De-icing salts help us get around in winter, but they corrode cars, crack roads and contaminate rivers and lakes. Scientists are working to develop better options by imitating natural antifreezes.
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Articles on Road salt
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Love it or hate it, winter means snow and ice for much of the US. In many places, though, snow is becoming a scarce resource.
Patching concrete sidewalks, roads and bridges after every season of snow and ice is expensive. A team of engineers is now testing a new approach harnessing bacteria to patch the potholes and cracks.
When it snows, it pours – but why do municipalities treat the roads with salt? A chemist explains how salt affects water and ice.
With frigid temperatures and snow in the forecast, slippery roads can't be far behind. Salt keeps roads safe, but it's harmful to aquatic environments.
