2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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, 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.

5. Eco- Thaw Trial

6. 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:

7. 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

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

9. 4 Snow Blowers –
When Times get hard

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

11. 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)

12. 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

13. 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

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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18.
Further trials using dry covered salt routes from Haltwhistle - mixture of high exposed ground and Tyne Valley
Grit boxes on newly refurbished foot bridges

19. 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.