The Ural Plant of Deicing Materials (UZPM), a leading Russian manufacturer of modern anti-ice products under the Bionord brand, organized a practical seminar for the employees of Kazan’s road maintenance services. The training took place against the backdrop of record-breaking precipitation for the city: since the beginning of the year, more than 128 millimetres of snow has fallen here, and the snowpack thickness on the roads has exceeded 80 centimetres, the figures being comparable to Siberian regions. Hundreds of specialized vehicles are deployed on a daily basis for street cleaning, and in such conditions, the correct choice of agents and strict compliance with application rates directly impact the condition of the road surface.
For several years, Kazan has been using solid and two-phase Bionord deicing materials for the winter maintenance of its street and road network. This year, a decision was made to expand this practice and test a liquid agent that has already proven highly effective on the roads of Moscow. This formulation is effective at temperatures down to -10 °C, starting to work immediately upon application by forming a protective film on the road surface that melts existing ice and prevents the formation of a new layer of ice.
At the seminar, the plant’s specialists, along with road workers and experts from the National Association for Winter Maintenance of Infrastructure and Transport Objects, analysed technologies for distributing modern deicing materials on the roadway and application rates for various weather scenarios. The theoretical part was complemented by a practical session: under the guidance of UZPM experts, the seminar participants checked the settings of combined road maintenance vehicles, adjusted distribution mechanisms, and calibrated dosing parameters.
The consumption rate of Bionord products is up to seven times lower than that of sand-salt mixes, while they operate across a wide temperature range. A single application prevents the re-formation of a layer of ice and reduces the number of machinery deployments. The materials are characterized by low corrosive activity and are safe for asphalt concrete pavements and concrete structures.
“Strict compliance with the technical regulations allows achieving maximum treatment efficiency, which means both better road conditions and more rational consumption of materials. The seminar helps convey the practical experience which cannot be incorporated into documentation. That is precisely why training road services is a logical extension of our product deliveries to customers for us,” noted Evgeny Nemirovsky, Advisor on Development to UZPM General Director.
Bionord deicing materials are supplied to more than fifty regions of Russia for the maintenance of federal highways, airports, city streets, and cultural heritage sites. The products comply with the requirements of GOST R 58427-2020, and their environmental safety is confirmed by the conclusion of the state environmental appraisal. The materials are included in the ‘100 Best Goods of Russia’ registry.