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Beer
Thu Mar 13, 2003
Listen in RealAudio 
Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton for The Weather Notebook. Correspondent Jessica Lockhart found out about
... well, maybe she should explain:
In the winter, a familiar sound to those who live where it snows or freezes is the all
important street plow. Depending on the storm, a variety of substances may be used to control
the precipitation as it hits the streets.
PD: It really depends on the longevity of the storm, how quickly it's coming, what the
temperature is going to be afterwards, it's really a science based on what Mother Nature is
going to throw at us.
That's Peter Dewitt from Portland Public Works. There have long been two standard compounds
used to combat ice and snow on streets: sand and salt. But there is a new anti-icing agent
being used throughout New England and some Western States.
PD: It's called Ice Ban Magic or Ice Be Gone; it's all natural. It's made from beer, sugar
and corn byproducts; we use it anytime we have winter weather that's 34 degrees or below,
which keeps ice and snow from adhering to the pavement.
Wait a minute, did he say beer?
PD: Putting straight beer on the road doesn't do the job, but the chemical compounds of beer,
combined with corn and sugar, it smells a little bit rancid but it works quite well. It's
really effective even to temperatures 10-20 degrees below zero where salt sometimes loses its
effectiveness.
Ice Be Gone must only be used in the cold. If the temperature goes up above 34 degrees it
becomes greasy, creating a more slippery situation. So remember, leave it to the professionals
to dump beer on the roads.
That's Jessica Lockhart, of Portland, Maine. The Weather Notebook is supported by Subaru of
America, and The National Science Foundation.
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