Quebec students turn to pickle juice instead of rock salt to melt icy roads

A group of science students from John Abbott College have discovered some real-life practical benefits of pickle juice.

The brine inside the jars combined with some table salt can be effectively used to melt ice off of sidewalks, streets and walkways.

The idea earned them top prize in a green innovative competition sponsored by the CEGEP and Pfizer, as well as $1,000 toward implementing their plan.

“We didn’t really come in expecting to win. We we’re kind of like, let’s have a great time,” Sonia Hussain, a John Abbott College student and one of the four team members, told Global News.

The students hope to collect enough of the brine to apply it within the first six metres of the CEGEP entrances next winter.

Brine is considered a much more eco-friendly de-icer than rock salt which is corrosive and can deteriorate highway and road infrastructures, as well as damage the bodies of cars.

“Pickle brine doesn’t really have that same effect, which means that the road ways will be, hopefully, less degraded,” Olivia Preiss, a John Abbott College student and one of the four team members, told Global News.

Several cities throughout North America already use a brine alternative to rock salt to keep roads ice-free.

The cities of Laval and Cowansville spread beet brine on their local roads prior to a major storm to prevent ice buildup. It’s a similar practice in Winnipeg and on part of the road network in the state of Georgia.

So far, Montreal has not switched to brine alternative, using almost 200,000 tons of road salt last year.

Officials at John Abbott College are proud of the students’ initiative and they want it come to fruition.

“I hope they’re able to bring it forward, I hope they talk to the right people on campus, we collaborate on this and we’re able to get it so at least our six metres … taken care of,” Ronnie Dorsnie, John Abbott College Student Services assistant director, told Global News.

It’s an initiative the students hope public works departments in other cities will follow as an environmental game-changer to melt ice.