I heard last week that the city of Akron is going to use a new mix-in with its brine during the winter of 2007-8. No, not just salt and/or calcium chloride…but beet juice.
Yes, beet juice. You know, the juice from that vegetable that your mother always forced you to eat ? Yeah, THOSE beets.
The city of Akron ordered 4,000 gallons of beet juice last week and plans to mix it with the other solutions.
Why beet juice ?
First of all, it sticks to the roads better than does a brine, salt, or CaCl mixture. Plus, beet juice is effective at temperatures below 17 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, the chemical composition of the beet juice actually works against those of the NaCl and CaCl, which are both metal corrosives. That means the beet juice actually makes the other chemicals less corrosive.
So, will the beet juice give your white car a pink or red tinge ? No…beet juice, once the sugars are removed, is actually brown…almost like pancake syrup, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
I can hear the conversation now…
Mom: “Eat your beets !”
Kid: “No ! I hate beets.”
Mom: “Fine. Then throw them on the driveway.”
But never drink (or use) beet juice alone ! If you drink it, mix it with apple juice. If you use it on the roads, mix it with salt, CaCl, or brine.
Beet juice…it’s not just for breakfast anymore.
I was pretty happy to hear of a more environmentally friendly item being used on the roads. I do admit having wondered about the color. Since my car is red, it isn’t an issue, but M- has a white car. I was fearful that it wouldn’t be white anymore. Let’s face it, though. It is Ohio and it won’t be white again until maybe April sometime. Glad to hear that it won’t affect anything.
If you have a white vehical, good luck getting the beet juice off of your car!