Scientists Have Made A Salty Road That Never Ices Over

Big trucks pouring salt over slippery roads could be a thing of the past thanks to Turkish scientists who have created a road that rids itself of ice

Darren Cassey

Updated: 29 Dec 2015

Scientists Have Made A Salty Road That Never Ices Over

If you love your car, there’s nothing worse than driving in icy conditions. There’s that constant threat of black ice just waiting to deposit you in a hedge, while huge trucks roam the streets chucking car-destroying ice on the road. Thankfully, that could be a thing of the past thanks to some mighty clever scientists.

Researchers at Koc University in Turkey have been working on a new type of road material that is infused with salt that should stop ice forming at all. Currently, local authorities have to pre-empt ice forming on the road, deploying spreaders to throw salt on top of the surface. This can then be dispersed by traffic running over it or rainwater washing it away, nullifying its effect. The new system involves having deicing agents throughout the layers of asphalt, which release over a period of time. It could also improve the state of our highways and byways, as one of the biggest causes of cracks and potholes is water in the road freezing and expanding.

Scientists have embedded salt potassium formate into bitumen - one of the components of asphalt - as it is an environmentally friendly deicing material. They have also added a water-repelling polymer called styrene-butadiene-styrene, which should help stop water settling and further reduce the chances of ice forming on the road.

While driving in sub-zero conditions would certainly be safer with this material, the fact of the matter is that the underside of our cars will still be assaulted by corrosive salt. This is a great solution for everyday driving, but we’re still waiting on something that means we don’t have to garage our fun car during winter!

Source: Digital Trends

Comments

Just one question… What’s the life span of this salt infused road surface? I mean, at some point the infused salt potassium will be depleted, right?

Proud of my country.

Do does that mean you would have to worry about salty roads all year long ruining your body instead of just a few months out of the year? No thanks I will just put my car away for winter and switch to my beater

You would put your Subaru away for the winter??! (Assuming by your display pic)

Is it just me that finds that a bit boring??

But it’s no fun…

I don’t see how this would work long term. Wouldn’t the salt eventually run out? In order to stop water from freezing, it needs to dissolve the salt, and then run off the road.

I like the idea, but there are a few problems.

The salt in the roads will be washed away quicker than the road is eroded away. So before long, the “Salty road” will just be a normal road with all the salt that had been on the surface washed away. Making the extra money that was spent on the special asphalt a waste of money when the city realized they need to bring out the salt trucks again.
The salt in the roads will be mixed in the water any time it rains. So we will end up with salt water every time it rains.
It will be more expensive than normal road making materials. So many cities probably won’t bother. There are a lot of cities/town that only look at the initial cost, and rarely take into account on whether or not it would save them money in the long run. That’s why many roads that get repaved have pot holes, and other issues with in a year. The city used cheap material, instead of paying extra for stuff that lasts.