Why do we use Salt as a De Icer ?

 

 

 

Why do we use Salt as a De Icer ?

Man has relied on salt for a long time - surprisingly it didn’t start out as a de-icing agent
The first known use of salt was for the preservation of meat (before the days of fridges and freezers), keeping food fresh was a major challenge. Salt preserves food by drawing moisture out of bacteria and fungi. Although the process is slightly more complicated than this it can easily be summarised by saying salt makes the environment too dry for life. Curing food to extend its shelf life was common practice until the late 19th century and many foods are still cured today for flavour.
Salt is also used heavily in industry, it’s the base material for chemicals such as Chlorine, Sodium Hydroxide and Sodium Carbonate. Detergents, textiles, petrochemical, glass, pharmaceuticals, water treatment and aluminium production are just some examples of industries that depend on salt.
Fortunately, salt is also one of the most abundant and easy to extract chemicals in the world. The two main sources are evaporating sea water in tropical or sub tropical and mining (the source of our rock salt).
Salt in the world’s oceans actually comes from rocks on land. Rainfall is slightly acidic which slowly erodes the rocks it falls onto. It’s not just the mechanical action of rain falling which is important, it’s the acidity. Acids create ions (charged atomic particles), the ions of Sodium and Chlorine make up over 90 percent of the ions dissolved in the oceans. The ions react to form Sodium Chloride (the correct name for salt)
Salt is concentrated in the oceans by the water cycle. As water evaporates from the surface salt is left behind. A single cubic mile of seawater contains 120 million tons of salt.
People have cleared snow from paths for centuries, however, until the advent of paved roads and motorised transport it wasn’t actually a major concern.
De-icing as well as clearing snow is important to prevent the unnecessary loss of life caused by winter motor accidents. Initially the idea of spreading salt to de-ice roads was widely opposed because of the corrosion caused to iron bridges and the vehicles themselves. However as the popularity of cars has increased, spreading de-icing salt became the accepted solution.
Using salt to de-ice surfaces is a compromise, it has drawbacks such as causing corrosion to vehicles and damage to plants near where the salt is spread. It has also be harmful to pets such as cats and dogs.
However, the wide availability and low cost of salt makes it the idea product to not just clear snow but de-ice roads and pathways.

For a safer solution for clearing snow and Ice click HERE