New asphalt that contains its own de-icer!

[thewayne]

Very clever, doesn't sound like it would add significantly to the cost per mile of road as it's an additive, not a replacement for something important.

They reformulated salt so it's not sodium chloride, combined it with some other stuff, then micro-encapsulated it. Mixed it with the top asphalt layer and laid it down on a freeway offramp. And it stayed ice-free! Every time someone drives across it, it ruptures some of the micro-encapsulated stuff and it releases, constantly fighting the ice. It's estimated that it could last five to seven years.

https://newatlas.com/materials/asphalt-salt-additive-ice-roads/

Comments

[disneydream06]

That is very cool, but it sounds like a lot of repaving.
Wonder how much it would cost to do my driveway? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hugs, Jon

[thewayne]

Heh.  I doubt it would work.  I am guessing that the process expects regular traffic to keep the microcapsules bursting and providing the melt stuff.  You're not going to have that kind of traffic in a driveway.

[disneydream06]

My employer has some heated sidewalks in different areas.
Dumbest one is the short sidewalk from the employee parking ramp to the street. All of 15 feet maybe.
Then you cross the street and it's regular sidewalk all the way down to the hospital.
Then they built a new building on the hospital and after a year or so they got somebody's family to donate millions to put his name on the building and after all that they dug up the entrance sidewalk to the building and put heating under it.
Then downtown around the main clinic building they have more heated sidewalks.
Must be nice. :o
Would love to know the cost to put in and maintain. :o

[thewayne]

Yeah, no info on price, I imagine it's still a research project and not yet a commercial product.

[disneydream06]

I think the heated ones around the main clinic building have been there for ages.

I need to win the lottery and put some in at home. LOL........