Corn-based Product Helps Roads Departments Cut Down on Salt

by David Morris

Road salt - we love what it does and we hate what it does. We love being able to drive on bare roads, but we hate having our vehicles rust out or seeing the damage that salt can do to the roadside environment. The use of road salt is being viewed much more seriously now because of the findings of a five-year study of road salt by Environment Canada. This study concluded that “because of high releases around storage and snow disposal sites and through runoff and splash from roadways into soil, streams and rivers, road salts are harmful to the environment”. While Environment Canada isn’t proposing a ban on road salt, it is certainly looking for ways to reduce the effects of salt on the environment.

Fortunately, it’s becoming easier to not hate what is put on our roads, thanks in part to the corn that you grow. An innovative de-icer, called Magic-0, (pronounced Magic minus 0) promises to make winter driving safer, while reducing corrosion on vehicles, the adverse effects of salt on the environment, and the cost of keeping the road clear. (A similar product is marketed in the U.S. under the name Ice Ban.)
The magic ingredient in Magic - 0 is corn distillers’ solubles, the liquid left over when ethanol is extracted after fermentation. In Magic-0, distillers’ solubles are mixed 50/50 with a solution of magnesium chloride. It is sold as a liquid formulation, which can be used in combination with either salt or sand, or sprayed directly on the road surface.

Magic-0 does indeed sound like magic. It is much less corrosive than salt - less even than water. When mixed with salt, Magic-0 serves to protect metal against the corrosiveness of the salt. Magic-0 has a lower freezing point than salt brine, and can melt ice at temperatures as low as -20 C, and perhaps colder. (Salt becomes ineffective below -10 C.) Magic-0 isn’t toxic to the environment. Rather, because of the nutrients supplied in the distillers’ solubles, it actually appears to help promote the growth of roadside vegetation.

Paul Johnson, Operations Manager for the Wellington County Roads Department, is a firm believer in the value of Magic-0. He began looking for an alternative to salt in the spring of 1995, when he was faced with having to repaint eight new trucks after only one winter’s use. He experimented with a product similar to Magic-0 in 1996, and has been using it in a variety of ways ever since: for pre-treating sand piles, for treating salt or sand as it is spread, and for spraying directly on the road.

According to Mr. Johnson, treating sand with Magic-0 offers a couple of major advantages over the alternatives. Because treated sand is moist, it doesn’t blow off the road as easily as dry sand. This might not sound like much, but Paul says that this alone has allowed Wellington County to reduce the amount of sand it uses by 35 to 40 per cent since beginning to use Magic-0. Treated sand is also easier to store and handle. Piles of treated sand do not freeze solid, even when stored outside. There might be a crust on the surface, but the inside remains loose and easy to dig out.

Using Magic-0 has also allowed Wellington County to reduce the amount of salt it uses by at least 25 per cent. Treated salt doesn’t bounce off the road during application like dry salt does. The moisture from Magic-0 also helps the salt dissolve more quickly and begin to work sooner than dry salt. Because Magic-0 reduces the freezing point of the salt, it continues to work longer. Paul has found that, assuming no additional snow is received, one application of treated salt in the evening will keep a road clean all night.

Wellington County has equipped some trucks to spray straight Magic-0 directly on bare road. This technique is used mainly on bridges and other stretches of road where black ice tends to form. It can also be used to spray bare roads when a snow storm is imminent. A film of Magic-0 on the surface keeps packed snow and ice from binding to the pavement, allowing the snowplows to scrape it clean. If a snow pack does form, spraying it with Magic-0 softens it much quicker than does applying dry salt.

One wonders why Magic-0 isn’t being used by all roads departments. It is still a relatively new product in Canada, however, and most road departments are still learning how to use it. As usage of this product increases, as it almost certainly will, it promises to provide a significant market for distillers’ solubles, once considered almost a waste product.

Environment Canada estimates that about 5 million tonnes of road salt are applied per year in Canada. Magic-0 won’t replace it all, but will significantly reduce the amount required. Once again, corn is being shown to be an environmentally friendly crop.

Magic 0 is distributed by Innovative Municipal Products Inc. of Ajax.

1