The Colorado Department of Transportation is adding a bio-based corrosion inhibitor to the salt brines used for de-icing to reduce the potential damage to vehicles and roads this winter.

The Headwaters 10F corrosion inhibitor will be used in the Durango, Cortez, Lamar, and Ridgway communities of Colorado. Developed by Rivertop Renewables, the inhibitor is designed to reduce corrosion by more than 70%, according to the company. The company products biodegradable chemicals from plant sugars.

Highway departments are increasing the use of salt brine rather than road salt to de-ice roads, according to Rivertop, but have to deal with the corrosion that brines can cause. Rivertop projects that adding the corrosion inhibitor to brine solutions in those communities will lead to about $830,000 in annual savings on repairing and replacing infrastructure and vehicles.

"We're proud that the Colorado Department of Transportation has chosen Headwaters to minimize the costs of corrosion, while maintaining the effectiveness of their de-icing treatments," said Mike Knauf, Rivertop’s CEO. "Headwaters inhibitors have been developed to be biodegradable, effective products that not only make sense financially, but also meet environmental standards that are important to Colorado citizens.”

Rivertop Renewables is a producer of novel chemicals derived from natural resources that is based in Missoula, Mont. For more information, click here.