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| writing:road_salt [2025/11/24 02:20] – JacobCoffinWrites | writing:road_salt [2026/07/02 20:52] (current) – JacobCoffinWrites |
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| Once salt gets into the soil, or into a waterway, there really are no biological processes that will remove it. Salt can leave the system through transport and it can be diluted by fresher water coming in so that the levels become less concerning. However, without transport out of the system, like in an isolated lake or aquifer, [[https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2018/12/11/road-salt-harms-environment/|the salt will continue to persist over very long time scales.]] Costs of chloride clean ups [[https://saltresponsibly.com/the-problem-with-road-salt/|can run around $300,000,000, a cost that is estimated at 30-40% higher than efforts to protect drinking water in the first place]]. | Once salt gets into the soil, or into a waterway, there really are no biological processes that will remove it. Salt can leave the system through transport and it can be diluted by fresher water coming in so that the levels become less concerning. However, without transport out of the system, like in an isolated lake or aquifer, [[https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2018/12/11/road-salt-harms-environment/|the salt will continue to persist over very long time scales.]] Costs of chloride clean ups [[https://saltresponsibly.com/the-problem-with-road-salt/|can run around $300,000,000, a cost that is estimated at 30-40% higher than efforts to protect drinking water in the first place]]. |
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| | It's also worth noting that chloride-polluted water is denser than freshwater, [which means it can become concentrated at lake bottoms](https://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/road-salt-impacts). "In extreme cases, this can impede the vernal and autumnal vertical turnover of lake waters essential for distributing oxygen and nutrients to aquatic species." |
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| Essentially, the only real way to remove salt from the environment is to stop adding it and to flush it out with fresh water over time. This won't work in every situation though, some contaminated surface water bodies are endorheric or slow draining and lose most of their water to evaporation, which increases their salinity over time. Similarly, many underground aquifers (which are often tapped for drinking water) are basically at the bottom of their local groundwater topology, making heavy contaminants very difficult to remove. | Essentially, the only real way to remove salt from the environment is to stop adding it and to flush it out with fresh water over time. This won't work in every situation though, some contaminated surface water bodies are endorheric or slow draining and lose most of their water to evaporation, which increases their salinity over time. Similarly, many underground aquifers (which are often tapped for drinking water) are basically at the bottom of their local groundwater topology, making heavy contaminants very difficult to remove. |
| * **[[https://nhlakes.org/wp-content/uploads/wmb-4.pdf|Potassium Acetate (KA)]]** – has a practical melting temperature of -15°F and is biodegradable and non- corrosive. It can cause slick road conditions if applied in excess and can lower oxygen levels in the waterbody. This is a commonly used deicer in the airline industry and is relatively non corrosive. | * **[[https://nhlakes.org/wp-content/uploads/wmb-4.pdf|Potassium Acetate (KA)]]** – has a practical melting temperature of -15°F and is biodegradable and non- corrosive. It can cause slick road conditions if applied in excess and can lower oxygen levels in the waterbody. This is a commonly used deicer in the airline industry and is relatively non corrosive. |
| * **[[https://mm.nh.gov/files/uploads/dot/remote-docs/operational-guidelines-for-snow-removal-and-ice-control-operations.pdfLiquid Chloride Blend]]** - Liquid Chloride blends are used to stretch the working range of salt brine without incurring the full cost of a Liquid Magnesium Chloride product. | * **[[https://mm.nh.gov/files/uploads/dot/remote-docs/operational-guidelines-for-snow-removal-and-ice-control-operations.pdfLiquid Chloride Blend]]** - Liquid Chloride blends are used to stretch the working range of salt brine without incurring the full cost of a Liquid Magnesium Chloride product. |
| * Agricultural by-products – are mostly proprietary to the manufacturer and can be derived from sources such as corn, beet, grain, alcohol, or molasses. These products are not good at melting snow and ice; however, they do slow down the formation of ice crystals by having a lower freezing point. They are less corrosive than conventional materials and in many cases act as tackifiers (meaning they're sticky) to keep salt and sand on the road surface. These attributes make the product good for anti-icing and pre-treating salt. They do have environmental impacts in aquatic systems due to their organic nature and can lead to biological oxygen demand, heavy metals, and nutrient enrichment by nitrogen and phosphorus. | * **[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_magnesium_acetate|Calcium Magnesium Acetate]]** This is an environment-friendly alternative and is biodegradable. [[https://www.ethicallyengineered.com/eco-friendly-alternatives-to-road-salt/|Calcium Magnesium Acetate is a non-corrosive formula that does little damage to the infrastructure, vegetation, fish, aquatic life, and other surroundings around it.]] However, it is more expensive than salt and is less effective when used in colder temperatures. |
| | * Agricultural by-products – are mostly proprietary to the manufacturer and can be derived from sources such as corn, beet, grain, alcohol, or molasses. These products are generally not as good at melting snow and ice; though some do lower the freezing point of water through chemical means. They are less corrosive than conventional materials and in many cases act as tackifiers (meaning they're sticky) to keep salt and sand on the road surface. These attributes make the product good for anti-icing and pre-treating salt. Depending on the material they may also provide grip/traction similar to sand. They do have environmental impacts in aquatic systems due to their organic nature and can lead to biological oxygen demand, heavy metals, and nutrient enrichment by nitrogen and phosphorus. |
| | * **Beet Juice/Beet Molasses** - Most sources I've seen say [[https://www.neefusa.org/story/health-and-environment/winter-salt-smarts|the sugar in beet molasses lowers the freezing point of water, much like salt]], ([[https://canadasalt.ca/beet-juice-vs-road-salt/|the ones that claim it can't //may// have a bias]]). [[https://www.wsgw.com/study-to-determine-sugar-beet-molasses-as-road-salt-alternative|Products/mixes with beat molassas work at lower temperatures than plain salt]] but the most consistent benefit is that beet juice's sticky consistency helps it (and anything it's mixed with like salt or sand) [[https://stateline.org/2017/05/01/using-cheese-molasses-brine-to-treat-roads-with-less-salt/|cling to roads]]. This means less is lost to bounce and scatter so less has to be applied. It's safer for pets and not corrosive to bridges and vehicles (one source claimed [[https://weather.com/science/environment/news/2023-12-15-beet-juice-road-deicer-salt-brine|beet juice serves as a natural corrosion inhibitor - when mixed with salt it makes a brine that is 75% less corrosive than salt itself]]. The downsides is that it's less effective than salt on its own, and pouring sugar and organic nutrients into the environment can also cause problems in rivers, lakes, and streams. |
| | * **[[Cheese/Pickle Brine]]** - These seem to be a way to source brines cheaply from local industrial/agricultural byproducts, although [[https://www.caryinstitute.org/news-insights/media-coverage/why-pickle-brine-secret-weapon-against-ice|cheese brine appears to have an even lower freezing temperature than normal salt brines]]. |
| | * **[[https://www.fastcompany.com/90438438/throwing-some-fermented-grape-skins-on-icy-roads-could-help-cut-down-our-salt-use|Fermented Grape Skin Compounds]]** (this can apparently also be done using sugar beet leaves, peony leaves, or other agricultural byproducts. The claim is that by fermenting these byproducts they break down the agricultural waste, and through the work of bacteria, it ends up as a liquid mixture of chemicals, which can be mixed into the salt brine at a certain ratio to improve its effectiveness and reduce the harm it causes. I've seen other listings that [[https://www.ethicallyengineered.com/eco-friendly-alternatives-to-road-salt/|include vinegar as icemelt]], (probably because it contains [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinegar|acetic acid]]) so this may be similar to that. They also claim the grape skin or sugar beet leaf solution appears not to pose the same risk as beet juice, but they're not sure why yet. This is currently another way to reduce salt, it doesn't look like they've tested it as a full replacement yet. |
| | * **Brewery/Distillery Byproducts** Producing whiskey, wine, beer, bourbon, vodka, rum, and other alcoholic beverages results in an organic waste product — distiller’s “mash,” and spent brewer’s grains — which possess chemical properties (probably alcohol, though [[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666517424000105brewery effluent contains a high proportion of sodium]]) that makes ice melt at lower temperatures. It looks like these have been tested and [[https://cottagelife.com/outdoors/looking-for-an-alternative-to-road-salt-try-one-of-these-de-icers-instead/|can be used to help road salt adhere to roads and melt more efficiently at lower temperatures]]. |
| | * **Pickle juice** - this appears to still be a salt brine, just sourced as a byproduct to lower the cost. |
| | * **[[https://mntransportationresearch.org/2020/09/08/permeable-pavements-reduce-slippery-conditions-during-winter-thaw/|Permeable Paved Surfaces]]** - Another solution is to change the infrastructure rather than the deicing practices. These pavements are usually constructed with asphalt or pavers and feature a porous structure that drains water into systems below the roadway rather than allowing it to pool on road surfaces where it freezes and requires an application of road salt. This can work, but the permeable pavements are typically more expensive than conventional asphalt, require care by contractors during construction, and require maintenance to keep pores from clogging with decaying leaves and other organic material. These pavements also don’t offer the strength of impermeable pavements and are better-suited for residential streets, parking lots and other applications not used by commercial trucks and equipment. It also looks like they might be best on level ground or shallow grades, and a poor choice for hills. The upside is that they're not just useful in wintertime, reducing the amount of impermeable surfaces is an important part of improving our cities through [[https://www.wired.com/story/los-angeles-just-proved-how-spongy-a-city-can-be/sponge city]] tactics, reducing both floods and water waste while refilling important aquifers. |
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| * **Beet Juice/Beet Molasses** - Most sources I've seen say [[https://www.neefusa.org/story/health-and-environment/winter-salt-smarts|the sugar in beet molasses lowers the freezing point of water, much like salt]], ([[https://canadasalt.ca/beet-juice-vs-road-salt/|the ones that claim it can't //may// have a bias]]). [[https://www.wsgw.com/study-to-determine-sugar-beet-molasses-as-road-salt-alternative|Products/mixes with beat molassas work at lower temperatures than plain salt]] but the most consistent benefit is that beet juice's sticky consistency helps it (and anything it's mixed with like salt or sand) [[https://stateline.org/2017/05/01/using-cheese-molasses-brine-to-treat-roads-with-less-salt/|cling to roads]]. This means less is lost to bounce and scatter so less has to be applied. It's safer for pets and not corrosive to bridges and vehicles. The downsides is that it's less effective than salt on its own, and pouring sugar into the environment can also cause problems in rivers, lakes, and streams. | Things individuals can do to help: |
| | * Use less. More salt doesn't automatically equal more safe. |
| | * Remove snow and ice manually. The more you remove, the less salt will need to be applied. |
| | * Sweep up any excess salt visible on a dry sidewalk. |
| | * Do not apply salt below 15°F – most salt products will not work below that temperature. |
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| * Cheese / Pickle Brine | === Solarpunk Alternatives === |
| * Molasses | |
| * agricultural byproducts like grape skin compounds | |
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| Other byproducts, such as molasses and soybean oil, work differently by preventing ice from bonding to the pavement. While they don't lower the freezing point like salts and beet juice, they help create a barrier between ice and the road surface. When mixed with traditional salts, these substances reduce the overall amount of salt needed. This combination not only improves road safety but also helps lessen the environmental impact of winter road maintenance. | |
| https://www.neefusa.org/story/health-and-environment/winter-salt-smarts | |
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| Another option in the right circumstances is https://mntransportationresearch.org/2020/09/08/permeable-pavements-reduce-slippery-conditions-during-winter-thaw/|permeable paved surfaces. | The simplest answer to this problem is to change the circumstances, but that requires some of the biggest changes: if a solarpunk society can move at a slower pace, accept a snow day or two during and after bad weather, much of the excess labor and resources necessary to keep roads clear and derivable even during severe blizzards can be reduced and the immediate effectiveness of the alternatives is less important. Even in winter, the weather changes frequently, and ice on pavement often melts or sublimates on its own once the sun is on it. |
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| | But this requires an entire cultural shift. In the present, many people are dependent on cars (and thus the road network) for everything from buying supplies to seeking emergency medical attention. When you need to get to the hospital, or when your job won't accept a raging blizzard as an excuse for being late, you need the roads to be clear because you have no choice but to drive on them. This constant rush means the natural world has to conform to our schedules - sidewalks can't be slippery for a day or even a few hours because people have to use them //right now//. Roads have to be clear at all times because there's no alternative, and opting out for safety isn't an option for far too many people. |
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| Use less. | This might be different in a solarpunk setting where the pace of life is hopefully gentler. An emphasis on trains and other public transit options (such as [[airships|airships]], [[ropeways|ropeways]], and trams) would mean that many people would have options besides driving. And an acceptance that weather exists and can derail our plans and schedules would mean that many of those who still rely on cars could safely wait for it to pass without losing their livelihoods. Fewer cars on the road mean fewer accidents and less risk for those who have to drive in bad conditions. Society could safely reconsider the number of autoroads and bike paths which need to be maintained to bare-pavement conditions, especially during winter storms. In fact, the expectation that roads will take a few days to fully clear would likely inform peoples' decisions on where to live and how to prepare themselves. In the recent past, rural areas often expected to be isolated during winter storms, and [[http://www.modeltfordsnowmobile.com/index.htm|people often adapted their personal vehicles to meet the conditions]]. |
| Remove snow and ice manually. The more you remove, the less salt will need to be applied. | |
| Sweep up any excess salt visible on a dry sidewalk. | |
| Do not apply salt below 15°F – most salt products will not work below that temperature. | |
| Calibrate your equipment | |
| Use stream nozzles for anti-ice brine, not fan nozzles | |
| Do not apply anti-ice brine to pavement with snow or ice | |
| Use pavement temperature, not air temperature, to determine which deicer product to use | |
| Do not apply road salt when pavement temperatures are below 15°F | |
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| | This might even extend to accepting that not all roads even have to be plowed at all, and might be seasonal, open for regular use during summer and fall, and restricted to suitable vehicles (such as snowmobiles, including a variety of ski-and-tracked truck-format vehicles), skiers, snowshoe-rs, etc during the winter. |
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| === Solarpunk Alternatives === | Even in solarpunk cities, where driving would hopefully be less of a common concern, people would need to accept that they can be safe in the winter without salt crunching underfoot and that's not easy. This is a fairly recent expectation, and it's driven by a mix of things including legal liability (a bag of salt is a lot cheaper than a personal injury lawsuit) and the present day need to hustle, even in bad weather, that demands that people go out during an ice storm and woe betide anyone who hasn't salted their sidewalk enough. Education is a big piece here, informing people on how salt works on ice, that a heap of dry salt isn't changing anything but the local wetlands, and the consequences of overusing road salt. |
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| The simplest answer to this problem is to change the circumstances, but that requires some of the biggest changes: if a solarpunk society can move at a slower pace, accept a snow day or two during and after bad weather, much of the excess labor and resources necessary to keep roads clear and derivable even during severe blizzards can be reduced and the immediate effectiveness of the alternatives is less important. Even in winter, the weather changes frequently, and ice on pavement often melts or sublimates on its own once the sun is on it. | ===Possible Phytoremediation Options=== |
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| But this requires an entire cultural shift. In the present, many people are dependent on cars (and thus the road network) for everything from buying supplies to seeking emergency medical attention. When you need to get to the hospital, or when your job won't accept a raging blizzard as an excuse for being late, you need the roads to be clear because you have no choice but to drive on them. This constant rush means the natural world has to conform to our schedules - sidewalks can't be slippery for a day or even a few hours because people have to use them //right now//. Roads have to be clear at all times because there's no alternative, and opting out for safety isn't an option for far too many people. | [[phytoremediation_bioremediation_mycoremediation|Phytoremediation]] is the practice of using living plants to clean soil, air and water by absorbing, containing, or breaking down hazardous substances. Normally this research is aimed more at heavy metals or Persistent Organic Pollutants, but I've found a few articles on remediating chloride-contaminated soils which may be relevant. The linked page from this wiki will provide more information on the processes used in phytoremediation. |
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| This might be different in a solarpunk setting where the pace of life is hopefully gentler. An emphasis on trains and other public transit options (such as [[airships|airships]], [[ropeways|ropeways]], and trams) would mean that many people would have options besides driving. And an acceptance that weather exists and can derail our plans and schedules would mean that many of those who still rely on cars could safely wait for it to pass without losing their livelihoods. Fewer cars on the road mean fewer accidents and less risk for those who have to drive in bad conditions. In fact, the expectation that roads will take a few days to fully clear would likely inform peoples' decisions on where to live and how to prepare themselves. In the recent past, rural areas often expected to be isolated during winter storms, and [[http://www.modeltfordsnowmobile.com/index.htm|people often adapted their personal vehicles to meet the conditions]]. | [[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749120310459|This paper]] identifies [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atriplex_patula|Atriplex patula]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atriplex_canescens|Atriplex canescens]] as potential candidates for chloride remediation with decent results. |
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| This might even extend to accepting that not all roads even have to be plowed, and might be seasonal, open for regular use during summer and fall, and restricted to suitable vehicles (such as snowmobiles, including a variety of ski-and-tracked truck-format vehicles), skiers, snowshoe-rs, etc during the winter. | [[https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11104-025-07873-x|This paper]] identifies [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panicum_virgatum|Panicum virgatum]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporobolus_michauxianus|Sporobolus michauxianus]]. |
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| | This research is very new, and I'm not aware of any real life chloride phytoremediation projects currently underway. It looks like these plants would be used as chloride accumulators, and their contaminated above-ground biomass would be harvested and disposed of for years until chloride levels in the soil diminished. |
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| | It may be worth noting that some of these plants are [[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969716317144|excretor halophytes]] (known as recretohalophytes) which have specialized salt glands that allow accumulated salt to be excreted onto their leaf surfaces and then dispersed via the wind in a process known as haloconduction. This make make them less effective for remediation purposes. |
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| Even in solarpunk cities, where driving would hopefully be less of a common concern, people would need to accept that they can be safe in the winter without salt crunching underfoot and that's not easy. This is a fairly recent expectation, and it's driven by a mix of things including legal liability (a bag of salt is a lot cheaper than a personal injury lawsuit) and the present day need to hustle, even in bad weather, that demands that people go out during an ice storm and woe betide anyone who hasn't salted their sidewalk enough. Education is a big piece here, informing people on how salt works on ice, that a heap of dry salt isn't changing anything but the local wetlands, and the consequences of overusing road salt. | |
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| consider the number of autoroads and bike paths which need to be maintained to bare-pavement conditions, especially during winter storms. | |
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