TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Headwaters® inhibitors cut corrosion of brine by more than 70% —mitigating corrosion-induced maintenance of fleets and extending the life of snowfighting equipment, bridge rebar and abutments, guardrails, and private vehicles. Designed to be blended with the deicer prior to application,
Headwaters inhibitors maintain brine performance and protect the environment, passing all the tests for toxicology, metals, phosphorous, and friction required by the Pacific Northwest Snowfighters (PNS).
- Headwaters Inhibitor and Headwaters 10F Inhibitor meet strict performance and environmental standards and are both fully qualified by PNS ;
- Headwaters 18F Inhibitor meets the PNS corrosion performance and environmental standards but requires a slightly higher storage temperature.
Headwaters inhibitors make substantial improvements in corrosion reduction due to their superior surface complexation capabilities. When chloride deicers come into contact with the steel in vehicles, equipment or infrastructure, chloride molecules will react with the protective insoluble iron oxide layer on the surface of the metal, forming soluble iron chloride and causing it to corrode. Studies have shown that sugar acid salts used as corrosion inhibitors form a protective barrier on the metal surface by formation of a relatively stable complex with iron oxide. This barrier prevents chloride ions from accessing the metal surface. The sugar acid-based technology behind
Headwaters inhibitors shows use-appropriate metal binding capacity that translates into significant corrosion reduction to infrastructure, and comes with additional characteristics welcome in any department: it is biodegradable, cost-effective and importantly maintains the ice melting capacity of liquid deicers.