Publication Date

10-10-2025

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Applied Sciences Switzerland

Volume

15

Issue

20

DOI

10.3390/app152010865

Abstract

De-icing agents play a crucial role in winter road maintenance, yet their excessive application can result in pavement deterioration and environmental issues. Existing dosage guidelines lack comprehensive data on the dynamic response of de-icing agents under low-temperature conditions, particularly regarding stage-specific characteristics and multi-factor interactions. This research systematically evaluated the effectiveness of four de-icing agents (NaCl, CaCl2, MgCl2, CH3COOK) within a temperature range of −5 °C to −25 °C, elucidating the two-phase ice-melting process (solid-phase followed by salt solution de-icing) with distinct kinetic mechanisms—a previously underexplored temporal pattern. The study quantified the differential impacts of particle size (small-particle CaCl2 exhibiting 12% higher efficiency than sheet-like forms), dosage linear correlation, and negligible effects of ice layer thickness and road surface composition, which have not been systematically validated in prior studies. Temperature sensitivity was further refined: NaCl showed a 42.4% efficiency drop between −5 °C and −25 °C, while MgCl2 maintained stable performance, supporting its potential as an environmentally sustainable alternative. This work provides a quantitative basis for dynamic dosage regulation by integrating stage characteristics and multi-factor optimization, addressing gaps in existing guidelines.

Funding Number

2021AB025

Funding Sponsor

Science and Technology Bureau of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps

Keywords

de-icing agents, ice-melting performance, multi-factor optimization and regulation, stage-based characteristics

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Aviation and Technology

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