Companies Bourget Inc. proposes to the minister of transport, François Bonnardel, a pilot project for.a much greener use of road salts
Joliette, December 10, 2018 – Conscious of the harmful effects of the intensive use of road salts on the environment, Les Entreprises Bourget in., De Lanaudière, proposed to the new Minister of Transport, Mr. François Bonnardel, to set up quickly a pilot project to treat road salts from the MTQ, directly from the department’s disposal sites. This project would consist, according to the president of the company, Luc Delangis, in the use of the technology associated with its de-icing product, the CMH-30, combined with a corrosion inhibitor and natural biodegradable dye, for a much more ecological and significantly more economical, these salts for the entire Quebec road network.
“Québec currently has 31 motorways, 45 national roads and 129 regional or secondary roads on which the repeated use, on an annual basis, of 1.5 million tonnes of road salts spread over the 137,000 km of the Québec road network compromises, to varying degrees, both flora and fauna, water quality and soil quality, not to mention the state of our infrastructure, ”said Mr. Delangis, arguing that this pilot project, in addition to committing to reducing the impact of road salts on the environment, also aims to take advantage of and implement best operational practices in this area.
In this spirit, this CMH-30 is an active solution which is used for the treatment of de-icing salt and which accelerates the melting process; the salt thus moistened acts as soon as it is applied. “This is composed of calcium / magnesium chloride, into which a biodegradable food coloring is injected for better visualization of the surfaces treated with road salts, improved planning of the tasks to be executed, and more efficient logistics” added Mr. Delangis. In addition, a corrosion inhibitor is also added, thereby reducing the risk of both unpleasant and costly corrosive damage to vehicle fleets as well as to infrastructure such as bridges.
It is clear that progress is difficult to achieve, continues Mr. Delangis. He said that this ideal strategy was applied locally, during winter 2017, in a part of the Lanaudière region, where the treatment of conventional salts with CMH-30 was part of the logistics strategy of the company on the kilometers of road for which it is responsible for maintenance.
“Experience has made it possible to reduce the rates of installation of conventional road salts significantly, with the achievement, as a bonus, of realistic and measurable economic and environmental objectives, especially” said the president of Les Entreprises Bourget, adding that this has made it possible to maintain very safe roads in winter, at a lower cost.
Mr. Delangis concluded by clarifying that the CMH-30 is the only product of its kind 100% local, intended for the local economy, in addition to being the most ecological on the market.
