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Traditional de-icers such as salt and calcium chloride are effective, but they also cause economic, health and environmental harms such as iron corrosion, concrete damage, plant sulfurization and respiratory problems.
To solve this problem, STAR'S TECH developed and commercialized the world's first eco-friendly de-icing agent using
starfish extract. This unique solution provides superior results when compared with other traditional de-icing methods.
ECO-ST1 is an eco-friendly de-icing agent made from sea waste starfish. It is developed by researchers at Seoul National University and helps reduce the overhead costs of deicing by up to 90%.
80% of the cost of de-icing is overhead. ECO-ST1 prevents traffic accidents through rapid and continuous melting and minimizes iron corrosion and concrete damage to minimize the cost of repairing roads, bridges, vehicles, and guard rails. It also solves road damage by minimizing plant sulfurization.
STAR'S TECH has developed an innovative technology to extract the porous structures from starfish. Unstable chloride ions resulting from deicing are absorbed by these porous structures through electrostatic force. Starfish extract helps control chloride ion concentration, which can otherwise be detrimental to the environment. This technology also enables corrosion inhibitor reaction by using very few anti-corrosion agents.
ECO-ST1 is manufactured in a bead form rather than the commonly used flake form. This bead is coated with starfish extract and a diffuser for de-icing. Beads are advantageous because they have greater penetration and de-icing performance. Also, as this starfish-coated bead does not create dust, it does not cause respiratory problems.
