Project Summary
Research is needed to further optimize the “green” additives derived from Washington-sourced waste streams (apple pomace, cherry pomace, manure, etc.), with a focus on snow/ice control performance and infrastructure preservation. While our recently completed CESTiCC project demonstrated the feasibility of using “green” additive sourced from waste sugarbeet leaves for anti-icing, the biochemical process of deriving the “green” additive is not optimized for improving anti-icing performance. Futhermore, our preliminary laboratory study revealed that the “green” additive sourced from apple pomace exhibits better corrosion inhibition efficiency than that sourced from waste sugarbeet leaves and the two feature distinctly different chemistry and thus merit further investigation. Finally, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) expressed interest in using such liquid formulations for pre-wetting operations. The objective of this project is to develop innovative anti-icing and pre-wetting formulations for snow and ice control on roadways, using locally-sourced agricultural wastes, fruit by-products and other bio-based additives for freezing-point suppression, performance enhancement, and infrastructure preservation.
