Yes, you can use solar salt to melt ice.
Understanding Solar Salt for Ice Melting
Solar salt is a type of salt produced through the evaporation of seawater or saltwater from salt lakes. It is primarily sodium chloride (NaCl), the same chemical compound found in common rock salt used for de-icing. Therefore, it functions in the same way to lower the freezing point of water, preventing ice from forming or causing existing ice to melt.
How Salt Melts Ice
Salt works by disrupting the natural equilibrium between solid ice and liquid water. When salt dissolves in the thin layer of liquid water that is always present on the surface of ice, it lowers the freezing point of that water. This encourages more ice to melt into liquid water, which then dissolves more salt, continuing the process.
Effectiveness Based on Crystal Size
The reference provided highlights the importance of crystal size:
Small crystals melted twice as much ice as large crystals during the first 15 minutes, but the large crystals melted more ice per unit of salt dissolved. Fine solar salt mixed with coarse rock salt might give rapid melting and long-lasting effective- ness on highways.
This suggests that the effectiveness of solar salt can depend on the size of its crystals:
- Fine Crystals (often found in solar salt): Melt ice more rapidly initially due to a larger surface area available for dissolving.
- Large Crystals (like coarse rock salt): May provide longer-lasting melting power per amount of salt used as they dissolve more slowly.
Potential Benefits of Using Solar Salt
- Rapid Action: As the reference indicates, if the solar salt has fine crystals, it can lead to rapid initial melting.
- Mixing Potential: The reference suggests that mixing fine solar salt with coarse rock salt could offer a balance of fast action and sustained effectiveness, particularly useful for larger areas like highways.
Using solar salt is a viable option for tackling ice on walkways, driveways, and other surfaces. Its effectiveness is comparable to other sodium chloride-based de-icers, with potential advantages depending on the crystal size and application.
