INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS for snow & ice removal & dust control

BENEFITS OF PROFESSIONAL DUST CONTROL

It enhances the quality of roads 

It's commonly accepted that with proper road stabilization and dust control, "One car making one pass on one mile of dirt or gravel road one time each day for one year creates one ton of dust.“ This translates to losing fifty tons of fine road material a year for each mile of road with an average of fifty vehicles per day.

When there is dust, there is decay. Fine dust particles cannot act as binders to keep road surfaces together. Consequently, the aggregate is uncovered and unstable, eroding with each passing automobile or rainstorm, causing ruts and potholes. So, if we lose the fines, we lose the road. A well-graded aggregate with fines to lock everything together and keep it in place is critical. Wilkinson Solution’s dust suppressants draw moisture from the air, which binds those tiny particles with the aggregate, ensuring that roads stay hard, smooth, durable, and, most crucially, safe.

It will reduce the maintenance costs 

Better roads need fewer repairs, which saves money on materials and labor. That’s significant given taxpayer demand for good roads at a time when maintenance and upgrade funding are often scarce.  Various studies show that effective dust management and soil stabilization can reduce dust by 30% to 80% and cut aggregate loss by 25% to 75%. ​ 

It will increase safety

Traffic volume and speed increase dust. Dust poses road safety hazards because it reduces visibility for motorists. As tires attempt to grasp the loose soil or gravel, road dust may reduce visibility, reduce traction, and lengthen stopping distances. Vehicles may lose all control and kick up particles, putting other drivers and pedestrians at risk. Controlling dust improves these circumstances and, as a result, the safety of automobiles, delivery services, agriculture, and pedestrians. ​

You can significantly reduce vehicle damage 

Nobody likes having their automobile get dusty and filthy, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Untreated unpaved roads may lead to considerably worse problems, such as chipped paint, windshield damage, and even steering, suspension, and long-term wear and tear problems. Dust plays total havoc on moving parts. Maintaining a vehicle that drives an average of 40 mph exclusively on gravel roads costs 40% more than maintaining the same vehicle traveling the same speed on paved roads. Controlling dust directly minimizes vehicle damage as well as the costs associated with it.​

It would safeguard the environment 

We must view dust control as a necessary routine maintenance item for all unpaved roads – not only to prolong road life, but also to protect the environment. Fine particles are avoided from getting airborne and creating health problems or damage to crops and plants when the dust is controlled. Dust on plants can hamper their growth and development. When the farmer calls and wants something done about the dust because it is affecting his crops, this is a valid complaint. Dust shades necessary light from plants, hindering photosynthesis, and results in stunted plant growth.  Dust suppressants also prevent these particles reaching entering streams and rivers, where they may build up to unsafe amounts of silt, endangering aquatic life.​  By cutting aggregate losses by 25% to 75%, we reduce the amount of gravel being mined, hauled, and applied to our roadways. It’s easy to see how even a small reduction in gravel usage can have a big impact on sustainability. ​

It would ensure a better quality of life 

If there are fewer dust particles in the air, you’ll breathe cleaner air and be less prone to develop respiratory illness as well as other health issues because of dust inhalation. It’s not only from the dust itself that causes issues, but also possibly from other organisms attached to the dust particles through electrostatic forces. Other attached chemicals, including nutrients, pesticides, and metals are also possible with airborne soil particles (suspended solids). This also reduces cleaning costs associated with homes, clothes, and vehicles. Dust control can mean a better quality of life and higher property values for those living and working adjacent to your roads. As a result, improved quality of life is possible. 

BENEFITS OF DUST CONTROL PROGRAM

You don’t have to be confined inside because you live on a gravel road, unable to open your windows or enjoy your outdoor spaces owing to dust. Throughout the summer, Wilkinson Solutions can manage your dust issues. Our calcium chloride brine, LCC28, has been used on countless miles of unpaved roads throughout North America for over 75 years as an economical and efficient dust suppressor. It can not only control dust in a broad variety of gravel and climate conditions but also can lower the total cost of maintaining dirt roads. Why is it so effective in controlling dust and costs? Science and nature.

Calcium chloride brine is a naturally hygroscopic substance that absorbs moisture in the air and forms a solution that maintains the road wet and dust-free even in dry, hot weather. With repeated seasonal applications, this moisture bonds fine aggregate gravel pieces together, resulting in a compact, solid floor that enhances stability over time. Dust is quickly inhibited after the first application, and each consecutive implementation builds on the prior treatment for a combined impact. Consequently, there is more consistency, better road conditions, and lower application rates.

As a dust control agent, LCC28, our all-natural calcium chloride brine, is an economical, effective, and safe alternative to expensive processed and manufactured chlorides. LCC28 is naturally occurring and unprocessed; the reason we do this is simply because we are committed to green chemistry. We believe in operating our facilities in an environmentally sound manner, which is why we purposely produce our calcium chloride brine as opposed to many other alternatives such as oil field brine, brine-based waste streams, or other byproducts that are sometimes used for dust control. The result is that LCC28 doesn’t contain hydrocarbons, BTEX, or solvents, which often either originate from the original source or the processing of the material. Our goal is to be an industry leader in sustainability, and one way we contribute to this is by minimizing the amount of energy needed to produce the product and avoiding waste products that ultimately end up in landfills because of industrial processing.

Our partners are often tasked with the difficult decision of weighing cost against the value of safety when it comes to selecting their dust control program partner. Decisions such as the type of product, amount to apply, and frequency at which to apply is a big responsibility. We’ve been doing this for over 75 years, and as your partner in dust and sedimentation control, we understand your needs. So please don't hesitate to contact us as it’s our job to provide solutions! Thank you.

GREEN CHEMISTRY FOR A SAFER WORLD!

HEAT AND MOISTURE MAKE CALICUM CHLORIDE THE SUPERIOR PRODUCT

Salt is salt, right? Well not exactly, understanding the science behind calcium chloride (CaCl2) is the key to melting ice quicker, at lower temperatures, and with less tracking and residue. While similar chemically to rock salt, calcium chloride contributes three unique and highly valuable performance properties unavailable from rock salt:

• It is hygroscopic, so it strongly attracts moisture from its surroundings.
• It melts ice fast and makes brine, which melts more snow and ice.
• Calcium chloride has an exothermic reaction when you add water: It releases heat.
• It has an extremely low eutectic temperature.
• It’s effective below 20 degrees F, and the brine it creates doesn’t easily re-freeze. 

These special properties of calcium chloride are highly beneficial to quickly melt ice on sidewalks and steps. Melting speed is determined by how easily a substance dissolves when exposed to snow/ice to form a brine solution. This brine lowers the freezing point of water to melt additional snow and ice on contact. By attracting moisture from its surroundings, CaCl2 creates brine faster than other materials.

Wilkinson Solutions' customers will see added performance because the reaction that creates CaCl2 brine actually releases heat. This makes calcium chloride a more effective deicer than rock salt and other materials that draw heat from a cold environment to begin the melting process. Additionally, our product is environmentally safe for people, pets, and the planet. 

PRE-WETTING ROCK SALT STORAGE

The best winter maintenance programs start well before the season does. By implementing a rock salt pretreatment program, you can maximize the effectiveness of your rock salt investment. When pre-treating your storage piles using Wilkinson Solutions ThermaPoint®:

• You’ll be more accurate as the product you apply sticks to the surface where it’s needed most, which means you’ll use less salt. That is better for the environment.
• The product will be more effective because it will work faster at lower temperatures. This is due to the fact that ThermaPoint® has already enhanced its chemical properties, which is better for the customer. 
• The product will be easier to handle as dry salt in a pile can often “freeze” into an agglomeration, which causes problems when you try to apply it. Pre-wetting with ThermaPoint® enhances its physical properties to keep it flowing while reducing its corrosiveness. This is better for your applicators and equipment. ThermaPoint® treated stockpiles will stay pliable, even when left from one season to the next. 
• For applicators who lack the equipment or storage necessary to apply liquids to dry salt at the nozzle, it requires less capital investment, which is better for your business. 

ANTI-ICING

We all know the saying that it’s better to be proactive than reactive. MnDOTs 2010 anti-icing guide states, “The rule of thumb is that removing ice or snowpack after it forms(de-icing) takes ten times more energy than preventing the formation(anti-icing)."

The basic concept is that we do not need to melt everything on the surface if we can prevent the snow from bonding to the pavement. Customers demand a higher degree of service and sustainability, which are often competing priorities. Accidents due to ice and severe snowpack that form before physical snow removal are unacceptable, yet we are often asked to use less chlorides. Increased blading and applying more rock salt and abrasives is often the response. The problem is that it’s impossible to be everywhere at once, and using granular or pre-wetted salt as an anti-ice solution usually ends up with most of it tracked off the surface and into somewhere else that just causes another problem. By using a liquid brine solution such as LCC28, you’ll be ahead of the storm. 

LCC28 is an unprocessed calcium chloride brine just as Mother Nature intended. Because it already contains additional salts in combination with natural calcium chloride, you’ll have the right solution to combat a variety of storm conditions. The process is simple: a small amount of product is sprayed onto the surface right where it is needed and allowed to dry before the storm. It stays dormant until the conditions worsen, and then it immediately goes to work by keeping ice from forming and stopping the snowpack from bonding with the pavement, so it can be bladed off more efficiently after the storm passes. With Wilkinson Solutions as your trusted partner, you can experience improved safety and service while saving energy and reducing the amount of chloride and abrasives unnecessarily applied to the environment. Now that’s a solution we can all be proud of! 

KEY POINTS FOR ANTI-ICING APPLICATION

• Apply liquids at half the rate (not half the concentration) for the first application of the season, or after a prolonged dry spell. On dry roads, liquids tend to mix with oil from vehicles and cause slippery conditions if over-applied. 
• Consider spot applications on hills, bridge decks, curves, and intersections if predicted conditions warrant and you are just beginning an anti-icing program. Continue to expand anti-icing until you treat most of the areas that you de-ice. 
• Utilize anti-icing for light freezing drizzle and light frost events; it can be very effective. 
• Apply your anti-icing agent during low traffic times and during regular work hours; this saves product and reduces staff costs. 
• Avoid anti-icing under blowing conditions and in areas prone to drifting or anywhere else you would not use salt. 
• Avoid applying before a predicted heavy rain. 
• Apply liquid anti-icers 24-48 hours in advance of an event. The closer to the event start time the better. Tire action and wind wear away material. 
• Remember that re-application isn’t always necessary. The residual effect of anti-icing applications can remain for up to five days if precipitation or traffic wear-off does not dilute the material. 
• Apply liquids with stream nozzles to maintain bare pavement between application areas. 
• Use a spray skirt when anti-icing. This helps significantly in directing product to the roadway where it is needed. Adding a simple spray skirt behind the truck’s spray bar significantly increases the amount of product reaching the roadway. 

PREWETTING FOR DE-ICING

Wilkinson Solutions LCC28, Thermapoint AP, and Thermapoint R are highly effective de-icers used by many of our trusted partners for pre-wetting. Our solutions also lower the eutectic temperature (the lowest temperature at which it can still cause melting); this helps extend salt effectiveness on lower-temperature pavements to efficiently and effectively combat the conditions.  

Pre-wetting requires the addition of a liquid brine to an abrasive such as sand or rock salt before the material is applied to the roads. Pre-wetting usually takes place during loading at the sandsalt stockpile or at the spreader. Pre-wetting of the solid rock salt and abrasives provides two major advantages: 

• The liquid also encapsulates, softens, and begins dissolving the salt particle, and the wet salt stays on the road surface better, bouncing less and resisting traffic action. Wet material clings to roads better and prevents dry materials from bouncing off roads or being swept away by winds. 
• When a liquid is applied to a rock salt particle, the particle absorbs a minor amount of the liquid which increases its density. This provides the moisture needed to melt the ice and snow and works faster at lower temperatures. Studies dating back to the 1960s demonstrate that pre-wetting is highly successful in cutting costs, providing safer roads, and increasing environmental protection. 

DIRECT LIQUID APPLICATION (DLA) DE-ICING

When professional applicators need to melt ice fast, they use Calcium Chloride. When those same professionals want to stand out from their peers, they partner with Wilkinson Solutions to get the best solutions at the best value for their customers. 

In a comprehensive winter maintenance program, professionals require as many tools as possible to efficiently and effectively combat the conditions. Different types of pavement, temperatures, and precipitation all factor into the decision-making process. Wilkinson Solutions staples such as LCC28, Thermapoint AP, and Thermapoint R are proven deicers that are effective in temperatures lower than -25 degrees F. We often provide customizations such as application indicators, blends, and even storage options. It’s our job to provide solutions! 

AGRICULTURAL BYPRODUCTS

Thermapoint:

• "Strongest residual effect on the market as reported by municipalities that have tested it against other organics with an estimated increase in residual effect over other organics of 25%."
• Environmentally friendly, corrosion inhibited solution that can be used as a pre-wet, anti-icing, and deicing solution. 
• Works to -32 degrees Farenheit. 
• Dark color absorbs UV light to melt ice faster. 
• ThermaPoint® meets or exceeds industry standards for snow and ice control products. ThermaPoint® is less harmful to equipment than straight chlorides, brines, or untreated rock salt, and it works faster, longer, and to lower temperatures than salt brines or untreated rock salt. 
•  ThermaPoint®AP is among the top performers in ice control products with low working temperatures and corrosion rate that is 96% lower than rock salt.

FINAL POINTS

Calcium chloride is effective in direct application or for use in pre-wetting sodium chloride rock salt. Used in conjunction with rock salt, the brine increases effectiveness, reducing the overall salt consumption by as much as 30%.

• Pre-wetting is the strategy of applying a liquid de-icing chemical to a dry solid before or during its application to the pavement.
• When a liquid is applied to a rock salt particle, the particle absorbs a minor amount of the liquid, which increases its density.
• The liquid also encapsulates, softens, and begins dissolving the salt particle, and the wet salt stays on the road surface better, bouncing less and resisting traffic action.
• Pre-wetting salt has been used since the late 1960s. It has several advantages:

1. Reduced loss of salt from bounce and scatter (up to 30%),
2. Quicker melting,
3. Better salt penetration into ice and snowpack,
4. The lower eutectic temperature (lowest temperature at which it can still cause melting) helps extend salt effectiveness on lower temperature pavements,

Please let Wilkinson Solutions provide the Solutions for your snow and ice issues! Please contact us for a quote. Thank you. 

GREEN CHEMISTRY FOR A SAFER WORLD!