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@boluaygepong5920 Жыл бұрын
0:48 I think we meant “lower” here ❤
@domecrack Жыл бұрын
And I think by "salty roads be gone!" we meant "salty roads be salted differently!"
@sorrow4139 ай бұрын
japan has heaters in their roads and just heats their roads and has water drains in the middle of their roads to get the water made from heating the road
@superkirk11 Жыл бұрын
Oregon has been using peat gravel for decades, doesn't rust cars or mess up the environment, and it works just fine. For clean up they just run some big street sweepers down the road, and boom you created jobs and cleared the road.
@Pyrobob4 Жыл бұрын
I knew Oregon was going to show up in the comments! Not only do we use gravel, but we have been using brine for quite a few years now, as well.
@mattgies Жыл бұрын
It's great when they do sweep it up in a timely fashion. But it's horrible when they just leave it in the bike lanes all year. Bonus, they reuse the gravel, so after they've swept it up to reuse next year, it's a mixture of rock and broken glass from the gutters.
@windzer Жыл бұрын
yea but you guys know how to drive on snow these ignorant morons we got around here wreck and get stuck if we get an inch of snow because they speed and have bald tires. life would be so much easier if people werent dumb.
@StrangeChickandPuppo Жыл бұрын
"street smearers" I call them, because they tend to just make big swirls of dirt instead of really cleaning them much =)
@shandrakor4686 Жыл бұрын
huh do you have more damage to windshields?
@Wanooknox Жыл бұрын
I live in Saskatchewan Canada. As far as I know, we mostly just use... Sand 🤷♂️. You really won't see a lot of salt on our roads, but the sand grinds into the icy surface and makes it rougher for better traction. You may also see some bigger pebbles mixed in for the sake of the traction as well. When spring comes you just sweep it away with a street cleaner. If you have some decent winter tires the sand is enough to enhance traction around intersections.
@pauljones9150 Жыл бұрын
LETS GO SASKATCHEWAN GO ROUGHRIDERS LAND OF THE BUNNYHUGS
@dino.jay2007 Жыл бұрын
Yeah ... the bigger pebbles ... hello broken windshield!! Especially as many jurisdictions no longer have adequate quality control to test samples of their sand stocks to make sure the aggregate is within spec.
@bookcat123 Жыл бұрын
PA used sand when I went to college there, and the result was frozen mud that eventually turned into muddy slime, resulting in roads slippery for longer than if they’d just not touched it. Maybe they had the wrong type of sand or something. 🤦🏼♀️ It was always so obvious when you crossed the border from NY to PA because you’d immediately go from clear dry roads to icy brown sludge.
@Wanooknox Жыл бұрын
@@dino.jay2007 yeah... Ideally the pebbles aren't THAT big. Just enough to have some variety in size, not rocks big enough to crack a windshield at highway speeds 😬
@waynejohnson1786 Жыл бұрын
I assume the lack of salt has to due with agriculture?
@ChrisRand-gf7lz Жыл бұрын
In Winnipeg, Manitoba, we've been using Beet Juice for the last 4 or so winters and it works well in our winters to keep the ice down. At really cold temps, like -30c, it tends to evaporate so the streets are dry, but when used at more reasonable temps like -20c, the streets are actually damp but ice free.
@CaedenV Жыл бұрын
Sir... -20*c is not reasonable lol
@user-Aaron- Жыл бұрын
I first read about the potential for using beet juice for this years ago but hadn't heard more about it until your comment. Tbh from what I'd heard initially I expected it to be much more prevalent today, so I'm glad it's actually being used in some places.
@ponyote Жыл бұрын
Manitoba is fun to say, especially with an uff da accent.
@pauljones9150 Жыл бұрын
WUT
@tubebrocoli Жыл бұрын
@@CaedenVwe get -30°C here in Québec at least for a couple weeks during winter. We used to always get that, for much longer, but, well, climate change ^^v
@arlowelee Жыл бұрын
I think the biggest problem to the salty roads is the people that distribute them. Up here in the midwest, as soon as it starts freezing you can find mounts of pure salt piled up on every street and sidewalk. Ice is *only meant to break apart ice,* but people here use it as magic ice and snow remover. Not to mention that half the time it doesn't work because it often gets colder than the freezing point of salt-brine anyways so then people pour more salt thinking it'll melt it
@vanjam412 Жыл бұрын
When it dissolves in the water it lowers the freezing point of the water. They do it so snow doesn't build up as easily
@米空軍パイロット Жыл бұрын
@@vanjam412 You didn't read a single thing he said
@tjpprojects7192 Жыл бұрын
@@vanjam412Are you a games journalist?
@gw5479 Жыл бұрын
It's mostly about customers. If they don't see the plow truck salting they make a fuss. Most of the time, your snow operations are attentive to the temperatures and will adjust material accordingly. Sometimes it's best not to put anything down and just plow roads. Once it gets to a certain temperature and precipitation, it is pointless to put material down as you end up making black ice.
@CaedenV Жыл бұрын
Out here in Cincy we typically use salt, but when things get really cold we use beet juice... and it is weird (looks like bloody water on the side of the road), but it seems to work, and supposedly saves the city a decent chunk of change.
@dancegregorydance6933 Жыл бұрын
Oh is that why the snow was blood red the day after. I never realized
@matthewcox7985 Жыл бұрын
So one answer is to Just Beet It?
@lysan1445 Жыл бұрын
In my region, they use stone gravel. It gives a good grip on the tyres. When it's snowed or iced over, they put out another layer of gravel. In spring, it's swept up and stored for the next winter.
@nils-erikolsson3539 Жыл бұрын
Thats how it worked where im from too,up to the late 80's. Then they went into a gravel frenzy and didnt bother sweeping it up in spring, leaving us breathing in the gravel dust that get carried up in the air by spring storms and dust devils.
@OutOfNameIdeas2 Жыл бұрын
Great for people with bad tires. Not so fun for people with proper tires. Since it's left over afterwards and it's even more slippery than ice.
@evawettergren7492 Жыл бұрын
In northern Sweden it was common to use gravel or even sand on icy roads. But for some unfathomable reason they have recently started to put salt on the roads instead. This is not only ineffective (it is often way colder than the freezing point for saltwater for weeks on end so it is just useless) but it also lures reindeer and elk on to the road, leading to a massive increase of vechicular accidents. 5000 reindeer have died due to this in just my area alone. The only downside of using sand or gravel in my experience is they need to be pretty quick sweeping it up in the spring or risk dust tornadoes or the gravel causing cars to slide on the dry roads. But that is just one week of cleaning up rather than months of ineffective salting during the winter.
@lysan1445 Жыл бұрын
That doesn't sound good. The gravel in my region is cleared within 1-2 days, so no problem there.@@nils-erikolsson3539
@Stratelier11 ай бұрын
Spreading gravel onto the roads functions much like chaining up except you're applying it to the _road_ instead of your car.
@sarahleonard7309 Жыл бұрын
When I was a kid back in the 90's in New Hampshire, they were already mixing sand in with the salt as both a means of reducing the amount of salt needed and as a way to improve traction. Sure, you have to sweep the streets after the Spring thaw, but you didn't have a foot-wide strip of dead grass by the road every year.
@bhatkat Жыл бұрын
Guess what, sand can work quite well without the salt. Just heat it up so it melts some ice, when it refreezes the surface will be like sandpaper. Or just pour some more water down first, then the sand. And no, it doesn't build up, the drawback is that the water sublimates and needs to be re-applied often.
@nunya___ Жыл бұрын
Sand builds up along the road side interfering with runoff, clogs waterways and drainage systems.
@deepspire Жыл бұрын
Sand does built up, especially in catch basins. Sand will completely block storm sewers. @@bhatkat
@jessicap4998 Жыл бұрын
In Edmonton, Alberta, they tried using 'calcium chloride brine' for a few years. Turns out it destroys the concrete pads that vehicles park on, and it was quickly abandoned. It also doesn't work below -18°C, and Edmonton regularly gets much colder than that.
@Stratelier11 ай бұрын
Yeah, that's just a problem with chlorides in general.
@fiveightandten Жыл бұрын
I live in CT and the brine they use here is *FAR* more corrosive than traditional NaCL rock salt. The brine absolutely destroys cars. It's flat out dangerous how corrosive it is on brake lines and other critical parts you don't want holes in (I just had a brake line fail from brine corrosion last winter, which was a scary occurrence). But, as you pointed out, it's cheap, so the state continues to use it.
@ethanlewis1453 Жыл бұрын
I'm very surprised that using less salt could end up causing more rust, I would expect the opposite! So disappointing if that is really true.
@fiveightandten Жыл бұрын
@@ethanlewis1453 Is the brine less salt? It seems pretty concentrated. As it's a liquid, it gets slung up all over the underside of the car, and seems to cling to surfaces much more than granular salt. They're pretty liberal here in CT with the volume of product they apply on the highways.
@ethanlewis1453 Жыл бұрын
@@fiveightandten Yeah it has to be less salt because that is how they save money with the brine. But if it is more clingy that would certainly explain the problem!
@xavierechevarria530211 ай бұрын
I live in CT too. Salt ate a hole right thru my oil pan. Spent months refilling oil till I could afford the repair. For a state that is supposedly rich,our govt loves to cheap out on the public
@ixidorstrinity Жыл бұрын
"Chlorides don't break down in the environment" *suggests salts with double the chlorides*
@Gardengallivant Жыл бұрын
WA, at least King County, uses sand but then some gets in streams clogging salmon gravel beds the fish lay eggs on if the streets aren't swept often enough. Every method impacts the environment and requires care to mitigate.
@keithyinger3326 Жыл бұрын
I live in Southwest Washington and the amount of snow and ice we get here isn't very much usually. They use a combination of brining the roads and gravel, but where I live on the back roads, it's only the hills and areas approaching stop signs that get the spray.
@greyarea3804 Жыл бұрын
The biggest problem with brining is if you get a heavy snowfall on top of it, the snow does not stick to the road. It does not melt either so it just a porridge like surface that is more dangerous to drive on. Hard to get going and hard to stop which is the most important
@fintux Жыл бұрын
In Finland, in many places, we use sand. The biggest downside is that over time, it grinds to very fine particles and degrades the air quality especially in the spring once all of the ice has melted (on most roads, we don't even try to get the snow away, but just make it non-slippery). Another option to the substances mentioned on the video is glucose, but not enough is yet known about the environmental effects. I don't know if it has been used outside of experimentation.
@wgrandbois Жыл бұрын
Growing up in Colorado, I had no idea other places used table salt on their roads. It wasn't until I grew up and saw cars from the rust belt that I learned what havoc it can wreak.
@Skipping2HellPHX Жыл бұрын
One thing not covered is not trying to melt the ice, but rather trying to make it less slippery. Like adding kitty litter beneath your wheel to get out of a rut. Coconino County in Arizona uses the volcanic ash that makes up a lot of the soil around Flagstaff to add traction rather than melt ice.
@johnnyearp52 Жыл бұрын
In Santa Fe, New Mexico they used ground up red lava rocks. It made the roads look pink!
@nobody.of.importance Жыл бұрын
I bet that's great for the plants in the area, too.
@bcataiji Жыл бұрын
Several counties in Wisconsin have been experimenting with using cheese brine, a leftover liquid from cheese production, as an alternative to rock salt for keeping roads clear in the winter.
@GraceCleo Жыл бұрын
thats so wisconsin
@tamarasimpson2879 Жыл бұрын
Beets may not be a super common allergy, but it does exist! A family member had to move because the city used beet sugar on the bridges. The reason the city used beet sugar was because it kept the bridges clear in colder temperatures than salt. So maybe it's possible to use sugars for this purpose but because of allergies maybe choose source that won't cause anaphylaxis for some people 😅
@Nazuiko Жыл бұрын
I never expected to live in a world that needed allergy warnings on bridges, thats frustrating im sorry xD
@tamarasimpson2879 Жыл бұрын
@Nazuiko it was frustrating, maybe we could use sugar cane waste? If sugar beet solids work why wouldn't sugar cane byproducts
@chancekahle2214 Жыл бұрын
@@tamarasimpson2879 They aren't going to import sugar refining waste from the tropics to de-ice roads. They use beet sugar refinery waste because it's locally available.
@Sunnybunnypi Жыл бұрын
@@tamarasimpson2879aren’t there just as likely to be people with sugar cane allergies?
@tamarasimpson2879 Жыл бұрын
@@Sunnybunnypi I honestly haven't even heard of someone being allergic to cane sugar. Cane sugar is the most commonly used sweetener in the world
@kraneiathedancingdryad6333 Жыл бұрын
You'll occasionally find a salt solution used here in South Dakota, but more often than not they use sand or dirt. They save the salt stuff (potassium chloride) for the summer, during which they spray on dirt roads to "glue" down the dirt and thus knock down the dust during dry spells.
@BlueSmoke216 Жыл бұрын
I was thinking the whole video, while some people or businesses might use salt towns in general around here use sand. I guess agriculture makes people more sensitive to the environmental impact, and dirt and sand are right there.
@hampusastrom8190 Жыл бұрын
In southern Sweden, where I live they still sadly use a lot of salt, but in the north of the country, where there is much more snow and ice they just plow and put gravel on the road instead. Much better for the environment.
@Accountnolongerexists Жыл бұрын
Savannah, I'm not sure if you will ever see this. But I hope you do. I just wanted to say that you are my favourite host. Your whole team is awesome, but you are just extra inspiring. Seeing someone who looks like and reminds you of yourself really is encouraging, especially in an industry where we are usually discouraged. I also have a best friend who is non-binary, and they love you. So many bigots use misinformation and misunderstanding of science to perpetuate, justify and act upon their hate. It's tough enough in STEM if you aren't a cis-het white guy, but lately it seems even worse for trans and nonbinary folks. Having someone who is nonbinary in science communication is so important, and does so much good. You inspire, you educate, you entertain, you're all around an incredible sci-com host. Thank you for all that you do.
@dino.jay2007 Жыл бұрын
Salt on the roads attracts wildlife, particularly the ungulates that use it as a salt lick in winter.
@maticuno Жыл бұрын
California uses cinder gravel. It doesn't melt the ice, but it gives tires better traction on it. It's also pretty much just dirt, so there's no environmental contamination concerns. The only real drawback is the chipped windshields you get when the car in front of you flings loose gravel at your car.
@k.sivatejachopperla9379 Жыл бұрын
@scishow great video. One other adverse effect that was not discussed is concrete deterioration from salts. There is a physical salt attack that can crack concrete. Also, a compound called calcium oxychloride can form from the reaction of calcium hydroxide and salts, which can crack concrete pavements.
@RagnarokLoW Жыл бұрын
you can also just decrease road speeds and remove most of the snow leaving only a small layer of compacted snow. That works well for residential neighborhoods
@ethanlewis1453 Жыл бұрын
That actually requires sand to be safe, otherwise it ends up as an ice rink.
@Caterfree10 Жыл бұрын
We use brining in our area and it works pretty dang great imho! More places should look into it for sure. I actually thought it was more widespread but I guess not lol.
@AlexTrusk91 Жыл бұрын
DOes it get washed away by rain easily (wich would be bad on effectiveness in not-so-cold areas that just got icy roads occasionally I suppose)
@JohnVance Жыл бұрын
@@AlexTrusk91 In my experience no, it's actually better because whatever salt doesn't get "used up" kinda absorbs into the pavement instead of getting swept/washed to the sides. Presumably this creates a longer-lasting protection. It also just seems to work better in general for whatever reason.
@AlexTrusk91 Жыл бұрын
thanks, I might try to pass on this experience for local testing. As of now, the temperatures are well above freezing again, I guess we had our 3 snow days for this season. Still like the Idea very much, bc the weather can't catch you by suprise then. Thanks for sharing @@JohnVance
@iprobablyforgotsomething Жыл бұрын
@JohnVance -- Are you sure that absorbing isn't actually road deterioration, though?
@FrozEnbyWolf150 Жыл бұрын
When you said urea, my immediate thought was, the fertilizer? Urea is a common nitrogen fertilizer, though this means applying it to roads will create a runoff situation, hence the algal blooms. Too much of a fertilizer can also burn plants, because we're still talking about salts, and excessive concentrations can prevent water uptake in plants. Plus yes, there is the smell.
@norielgames4765 Жыл бұрын
If someone from the Roman Empire knew we're dumping literal TONNES of actual regular salt on roads for people to walk and ride on they'd instantly have a stroke and an aneurysm while also having a heart attack.
@MARKE911 Жыл бұрын
I work for a Southern State DOT. We been using Brine for over 10 years, this isn't new. However we don't have the winter weather the Northern States have. We even use a super brine. However the pretreatment is only good if we get Ice or Snow. We commonly have rain before the wintery mix starts. So the brine would be wasted. Using Sodium Chloride below 20° is wasteful as it won't be any use or provide much help. We also get the salt from Egypt from desalination plants so their waste is our use. We do use heat juice and also treat our salt with the brine to make purple salt. We are using science to save the environment and the residents. By installing live time ground thermometers all over the state we can get very accurate measurements along with an extensive weather conditions for each County even down to the exact route. It's a win/lose situation for us. We are always looking for better methods but currently have not found any perfect solution. Maybe one day.
@dylaninnes8541 Жыл бұрын
Hot sand is pretty effective it freezes to the ice creating a surface that is good for friction
@JohnVance Жыл бұрын
Now that's a neat idea, I had not heard of that before. Really only useful for remediation rather than prevention, though. I wonder if anyone uses that method when creating temporary roads over lakes up north...
@dylaninnes8541 Жыл бұрын
@@JohnVance no because the Sun would heat the sand compromising the ice
@dylaninnes8541 Жыл бұрын
@@JohnVance also there is a speed limit on the ice 15km an hour Any faster and you'll catch up to the "wave" and then you get breakage and that's bad
@TripleSuccotash1 Жыл бұрын
@dylaninnes8541 the little bit of heat from the sand catching light is not going to compromise several feet of ice, the smallest amount of snow on top the sand renders it useless to continue heating the ice or give any traction at all.
@dylaninnes8541 Жыл бұрын
@@TripleSuccotash1 give it a month and lucky if you get a few feet
@DANGJOS Жыл бұрын
Also, sodium chloride's reaction with ice is highly endothermic, so it actually *decreases* the temperature of the ice. Calcium chloride, on the other hand, reacts exothermically with water. I'm not sure if its reaction with ice is exothermic or endothermic, but I would assume that it's not nearly as endothermic as sodium chloride.
@JesseTheDude Жыл бұрын
My neighborhood brines pretty regularly in the winter. Spotting the brine truck is like hunting cryptids. You see the tracks, but hardly ever get a good sighting of the truck.
@Sausketo Жыл бұрын
Ive heard that way up north they just pack the snow and put sand on the road for extra grip
@eliscanfield3913 Жыл бұрын
Connecticut's been using something other than regular salt for decades. You could easily tell the state line with Massachusetts on the highways because the roads whitened so dramatically on the MA side of the border. (I've not lived there for nearly 20ys, but I spent my first near-30 there.)
@stevecannon1774 Жыл бұрын
Some states are using the brine from oil wells which is usually just dumped into waterways or pumped back into the wells to help get more oil.
@ugandanknuckles3429 Жыл бұрын
Another side effect of salting the roads is that woldlife (like moose) like to gather on roads to eat it. Very dangerous for cars.
@carolbaugh1300 Жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@phecto Жыл бұрын
Here the plows spread a mix of sand and fine gravel behind them. Doesn't melt the ice and snow but does provide traction. Does mean they have to run the street sweepers in late spring early summer when things have finally melted but that's a lot less impact than salt
@chrisandersen4024 Жыл бұрын
in germany they use fine gravel instead gives grip but don't damage ungercarage. been done for many years :)
@anialator1000000 Жыл бұрын
I definitely noticed the last few years some organized lines of water on the roads, especially the large hills, in my area in the winter.
@overworlder Жыл бұрын
The first time I went to Vienna Austria it was spring. They spread gravel and dirt on roads there in winter but by spring the snow had melted and all the roads and buildings were dirty, muddy or dusty depending if it had rained or not. Not at all what I expected of glorious Vienna.
@wjr4700 Жыл бұрын
Saw a brine truck spraying my workplace parking lot last night befor the snow. (Ontario Canada) It said Liquid De-Icer on the side. Good to see.
@Wickedali1127 Жыл бұрын
I dont understand how changing to calcium or magnesium chloride would help when you cited that its the chlorides that are the problem at 1:36. Its 2/3 chloride for every unit of freezing point depression instead of 1/2.
@MrFearDubh Жыл бұрын
They've been brining the roads ahead of snows here for at least a year if not 2. Because they have to brine before the snow, sometimes they brine and the snow doesn't come. But otherwise, it's been much better.
@RyanWilliams222 Жыл бұрын
1:51 I love this explanation of salt. So simple!
@jurian0101 Жыл бұрын
Unfortunately, sodium ion is smaller than the chlorine ion, opposite of what is shown. So that picture is a huge cringe bringer.
@RyanWilliams222 Жыл бұрын
@@jurian0101 Ten minutes ago, I didn’t know that, and it didn’t bother me. Now I know that, and it bothers me. Thank you! Better living through science. 😊
@theeverythingchannel9786 Жыл бұрын
In Winnipeg, we use a lot of the sugar beet solution to melt our roads and sidewalks, sadly it smells terrible when it is first put down and when it heats up in spring.
@darktoadthesticky Жыл бұрын
Brine use in Alberta resulted in billions in damage to infrastructure and vehicles.
@christophergoodrich4120 Жыл бұрын
I live in an area where brining has been utilized for years (Southern NH) and I'll argue that it's a dangerous alternative. The film created on your windshield from that solution getting kicked up onto it is a major nuisance to see through and remove. There are times I've had to pull off the highway because the wipers with washer fluid wouldn't cut through it.
@naerbo1911 ай бұрын
In my country, I think it's the cheese brine, is sold to farmers as a cheaper substitute to the pellet food for cattle among other. Cheese brine is also salty.
@KnowledgeCat Жыл бұрын
I live near the beach, so there are machines on the road that spew out seawater when it snows a lot
@PurpleRhymesWithOrange Жыл бұрын
They brine the city streets here. Hours before the snow is expected you will see the tank trucks spraying the roade and it have proved quite effective over the 3 winters since I moved here.
@William_Kyle-Yuki_Yuuki Жыл бұрын
in some places in Japan, they just use water... Literally just have water pumps push water out of what are essentially fountains in the middle of the roads, the flowing water prevents snow build up and does not freeze under typical situations.
@ToriL97 Жыл бұрын
In Wisconsin they use rock salt and started using brine to a few years ago. It's made vehicles rot so much faster.
@LordKalte Жыл бұрын
In Québec, we also use sand and tiny rocks because it create a layer shoes and tires can grab on to
@billjohnston882 Жыл бұрын
Sugar lowers the freezing point more than salt but is more expensive because Florida sugar manufacturers have a monopoly.
@claysoggyfries Жыл бұрын
God I salt when a salt truck is right in front of me
@moggyforrest Жыл бұрын
We have experienced issues when sugar beet is used. Sheep love to lick it off the roads in open access areas
@paulmaloney7074 Жыл бұрын
Locomotive train engines are equiped with a sand reservoir system that detects slipping and drops a little sand in just the right place. That stops slipping of the steel drive wheels on the rail, as well as for breaking. Do you think such a system could be practical and cost effective in some places? How about sensor/WiFi activated sand canons at intersections and overpasses? That would make for easy and quick response when needed.
@100GTAGUY Жыл бұрын
Some people have rigged up DIY sand dispensers in their wheel wells if their roads are the last to be plowed and whatnot.
@driftwood42 Жыл бұрын
The city of Holland, MI has a snowmelt system where they put tubing under the roads in the downtown that is heated by the waste heat from the cities power generation and melts the ice and snow on the roads. No need to plow and no need to salt.
@Michaelonyoutub Жыл бұрын
Where I live we use sand on most roads except the highways. While sand doesn't do too much in terms of melting the snow/ice (it can absorb more sunlight than the ice around it, giving a very minor melting effect, really only useful on the few warm days between cold periods, to clear away any ice that has built up) it can at least help increase the grip cars can have on icy roads, which in combination with winter tires and snow ploughed roads, makes roads fairly drivable. Sand also isn't nearly as damaging to the ecosystem, making it a decent alternative for roads that need something to help with ice, but don't see enough traffic to necessitate salt.
@whafrog Жыл бұрын
Where I live it's too cold for salt, so we spread gravel. It works well, but spring time can be dusty in the city, unless we get a nice spring storm or the sweeper trucks get around to it.
@bhatkat Жыл бұрын
The colder the better, just pour a bit of water down and then sand it. The water works as glue and the surface is like sandpaper. The only drawback is that it sublimates and you have to keep adding more water.
@sptownsend99911 ай бұрын
I'm glad they use sand and gravel here in Oregon; salt not only "can be" corrosive to automobiles, it _is_ corrosive to automobiles, and extremely so. *That being said,* the best traction I've ever had on snow was not provided by salt or gravel or sand, but by *studded snow tires.*
@TAshifter88 Жыл бұрын
I like the way this guy reports. Keep, it up, guy!
@markchapman6800 Жыл бұрын
1:36 "The problem is that the chlorides in the sodium chloride *don't ever break down* in the environment" I was expecting the segue from that to be to talking about organic salts of sodium (like sodium acetate, which is apparently cheap) where the partner ions to the sodium would break down, but nope.
@cidercreekranch Жыл бұрын
Salting roads killed snow days! :( When we lived in Tacoma they sprayed a brine solution before expected snowfall of freezing rains.
@LaineyBug2020 Жыл бұрын
Our state has been doing the calcium brine for years. I always wonder in pure ethanol would work or what that would do to everything...
@JohnVance Жыл бұрын
Evaporate almost instantly I assume.
@ljayscott Жыл бұрын
In Colorado, we use ground up Rocky Mountains. It's very effective for increasing traction and helps to get rid of the ugly ducklings of the mountain range... 🤠
@eloskiify Жыл бұрын
Trying to remember my childhood, I believe we used salt on driveways and sidewalks and gravel on the roads, but we also used studded tires.
@ponyote Жыл бұрын
Clearapathra - the snow plow, not the Egyptian ruler - is calibrated to clear snow.
@suzannepottsshorts Жыл бұрын
Back in 2008, Tone's was going to send 9 tons of garlic salt to the landfill, but instead gave it to Ankeny, IA to help after a big storm.
@awaredeshmukh3202 Жыл бұрын
Oh my god I'm imagining the smell...
@jerryclark5725 Жыл бұрын
Calcium chloride is terrible on bridges, vehicles, brake lines, and probably more.
@exosproudmamabear558 Жыл бұрын
As a person who lives in a city where there is a sugar factory, beet wastewater smells terrible like smelly socks thats been worn whole week.
@Road_Rash Жыл бұрын
Glad I live in the south & don't have to deal with that 🐂💩...
@dexxis9562 Жыл бұрын
In some countries they simply use sand, and I heard some municipalities in the Northeast of the US use ash left over from coal power plants
@TONOCLAY Жыл бұрын
They use beet juice on the super steep hills along the river where i live. It worse so much better than salt. Its just more expensive so they limit it to the steep bits. The rest of the roads are covered in brine.
@GlitterendeEenhoorn Жыл бұрын
I heard most switzerland uses grit sand which they will collect after winter to use again next year
@eljanrimsa5843 Жыл бұрын
I'm surprised you didn't mention sand. Afaik we try to limit salt usage to heavily used main roads, and improve grip with sand or gravel otherwise.
@dustinmurphy7743 Жыл бұрын
I've seen a couple places that use sand or something similar. Instead of trying to get rid of the ice they just make the ice have traction.
@TripleSuccotash1 Жыл бұрын
Cities in Wisconsin mostly using salt on the city and interstate, but rural anywhere and smaller state highways get sand.
@Miikhiel Жыл бұрын
Hmm. For some reason, I thought kelp or seaweed extract could be used as well, although, it also has an inherently smelly component but definitely less caustic.
@JohnVance Жыл бұрын
The brining works really well up in MN in my experience.
@deepspire Жыл бұрын
It’s not just that municipalities buy less salt, but it’s cheaper to pay drivers to spray brine than it is to pay them to plow and salt.
@StretchyDeath Жыл бұрын
I visited TEDx Mile High a year and a half ago, and one of the presenters was working on a synthetic de-icing protein based on one produced naturally in fish. If that protein could ve mass produced, it could potentially be a drop-in replacement for salt. I worry about scaling production though.
@zachlafond2652 Жыл бұрын
They brine the roads prior to snow around my area of wisconsin. They have for quite a few years.
@crimsonraen Жыл бұрын
Huh, this is really interesting, thanks!
@sc00b4s7eve Жыл бұрын
I had no idea until recently that those tankers that brine roads usually have some sort of sugar added to make it stick to the road better. This also means it sticks to everything, from shoes & clothing to vehicles, better too. Pretty gross even though it’s understandable why it’s done.
@CodeOmega0 Жыл бұрын
I wouldn't have caught the 'solution' pun without the aggressive side-eye. Appreciate you looking out. xD
@UncleKennysPlace Жыл бұрын
Beet juice is often used for extra weight in farm tractor tires, as it doesn't freeze until about -18°C, when most tractors are parked.
@kathleennorton2228 Жыл бұрын
In tires? I didn't know that. Thanks.
@stefanp760311 ай бұрын
I live in the northeast and our town uses over 20 tons of salt a lane mile. It’s detrimental to the lakes and our cars.
@niagarawarrior9623 Жыл бұрын
A major downside to the beet sugar salt mixture, is that it really clings to the underside of your car, that aside, it works well.
@yashchaurasia1240 Жыл бұрын
How can you break down chloride further chemically? (1:40)
@erikdietrich2678 Жыл бұрын
NaCl is 58g/mol and produces 2 ions. MgCl2 is 95g/mol and produces 3 ions. The average weight per ion is *higher* for MgCl2, so you get less melting per unit mass. Right? What am I misunderstanding?
@nottelling7438 Жыл бұрын
1:37 I sure hope the chloride isn't breaking down. That would be a bit too exciting...
@duncanmacduff559 Жыл бұрын
"interrupts the watery ice structure" I think this is why heated water freezes faster than unheated. The dissolved gases expand increasing the buoyancy removing them from the total interruptions in the crystalizing process.
@The_Cyber_System Жыл бұрын
Cool video, love the brine idea. And loved having the sponsor spot in the middle of the video, surprisingly, didn't think I'd like that but I preferred it somehow.
@barberchopin96 Жыл бұрын
I worked two ski seasons in Lake Tahoe, and I was told while working there that the salt on the road is actually gravel because salt is bad for the environment. I wasn’t totally convinced though, because as it covered the sides of my car, it definitely looked like salt.
@raezehel Жыл бұрын
I am obsessed with your hair. It looks great!!
@ShadowDrakken Жыл бұрын
Nebraska stopped using salt years ago, and we have pretty nasty ice here. They only use sand these days
@isaiahtowers1865 Жыл бұрын
“As scientists, we have options!” And we’re not gonna do it because salting roads is probably never gonna change and we don’t care enough (unfortunately) for the environment to even act on such change