Cargill develops a number of innovative deicing products over the years, including ClearLane®, a pre-treated salt used by public works departments across the United States.

A New Solution to Keep Winter Roads Safe

Through decades of innovation, Cargill unlocks the full potential of deicing methods to provide more value to its salt customers.

January 01, 2015

Cold and icy conditions pose serious challenges to drivers around the world. Ice also has implications for public infrastructure, since treatment can cause corrosion of roads and bridges, costing millions of US dollars to repair. For decades, Cargill has worked to solve these problems, developing innovative deicing solutions that melt ice effectively while minimizing damage to vehicles, roads, bridges and the environment.

The company entered the deicing business in 1955, and by the 1960s, was seeking ways to improve the performance of its salt products. A successful deicing product needed to meet customer demands for cost and effectiveness while minimizing corrosion.

Cargill began exploring formulations for an enhanced product offering the same melting properties as road salt with anti-corrosive additives that protected the surface to which it was applied. The result was Carguard, the first deicing product of its kind. While Carguard’s benefits answered customers’ ice-melting needs, it was more expensive to use than untreated salt and fell short of answering all environmental questions.

In 1989, Cargill released a new blend, CG-90 Surface Saver® anti-corrosive deicer, which melted ice faster and at a lower temperature than bulk salt. Though CG-90 deicer was well received by the public, Cargill continued to explore other strategies. One was ClearLane® enhanced deicer, the first pre-blended salt deicer. Introduced in 2000, Cargill’s blend of road salt, magnesium chloride and cane molasses deiced snowy roads at even lower temperatures than CG-90 deicer, and required fewer applications.

Innovation And Deicing Inpage

[image caption] The original CG-90 Surface Saver®, released in 1989, is a deicer that melts quickly, does not corrode bridges and roads, and is safe for the environment.

Now, public works departments across the United States are relying on ClearLane enhanced deicer in the winter months. “We are getting more out of the snow removal business and more into the ice control business,” explained the public works director for the Stroud Township Municipal Center in Pennsylvania. “It sticks to the road and melts the ice, which are key benefits.”