by Mr Link » January 1, 2012, 8:52 pm
Road salt can and does come from a multiple sources. Municipalities and road commissions can buy from any source. However in Michigan, cities and counties are allowed to piggyback onto state contracts for salt (this usually lowers costs by buying in bulk). Michigan currently has contracts with North American Salt, Cargill, Morton and Detroit Salt. North American Salt, which now owns the mine in Goderich, is currently the low bidder for large portions of the state, including northern lower Michigan and most of the Upper Peninsula. The contracts include deliveries right to the road authority salt sheds, so as part of the contract the salt companies have to determine where they will stockpile salt and what trucking companies they will use. If shipping by boat, they also determine what shipping company they want to use.
http://www.michigan.gov/localgov/0,4602 ... --,00.html
As for the conveyor at Goderich, a temporary replacement was in use within weeks of the tornado and I believe the main conveyor is back in service.
Pre-wetting of salt with liquid chloride or other chemicals is a very common procedure done for three reasons: First, it helps the salt particles stick to the road, reducing the amount that bounces off the road. Second, salt has to dissolve to work. Prewetting helps the salt dissolve, especially at lower temperatures when there isn't much moisture (liquid) on the road. Third, sodium chloride (rock salt) stops working below -6 degrees Fahrenheit. Other chlorides and chemicals work at lower temperatures. So by prewetting the salt with these chemicals it changes the eutectic temperature of the mixture, allowing it to work at lower temperatures.
http://www.saltinstitute.org/Uses-benef ... -salt-workRoad salt can and does come from a multiple sources. Municipalities and road commissions can buy from any source. However in Michigan, cities and counties are allowed to piggyback onto state contracts for salt (this usually lowers costs by buying in bulk). Michigan currently has contracts with North American Salt, Cargill, Morton and Detroit Salt. North American Salt, which now owns the mine in Goderich, is currently the low bidder for large portions of the state, including northern lower Michigan and most of the Upper Peninsula. The contracts include deliveries right to the road authority salt sheds, so as part of the contract the salt companies have to determine where they will stockpile salt and what trucking companies they will use. If shipping by boat, they also determine what shipping company they want to use. [url]http://www.michigan.gov/localgov/0,4602,7-194--139815--,00.html[/url]
As for the conveyor at Goderich, a temporary replacement was in use within weeks of the tornado and I believe the main conveyor is back in service.
Pre-wetting of salt with liquid chloride or other chemicals is a very common procedure done for three reasons: First, it helps the salt particles stick to the road, reducing the amount that bounces off the road. Second, salt has to dissolve to work. Prewetting helps the salt dissolve, especially at lower temperatures when there isn't much moisture (liquid) on the road. Third, sodium chloride (rock salt) stops working below -6 degrees Fahrenheit. Other chlorides and chemicals work at lower temperatures. So by prewetting the salt with these chemicals it changes the eutectic temperature of the mixture, allowing it to work at lower temperatures. [url]http://www.saltinstitute.org/Uses-benefits/Winter-road-safety/How-does-road-salt-work[/url]