Liquid Anti-Icing & De-Icing on Municipal Streets

The Street Maintenance Division has implemented new maintenance methods for preventing ice buildup and de-icing on the city streets.  These methods are becoming more popular in both Canada and the United States.

Potassium Acetate is primarily used in the Anchorage Central Business District (CBD) instead of chloride salts like calcium chloride or magnesium chloride.  It offers the advantage of being less aggressive and much less corrosive, and for this reason is preferred for use in this area.

Magnesium Chloride is used in limited quantities throughout the Municipality of Anchorage.  Magnesium chloride is less toxic to plant life surrounding roadways than other compounds.  The liquid magnesium chloride is sprayed on dry pavement prior to precipitation or wet pavement prior to freezing temperatures in the winter months to prevent snow and ice from adhering and bonding to the roadway.

Both Magnesium Chloride (MgCl2) and Potassium Acetate (KC2H3O2) are applied to the pavement surface as anti-icing or de-icing agents. 

De-Icer truck sweeps in the front and sprays Potassium Acetate from the back.

The following Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) provide facts on Potassium Acetate and Magnesium Chloride.  To view the MSDS Fact Sheets, click on the links below.

Magnesium Chloride MSDS Sheet 

Potassium Acetate MSDS Sheet

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