WASHINGTON — Researchers for the U.S. space agency NASA have developed a new non-toxic anti-icing fluid that could improve train and commuter rail travel in wintry weather, the agency announced Tuesday.
According to a wire service, the liquid can be applied to rails before snow and ice forms, or afterwards to help melt a frozen surface, according to researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Ames Research Center in California.
The product was licensed by NASA and developed by Midwest Industrial Supply, Inc., based in Canton, Ohio.
The fluid was originally developed to replace similar products used in the aerospace industry that were not environmentally friendly.
The new product is “an essentially non-toxic, totally biodegradable and non-corrosive material that improves travel conditions without polluting the environment,” according to John Zuk, a NASA researcher who helped develop it.
The liquid can be applied with a brush, poured, or pressure-sprayed onto the rails, forming a thin film that prevents precipitation from freezing and melts ice or snow on contact.
NASA said the technology also could be used on bridges, streets, runways, ships, automobiles and even on the sidewalks and roofs near individual homes.