Moms have always appreciated the value of the oft-maligned beet. Now drivers might, too.
Akron plans to mix a bit of beet juice into its road de-icer this year. Why? The beet apparently is a wonder root, when combined with rock salt brine and calcium chloride, that can keep ice from forming on the streets even at extremely low temperatures.
The concoction sticks to the road better than traditional treatments and lessens salt's corrosive effect on cars, according to the city.
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/summit/1196328...
But beet juice stains horribly. Gets on tires, which gets on driveways, that gets on shoes/boots, that gets tracked into houses. hmmmmmm.
I was thinking....it is strange
They de-sugar the beet juice so maybe that keeps it from staining. They used it on a bridge in Canada last year and it worked wonders: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2005/11/17/nb_beetjuice2005...
But Dwight Schrute and Mose are dancing in their barn right now!!!
'Although potent, the solution of 5 percent beet juice, 10 percent calcium chloride and 85 percent salt won't stain cars or clothes, Barnett promises.
"You could take a bottle of this stuff, pour it on your car and let it sit there for a week, then take a garden house and wash it right off," he said. '
Wonder if Barnett intends to see if that beet juice stains his carpeting - different than a car.
Hell, at 5% it might not even be purple any more!
RobertBrundage
I appreciate the two who researched & added substantive content after questions raised in jest?