De-icing composition and method

Abstract

A composition for reducing the buildup of snow and ice on a surface. The composition includes a sugar-water mixture having approximately 15 to 80 percent by weight of a sugar solid, wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 2-60 percent by weight of a monosaccharide.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A composition for reducing the buildup of- snow and ice on a surface, comprising: 
 a sugar-water mixture having approximately 15 to 80 percent by weight of a sugar solid, wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 2-60 percent by weight of a monosaccharide.    
     
     
         2 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the sugar-water mixture contains approximately 40 percent by weight of the sugar solid and approximately 60 percent by weight of water.  
     
     
         3 . The composition of  claim 1 , further comprising a steepwater solubles-water admixture containing approximately 20 to 80 percent by weight of steepwater solubles and approximately 20 to 80 percent by weight of water.  
     
     
         4 . The composition of  claim 1 , further comprising a corrosion inhibitor.  
     
     
         5 . The composition of  claim 4 , wherein the corrosion inhibitor is sodium citrate.  
     
     
         6 . The composition of  claim 4 , further comprising a brine mixture containing approximately 15 to 60 percent salt.  
     
     
         7 . The composition of  claim 6 , wherein the composition comprises about 50-95 percent by volume of the brine mixture, 5-50 percent by volume of the sugar-water mixture, and 0.5-5 percent by volume of the corrosion inhibitor.  
     
     
         8 . The composition of  claim 6 , wherein the salt is selected from the group consisting of magnesium chloride, sodium chloride, calcium chloride, and potassium chloride.  
     
     
         9 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the sugar-water mixture is corn syrup.  
     
     
         10 . The composition of  claim 9 , wherein a sugar profile of the corn syrup is about 2-60 percent dextrose, 2-60 percent maltose, 2-60 percent maltotriose, and 15-80 percent polymers of dextrose.  
     
     
         11 . The composition of  claim 9 , wherein a sugar profile of the corn syrup is about 14 percent dextrose, 11-12 percent maltose, 10-11 percent maltotriose, and 64 percent polymers of dextrose.  
     
     
         12 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 6-40 percent by weight of the monosaccharide.  
     
     
         13 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 12-18 percent by weight of the monosaccharide.  
     
     
         14 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 14 percent by weight of the monosaccharide.  
     
     
         15 . A composition for reducing the buildup of snow and ice on a surface, comprising: 
 a de-icing agent containing a sugar solid, wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 2-60 percent by weight of a monosaccharide; and    water.    
     
     
         16 . The composition of  claim 15 , wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 12-18 percent by weight of the monosaccharide.  
     
     
         17 . The composition of  claim 16 , further comprising a salt selected from the group consisting of magnesium chloride, sodium chloride, calcium chloride, and potassium chloride.  
     
     
         18 . The composition of  claim 17 , further comprising a corrosion inhibitor.  
     
     
         19 . A composition for reducing the buildup of snow and ice on a surface, comprising: 
 a de-icing agent containing a sugar solid, wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 2-60 percent by weight of a monosaccharide; and    a corrosion inhibitor.    
     
     
         20 . The composition of  claim 19 , further comprising a salt selected from the group consisting of magnesium chloride, sodium chloride, calcium chloride, and potassium chloride.  
     
     
         21 . The composition of  claim 19 , wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 12-18 percent by weight of the monosaccharide.  
     
     
         22 . The composition of  claim 19 , wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 14 percent by weight of the monosaccharide.  
     
     
         23 . The composition of  claim 19 , wherein the sugar solid is mixed with water to form a sugar-water mixture, and wherein the composition contains approximately 1-10 percent of the corrosion inhibitor and 90-99 percent of the sugar-water mixture.  
     
     
         24 . A composition for reducing the buildup of snow and ice on outdoor surfaces, comprising: 
 a mixture of: 
 approximately 15-50 percent by weight on a dry basis of a sugar solid, wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 2-60 percent by weight of a monosaccharide;  
 approximately 60-90 percent by weight on a dry basis of a salt; and  
 approximately 0.05-2 percent by weight on a dry basis of a corrosion inhibitor.  
   
     
     
         25 . The composition of  claim 24 , further comprising water.  
     
     
         26 . A composition for reducing the buildup of snow and ice on a surface, comprising: 
 a sugar-water mixture having approximately 15 to 80 percent by weight of a sugar solid, wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 2-60 percent by weight of a monosaccharide; and    a brine, wherein the brine contains 15-40% salt by weight.    
     
     
         27 . The composition of  claim 26 , further comprising a corrosion inhibitor.  
     
     
         28 . The composition of  claim 27 , wherein the composition contains approximately 50-95 percent by volume of the brine, 5-50 percent by volume of the sugar-water mixture, and 0.5-5 percent by volume of the corrosion inhibitor.  
     
     
         29 . The composition of  claim 26 , wherein the sugar-water mixture is corn syrup.  
     
     
         30 . The composition of  claim 29 , wherein the corn syrup is 25 DE corn syrup.  
     
     
         31 . The composition of  claim 29 , wherein the corn syrup is 36 DE corn syrup.  
     
     
         32 . A composition for reducing the buildup of snow and ice on an outdoor surface, comprising: 
 a sugar-water mixture having approximately 15 to 80 percent by weight of a sugar solid, wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 2-60 percent by weight of a monosaccharide; and    a corrosion inhibitor.    
     
     
         33 . A composition for reducing the buildup of snow and ice on outdoor surfaces comprising: 
 (a) a steepwater solubles-water admixture;    (b) a sugar-water mixture combined with the steepwater solubles-water admixture; and    (c) a brine mixture added to the steepwater solubles-water admixture and the sugar-water mixture.    
     
     
         34 . The composition of  claim 33 , wherein the steepwater solubles-water admixture contains approximately 30-70 percent by weight of steepwater solubles and 30-70 percent by weight of water.  
     
     
         35 . The composition of  claim 33 , wherein the sugar-water mixture contains approximately 15-80 percent by weight of sugar.  
     
     
         36 . The composition of  claim 33 , wherein the brine mixture contains approximately 30-70 percent salt.  
     
     
         37 . The composition of  claim 33 , wherein the composition contains about 80 percent by weight of the brine mixture, 6 to 7 percent by weight of the steepwater solubles-water admixture, and 13 to 14 percent by weight of the sugar-water mixture.  
     
     
         38 . The composition of  claim 33 , wherein the composition contains about 50-95 percent by volume of the brine mixture, 0.5-20 percent by volume of the steepwater solubles-water admixture, and 5-50 percent by volume of the sugar-water mixture.  
     
     
         39 . A method for reducing the buildup of snow and ice on an outdoor surface, comprising: 
 applying to the outdoor surface a composition comprising: 
 sugar-water mixture having approximately 15 to 80 percent by weight of a sugar solid, wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 2-60 percent by weight of a monosaccharide.  
   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the composition further comprises a corrosion inhibitor.  
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the corrosion inhibitor is sodium citrate.  
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the composition further comprises a brine mixture containing approximately 15 to 60 percent salt.  
     
     
         43 . A composition for reducing the buildup of snow and ice on an outdoor surface, comprising: 
 a sugar-water mixture having approximately 15 to 80 percent by weight of a sugar solid, wherein the sugar solid contains approximately 2-60 percent by weight of a monosaccharide;    a corrosion inhibitor; and    a steepwater solubles-water admixture.    
     
     
         44 . The composition of  claim 43 , wherein the corrosion inhibitor is sodium citrate, wherein the steepwater solubles-water admixture is 40-60 percent solids, and wherein the sugar-water mixture is corn syrup having about 50-70 percent solids.  
     
     
         45 . The composition of  claim 44 , wherein the composition contains about 90-95 percent by volume of the sugar-water mixture, 4-9 percent by volume of the steepwater solubles-water admixture, and 0.5-2 percent by volume of the corrosion inhibitor.