Longevity of corrosion inhibitors and performance of anti-icing products after pavement application: A case study

For snow and ice control on winter roads, the direct cost of corrosion-inhibited chemicals can be much higher than that of the non-inhibited chemicals. Yet, prior to this work, little was known about how long the corrosion inhibitors and the anti-icing products remain effective on the pavement once applied. This case study investigated the longevity of inhibitors and the performance of corrosion-inhibited anti-icing products after pavement application during winter storms. The field operational tests included the daily sampling of anti-icer residuals on the pavement for seven days after anti-icer application for a black ice event, a man-made snow event, and a natural snow event, respectively. Subsequently, multiple analytical methods were used to examine the properties of pavement-collected samples in the laboratory. It was found that more than 62% of the inhibitor in the CCB anti-icer and more than 20% of the chlorides (especially for FreezGard and NaCl+GLT) could remain on the pavement four days after the application of liquid anti-icers to treat black ice. The longevity of chlorides and inhibitors on the pavement after anti-icer application can vary greatly depending on the pavement temperature, the amount of precipitation, etc.

► No significant performance difference was observed between the three anti-icers. ► The fate of the corrosion inhibitors differed from those of the chlorides on pavement. ► Dilution and anti-icer wicking into the pavement and snow contributed to their loss. ► Relative corrosivity of anti-icers on field pavement differed from that in the lab.