December 27, 2006—Slipping and sliding on icy campus sidewalks could be less of a threat this winter, due to a new product Central Michigan University landscape workers are using.
CMU facilities management officials are testing a new liquid de-icer and anti-icer made by Natural Solutions Corp. on the 20 miles of university sidewalks.
So far, the test results have been encouraging, said Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of facilities management. Officials approved a trial run of the product, called Ice Ban Ultra, after similar positive results at the University of Notre Dame and Grand Valley State University .
The product can be applied as a pre-treatment to sidewalks up to six hours before a storm. It melts the falling snow and prevents snow and ice from forming, which leads to easier and cleaner plowing.
The product is made from a blend of 84 percent magnesium chloride, a common de-icer, and a corn-based inhibitor that is less damaging to landscape and building floors than rock salt.
Other pluses to using Ice Ban Ultra include lower effective temperature range, better control over placement of the product and less of an impact on adjacent plants and buildings.
