Traditional chloride- and acetate-based deicers are widely used in maintenance operations to clear snow and ice from roadways.
These deicers are cost-effective, but they can damage concrete and steel and have adverse effects on soil and aquatic ecosystems.
While not yet widely available, agro-based deicers formulated using corn extracts offer a potential deicing solution that is effective for snow and ice removal and less harmful to infrastructure and the environment.
Researchers tested a series of corn-based deicer blends to find the combinations that exhibited enhanced freezing-point depression, minimized corrosion, and melted ice at low temperatures.
The top-performing deicers used different mixes of salt brine and three different types of corn-derived alcohols.
While cost and logistics issues must be explored further, this research demonstrates that corn-based deicers, in terms of performance, may be viable for road maintenance use.