Abstract
This study investigates sodium acetate [NAAC], a rather neglected bio-degradable de-icer, which may, however, present a viable solution towards sustainable and environment-friendly winter operations in certain situations. The results presented here are a selection of data obtained by SEM imaging and element mapping, together with X-Ray diffractometry in order to demonstrate the benign nature of NAAC solutions with regard to their interaction with cement pastes. The effect of the inclusion of microsilica in the cement paste in these tests is evaluated through the use of pure OPC and microsilica containing specimens. The results obtained suggest that sodium acetate is an effective de-icer that may deserve as much attention by researchers and the industry, in the same way as other well known alternative de-icers.