In Wisconsin, a dairy that makes mozzarella and provolone cheeses is giving its leftover salt brine to counties that use it to help melt road ice. Here, wheels of cheese are stacked in a deli. This winter, a Wisconsin county is fighting icy roads with a homegrown product: liquid cheese brine.
Does Wisconsin use cheese on their roads?
In Wisconsin, a state known for its cheese, Polk County has sprayed its roads since 2008 with cheese brine — a liquid mixture used in the process of making cheese that it gets from a local dairy.
What does Wisconsin use on icy roads?
Pre-wetting is the addition of calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, salt brine or other liquid agents to salt and sand. This helps the mixture stick to the road instead of blowing off to the shoulder, which reduces the amount of material needed.
What do they put on the roads in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin’s roads are icy, typical rock salt is pricey, and excess cheese brine would be wasted anyway. Plus, the cheese brine technique is incredibly effective when it comes to de-icing the roads: it speeds the melting of ice, helping the county use less salt overall, NPR reported.
What do they spray on the roads in winter?
WHAT CHEMICALS ARE USED IN ANTI-ICING AND DE-ICING? Sodium chloride (salt), magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, calcium magnesium acetate and potassium acetate are chemicals used to prevent and remove snow and ice from roadways.
What is liquid cheese brine?
Cheese brine is the leftover salt-saturated liquid used in the cheesemaking process. As it turns out, cheese brine makes rock salt more effective by preventing it from bouncing off the streets, according to WISN 12 News Milwaukee. This unique method was executed in an attempt to cut costs and ease pollution.
How do you make salt brine for cheese?
How to Make a Saturated Brine Solution
- 1 Gallon Water.
- 2 .25 Lbs Salt.
- 1 Tbs Calcium Chloride (30% solution)
- 1 Tsp White Vinegar.
Does Madison Wisconsin salt their roads?
Residential streets are not salted, and salt is the only tool that can melt through that final layer of snow on the roads. This means a hard pack of snow will be on the streets throughout most of the winter.
Why are Wisconsin roads red?
“The aggregate used in the chip seal looks to have a high concentration of scoria rock in it which gives it the red color. Crews then came back in and milled the centerline for the rumble strips. Once the rumble strips are milled, they’ll go over the top with a sealer. That’s the dark black.
Is it illegal to pass a snow plow in Wisconsin?
Keep a Safe Distance. Wisconsin law (§346.915) requires drivers to stay at least 200 feet behind snowplows engaged in snow and ice removal.
Why does Wisconsin use salt on roads?
Many Wisconsin communities have begun using brine, a highly concentrated water solution of common salt (sodium chloride). Brine keeps snow from sticking to the road, and in the end, uses much less sodium chloride.
What is road brine?
What is salt brine? Salt brine is a solution of salt (typically sodium chloride) and water. It has a freezing point lower than pure water and, as such, is a useful tool in reducing the adhesion of snow and ice to road surfaces.
What is the number one cause of winter accidents?
There is no doubt that the top cause of winter car accidents is ice and snow on the roadways. When the roads are icy and slick, the traction on your tires is less effective. Additionally, you may encounter “black ice,” in which water freezes on road surfaces.
Which states do not use salt on roads?
Still, three states have no standing policy for salt and sand use. The others have written policies all with different levels of sophistication, particularly with respect to application rates and techniques. Maine, New York, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin have the most detailed policies.
What state uses the most road salt?
At the top are five New England states that used the most salt per mile of road lanes over the past four years: Rhode Island (44.2 tons), Massachusetts (34.6 tons), New York (28.0 tons), New Hampshire (25.1 tons) and Vermont (23.3 tons).
Is road salt toxic to humans?
Even a small amount can be dangerous when ingested, causing vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, disorientation, and even death (by sodium toxicosis) in high amounts. Salt can also irritate your pet’s paws, causing dryness, cracking and burns; when it enters cuts or blisters, salt causes further pain and irritation.
Does pickle juice melt ice?
Some states, like New Jersey, are experimenting with pickle brine. Yes, pickle brine, which works like regular saltwater. Similar to traditional rock salt, brine can melt ice at temperatures as low as -6°F (-21°C).
Where does cheese come from?
milk
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep.
How long does cheese brine last?
To maximize the shelf life of feta cheese in brine after opening, keep the feta covered in brine; if additional brine is needed, mix one pound of salt (preferably kosher) with one gallon of water. Properly stored, an opened package of feta cheese in brine will last for about 4 to 6 weeks in the refrigerator.
What is special about cheese salt?
Basically cheese salt is normally a flakey non-iodized salt. The salt is non-iodized because it has not had the chemical element iodine added. The non-iodized part is the critical factor when it comes to cheese making. Salt in cheese not only helps to improve the flavour, but it also helps to preserve it.
Is cheese in brine good?
Brined cheese, also sometimes referred to as pickled cheese for some varieties, is cheese that is matured in brine in an airtight or semi-permeable container. This process gives the cheese good stability, inhibiting bacterial growth even in warmer climates.