Beet juice offers alternative solution to snow fighting

By Lisa Mussman
Public Affairs Manager for northwest Kansas

For decades, KDOT has used a combination of sand, salt and salt brine as part of their snow fighting efforts, but crews in parts of northwest Kansas have added a new tool to their arsenal in recent years: Beet juice.

Beet juice is an agricultural by-product from the process to make goods such as table sugar and cattle feed. As a standalone product, beet juice has little to no melting properties, but when mixed with salt brine, it will help the brine continue to work at lower temperatures to treat icy and snow-packed surfaces. Regular salt brine begins to lose effectiveness at around 15 degrees Fahrenheit. When beet juice is added, the freezing point can be lowered by another 15 to 20 degrees.

Colby Subarea Supervisor Brad Reeh says his crew has been using the product for about five years and has had success with it.

“We have been mixing it at a 10 percent ratio with brine and only using it when the temps are going to be below 15 degrees.” Reeh said. “When combining it with brine and salt and sand, it seems to stick to the snow-pack better and keep the product working on the road longer.”

That stickiness and staying power is important in allowing KDOT crews more time to work on other routes if needed. But don’t expect to see the roads turning red or purple. The solution is actually brown in color and can be easily washed off vehicles.

While beet juice is still relatively new to Kansas, it has been used in the Northeast and Upper Midwest since the early 2000's. It is among a handful of alternative products including molasses, beer waste, pickle brine and cheese brine that other departments of transportation are experimenting with to reduce salt usage.