They've nicknamed it Flubber
New road de-icer uses corn syrup to help reduce vehicle corrosion
A new road de-icer getting rave reviews from state highway officials is made from the derivative of a common sweetener - corn syrup.
The industry name for the new product is Shield GLT Salt Brine Inhibitor, but state highway maintenance chief Steve Herzog has nicknamed the de-icer "Flubber."
Columbia Falls chemist David Wilkening, who helped develop the new de-icer, isn't sure he likes the name Flubber, a reference to the mysterious goo made famous by Disney's 1961 movie, "The Absent-Minded Professor."
"I'd start talking chemistry and his [Herzog's] eyes glazed over," Wilkening said. "He said, 'Oh, let's just call it Flubber.'"
What the concoction really is, Wilkening clarified, is a charge-modified corn syrup. As he explains it, an electrochemical process is used to put an electrical charge on the carbohydrates, causing them to stick to the surface of metal, thereby disrupting the corrosion process.
The state put the new de-icer to the test on a strip of highway at Rollins last winter. During that time, it was discovered the corn syrup-based product is far less corrosive to aluminum than all other products, according to Dan Williams, winter maintenance specialist for the state Department of Transportation.
The rust inhibitor is manufactured by Redmond Minerals, Wilkening's employer, and is added to both anti-icing and de-icing products to reduce corrosion.
"We took a lesson from other states on salt brine, but [the Flubber] needed to meet our corrosion specs," Williams said. "We had several different formulas that were tried."
The state requires liquid de-icers to be 75 percent less corrosive than salt on mild steel.
Flubber emerged as the most effective inhibitor.
Flubber is hauled to the state's maintenance facility on Montana 40 near Whitefish in 6,300-gallon loads and is then mixed with salt brine and put into 10,000-gallon holding tanks. About 150,000 gallons have already been used on roads west of the Continental Divide.
The working limit for salt brine is about 15 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it ideal for areas such as the Flathead Valley, where there's more humidity and higher winter temperatures than areas east of the divide. The brine freezes at minus 6 degrees.
Wilkening and a chemist from EnviroTech Services Inc., Redmond Minerals' distribution company, spent a full year developing Flubber, putting the product through a rigorous approval process with Pacific Northwest Snowfighters, an association of transportation agencies that has developed specifications for chemical de-icers.
Montana used plates of cast aluminum, sheet aluminum and mild steel attached on the underside of its state snowplows to test Flubber, and testing is ongoing. There's an effort under way to do a broader field test in a four-state area that includes Montana, Washington, Colorado and Utah, Wilkening said.
Since Flubber has been used only a year, there has been no feedback from truckers yet, he said.
The push to find a less corrosive de-icer was driven largely by a public outcry by Flathead Valley residents three years ago. More than 8,000 people signed a petition that prompted county commissioners to order the county road department to cut back on magnesium chloride de-icer by 25 percent. Citizens urged cities and the state to stop using de-icer, too.
People argued that the chemical, sold under the brand name Freez Gard, damages vehicle components, mainly brake lines and pads, wheel bearings and wiring.
The state followed Flathead's lead, vowing to test more de-icer chemicals for quality control.
"We think this is a really good example of us keeping true to our word," Williams said. "We committed to trying to find the best all-around winter maintenance option."
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com