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Beer
Fri Feb 25, 2005
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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