer gallons are needed to achieve the same performance as salt brine. That means more lane miles per truckload with less equipment corrosion.

Freezing Point Depression

1. Effective of Dilution on Freezing Point - BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid has a freezing point of -13.6°F which is 8.4°F lower than salt brine as show in the following graph and table.

BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid not only offers performance superior to salt brine, but it’s superior anti-icing performance remains even after subsequent precipitation dilutes the product. For example, referring to the above graph, when diluted to 65% of its original strength, BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid still performs as effectively as freshly applied salt brine.

2. Phase Diagram – refer to the following graph for a phase diagram of BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid, NaCI brine, and CaCI2 brine.

Viscosity

In addition to its superior ice-melting performance, BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid is more viscous than salt brine, particularly at reduced temperatures, making it especially suited for anti-icing applications where runoff is a problem. However, BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid is still fluid enough to flow readily during application. Viscosity profiles at various temperatures are shown in the following graph and table.

Corrosion

Testing has shown BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid to be 30% less corrosive than salt brine. BIOMELT® S anti-icing/deicing fluid can be an effective part of your corrosion control programs.