U.S. Media: Grape skins can be made into green de-icing agents for road maintenance.

Original title: U.S. media: Grape skins can be made into green de-icing agents for road maintenance
U.S. media said,
U.S.
spends $5 billion a year repairing winter snow and ice control operations and the damage to road infrastructure caused by the use of traditional de-icing agents. A research team at Washington State University is developing a more sustainable
using
grape skins and other agricultural waste.
Researchers, including graduate student Mehdi Hornarwal Nazari and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering ShiH, concluded that the de-icing agents they developed containing grape extract performed better than commonly used de-icing agents, including road salts and a mixture of salt and beet juice thought to be more environmentally friendly, the Daily Science website reported on December 2. Their findings were published in the December issue of the American Journal of Civil Engineering Materials.
, the United States uses about 27 million tons of sodium chloride ( commonly known as road salt ) for winter conservation on its roads. Chlorides do not degrade in the environment and can pose long-term environmental risks. Commercial de-icing agents often contain chemicals that corrode metals, asphalt, and concrete and pose a risk to aquatic species.
beet juice has become a common additive used in highway departments and cities to improve the performance of de-icing agents while reducing their corrosive effects. But when beet juice enters the water, it consumes oxygen, endangering aquatic life.
to develop a greener additive, researchers at the university used chemical degradation and natural fermentation techniques to extract chemicals from waste grape skins. Shi said the new process they used to make formulation additives would not result in any form of waste.
researchers found that their grape extract-based solution melts ice faster than other de-icing agents, significantly reducing damage to concrete and asphalt, the two most common materials on bridges and roads. This solution also poses less risk to nearby water bodies.
we have come up with a more sustainable solution because we are using less chloride in our road operations and achieving the same or even better results," mr. Shi said. This is a step in the right direction.
a few years ago, when the Alaska Department of Transportation commissioned the development of a locally sourced, powerful anti-ice salt water formula, Ishio first came up with the idea of using biotechnology to extract de-icing agents from agricultural waste. His team also successfully used the technology for peony leaves, beet leaves, dandelion leaf waste, and discarded apples and grapes.
the beauty of this approach is that it allows us to be flexible, " he said. We can use the same technology platform in different parts of the country, but depending on the source of waste, different agricultural products can be selected. The study
supported by the National Science Foundation, the Washington State Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
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