Eco Thaw - The Future of de-icing and anti-icing What does Eco-Thaw bring to the Business? Because of its corrosion resistance Eco-Thaw reduces the damage normally associated with dry salt and salt brine to vegetation; road surfaces; salting equipment and of course the general infrastructure. And of course this reduces maintenance costs to the end user. Eco-Thaw has a lower melting point than conventional rock salt and therefore when applied as an anti-icing agent, it prevents a bond being formed between the ice and the pavement. Consequently this in turn reduces the costs of applications per winter. It has been widely acknowledged that by using Eco-Thaw the residual amount of treated salt left on the pavement increases greatly and again this reduces unnecessary application and over salting. Some of our clients in the UK have reduced their winter maintenance budget by over one third after one or two seasons.

Eco Thaw - The Future of de-icing and anti-icing Another advantage of using Eco-Thaw is the reduction of bounce and scatter. If using present methods of applying dry salt even at 20 grammes per square metre there is very little of it left after half an hour or so. However when using Eco-Thaw treated salt you will notice that the product has a much longer residual effect. One of the common observations we get from end users is the problem of dry salt clumping in the stockpile especially when it has any moisture in it. This is caused by a drop in temperature and when the operators come in to load it they struggle sometimes with this problem. By using Eco-Thaw that is one problem less to deal with. The economics of using Eco-Thaw are usually obvious after as early as one season when you find that even applying the normal rate of salt, the operators begin to notice when they go out that there is still a lot of the treated salt on the carriageways. The amount of savings vary from place to place but in our experience it generally falls between 30 to 50% after operators and managers have become accustomed to using it.

Eco Thaw - The Future of de-icing and anti-icing One of the generally unknown savings achieved is the cost of vehicle washing after treating the roads with dry or wet salt. Colin Charlton of Northumberland County Council estimates by using Eco-Thaw on his vehicles that he has saved £50,000.00 annually. This is not a small amount of savings by any standards. Eco-Thaw is Environmental Agency approved for use on the Highways Agency Network. The Following presentation is by Colin Charlton of Northumberland County Council in which he gives his observations on using Eco-Thaw.

Eco- Thaw Trial 2003-2004

Eco Thaw Trial 2003-2004 Colin Charlton Northumberland County Council Southern Area Highways Operations Manager Highways DLO 14 yrs Winter Service Manager Contracts Manager Operations Manager Civil Engineer with British rail 11 years before moving to County in 1990 tel:01434611100

The County 5200kms. 1800kms treated 30 routes 30,000Tonnes Salt 10 Depots (3 Barns) County Stats North-Scottish Border South –Tyneside East – North Sea West – Cumbria 1940 square miles Population 308,000 Highest road length/population ratio in England Uses 10 mm Cleveland Salt Own DLO workforce, NQ trained

NCC- Highways 34 dedicated gritters 6 epoc demounts 10 haulage demounts 7 Tractor ploughs 120 Farmers

4 Snow Blowers – When Times get hard

NCC- Highways Eco Thaw Trial Mixed 2000 Tonnes of Cleveland Potash salt at Allendale Stored outside

NCC- Highways Allendale Based Runs 60 miles (route from Allendale North into Hexham, along Tyne Valley to Haydon Bridge, South & East back to Allendale, then up Valley to Allenheads high ground, over Coalclough in the South, North to Carrshiled and return to Allendale Treats 49 miles (82%efficient)

NCC- HIghways 6cu.m Merc 4x4 Econ progressive dial control box (no adjustment needed on control bar) Prolonged season (mid October on highground in South through to Mid April) 600m Fell Tops 50m Tyne Valley

NCC – Highways Normal Spread 15g/sqm Reduced to 10g/sqm Further reduced to 8g/sqm 6.4T – 4.2T – 3.4T Visual check on route effectiveness -physical checks carried out on ground prove product is working and that everything is safe and protected for a travelling public. (see picture at right for how Eco-Thaw worked to protect Northumberland) Alnwick Castle

NCC- Highways Visible wetness on road Application where wanted No over spread No bounce and scatter as is normal with dry salt

NCC- Highways High exposed ground Wind blows application off road Eco- Thaw stayed on road directly after application In the past these conditions led to extra treatment in mornings after night time precipitation. Route was patrolled as a precaution during trial, and inspectors and agents found route clear of Ice/Frost Hadrian's Wall

NCC- Highways Low temps Low Humidity Light winds Hoar Frost Possible to precautionary treat network with confidence of treatment sticking This area was also patrolled as a precaution during trial, no extra treatment was ever required

NCC- Highways Summary Less quantity used More useful residual salt on road No clogging up thus allowing operatives to complete route without having to stop to clear chute Salt more effective at lower temperatures No need to clean equipment after each application, resulting in a savings of £50,000 per annum

2004 - 2005 Further trials using dry covered salt 2 routes from Haltwhistle - mixture of high exposed ground and Tyne Valley Grit boxes on newly refurbished foot bridges

These two bridges are 13 years old These two bridges are 13 years old. The one on the right has used treated salt for the last 7 years. The one on the left has not.