MEMORANDUM 

TO: Brian D’Amico and Eric Strassler, EPA/EAD 

FROM: Steve Strackbein and Mary Willett, ERG 

DATE: October 8, 2010 

SUBJECT: Estimated Costs for Transition to Liquid Airfield Deicing Application from 

Solid Airfield Deicing 

As part of EPA’s airport deicing operations evaluation, EPA looked at the use of airfield deicing 

chemicals by airport. Information collected by EPA/ERG during the airport site visits conducted 

in 2004 and 2005 indicated that the use of urea as an airfield deicing chemical was being phased 

out due to concerns with its environmental impacts and the availability of less harmful 

alternatives. 

EPA reviewed airport responses to EPA’s Airport Deicing Questionnaire on airfield deicing 

practices. These data indicated that potassium acetate was by far the predominant airfield 

deicing chemical in use from 2002 to 2005; representing about 64% of airfield deicing chemical 

use (by weight). The data also indicated that urea was still being used as an airfield deicing 

chemical at approximately 31 of the surveyed airports (29 of the surveyed airports used urea as 

an airfield deicing chemical during the 2002/2003 deicing season, 32 airports during the 

2003/2004 deicing season, and 31 airports during the 2004/2005 deicing season). The 

questionnaire data showed a slight increase in the use of urea across the three years of data 

collected; which was counter to the trend expected (i.e., EPA had anticipated that the number of 

airports using urea and the quantity of urea used would show a downward trend across the three 

years studied). 

To further assess the use of urea as an airfield deicing chemical, EPA evaluated the chemical 

cost of using urea versus the chemical cost to use potassium acetate. This memorandum presents 

the information collected on urea and potassium acetate chemical costs, the effectiveness of these 

chemicals as airfield deicers under winter conditions, and an evaluation of the chemical, 

mechanical and storage cost impacts to the industry if a complete phase out of urea were to 

occur. Revisions to the costs associated with a phase out of solid pavement deicers from 

proposal were based on costing comments for the following issues: 

 Commenters on the proposed rule argued that airports would be forced to use less 

effective products if urea is banned, potentially threatening the safety of airline 

passengers. EPA discusses the effectiveness of potassium acetate in the section titled 

“Comparison of Urea and Potassium Acetate Effectiveness at Freezing Temperatures and 

Long Term Effects on Pavement”; 

 Commenters on the proposed rule argued that airports will require liquid pavement deicer 

application equipment if they switch from urea use. EPA discusses application 

equipment costs associated with changing from urea to potassium acetate as a pavement 

deicer in the section titled “Mechanical Equipment and Chemical Storage for Switch to 

Liquid Chemical Pavement Deicer”; and 
Memorandum 

October 8, 2010 

Page 2 

 Commenters on the proposed rule argued that airports will require liquid pavement deicer 

storage if they switch from urea use. EPA discusses storage costs associated with 

changing from urea to potassium acetate as a pavement deicer in the section titled 

“Mechanical Equipment and Chemical Storage for Switch to Liquid Chemical Pavement 

Deicer” in this memorandum. 

Urea and Potassium Acetate Chemical Costs and Application Rates 

Based on the Airport Deicing Questionnaire, 19 of the airports that used urea also used 

potassium acetate. EPA attempted to contacted these airports to obtain the airport’s unit costs for 

both chemicals; eight airports provided unit cost data. Table 1 presents the unit costs for urea and 

potassium acetate during the 2002-2005 timeframe for the eight airports that provided data. 

Table 1. Unit Costing Information for Urea and Potassium Acetate, 2002-2005 

Airport 

Airport 

Contact Year 

Urea Unit 

Cost 

Potassium 

Acetate Unit 

Cost Notes 

Boise Air 

Terminal/Gowen 

Field* 

Jill Singer 2002 $198/ton $0.24/lb 

($3.14/gal) 

 

2003 $237/ton $0.25/lb 

($3.27/gal) 

2004 $256/ton $0.25/lb 

($3.27/gal) 

2005 $256/ton $0.25/lb 

($3.27/gal) 

Central 

Wisconsin 

Tony Yaron 2002-2005 $300-360/ton $2.36/gal 

Reno-Tahoe Todd Wealty 2002-2005 $900/ton or 

$52/80lbs 

$4.00/gal Pelletized urea is bought in 

two different containers, a 1-

ton tote or an 80-lb barrel. 

All prices are based on 

competitive bids and usage. 

A minimum of 20 totes must 

be purchased for that price 

and a minimum of 40 barrels 

must be purchased. The 

potassium acetate is a liquid 

form and a minimum of 

9000 gallons must be 

purchased for this price. 

Ted Stevens 

Anchorage 

Shane Sorano 2003-2005 $256/ton $2.86/gal These prices are based on a 3 

year contract beginning in 

the 2003-2004 deicing 

season. 

Piedmont Triad Bill Shawl Current $386/ton $2.42/gal 

Fort Wayne Bill Prasuhn 2002-2003 $262/ton $2.05/gal 

2003-2005 $322/ton $2.23/gal 

Manchester Rich Fixler 2002 $0.18/lb 

(~$360-

$2.15/gal 
Memorandum 

October 8, 2010 

Page 3 

Table 1. Unit Costing Information for Urea and Potassium Acetate, 2002-2005 

Airport 

Airport 

Contact Year 

Urea Unit 

Cost 

Potassium 

Acetate Unit 

Cost Notes 

380/ton) 

2003 $0.18/lb 

(~$360-

380/ton) 

$2.15/gal 

2004 $0.18/lb 

(~$360-

380/ton) 

$2.15/gal 

2005 $0.18/lb 

(~$360-

380/ton) 

$2.51/gal 

Fairbanks Kristen 

DuBois 

2002 $239/ton $3.13/gal The price per unit includes 

shipping to Fairbanks. The 

urea is supplied by Agrium 

located in Nikiski Alaska 

(approx 500 miles away) and 

the potassium acetate is from 

Anchorage Alaska (approx 

365 miles away). 

2003 $239/ton $3.13/gal 

2004 $256.30/ton $3.13/gal 

2005 $274.24/ton $3.16/gal 

* A density of 13.10 lbs/gallon was used to calculate the price per gallon of potassium acetate at Boise Air Terminal. 

EPA calculated the average unit costs for urea and potassium acetate based on the data in 

Table 1. EPA excluded the urea cost information provided by Reno-Tahoe Airport because the 

unit costs were significantly different than those reported at other airports. Table 2 presents the 

average unit cost for urea and potassium acetate. 

Table 2. Average Cost for Urea and Potassium Acetate, 2002-2005 

Year Average Urea Cost (excluding Reno-Tahoe) 

Average Liquid Potassium Acetate 

Cost (excluding Reno-Tahoe) 

2002 $268.17/ton $2.81/gallon 

2003 $280.57/ton $2.86/gallon 

2004 $297.90/ton $2.86/gallon 

2005 $300.21/ton $2.92/gallon 

Potassium acetate is applied at different rates depending on the weather conditions and the 

thickness of the ice layer at the time of application. Table 3 shows the typical deicing, anti-icing 

and pre-wetting application rates for four commercial potassium acetate runway deicers. Table 4 

presents the temperature specific application rates for Cryotech E36®, a widely used potassium 

acetate runway deicer. 
Memorandum 

October 8, 2010 

Page 4 

Table 3. Typical Application Rates for Potassium Acetate 

Brand Name Deicing Application Rates 

Anti-Icing 

Application Rates Pre-wetting Application Rates

Safeway® KA 

Runway Deicing 

Fluida

1 gal/1000 ft2 0.4gal/1000ft2 70% solid and 30% liquid 

Cryotech E-36® 

LRDb,c

1gal/1000 ft2 (thin ice) and 

3gal/1000 ft2 (2.5cm thick ice) 

0.5 gal/1000ft2 85-95% solid and 5-15% liquid, 

or 130g/kg of solid deicer, 

1.25gal/100lbs. solid deicer 

IceClear RDFd 1gal/1000 ft2 (thin ice) and 

3 gal/1000 ft2

 (1in. thick ice) 

0.5 gal/1000ft2 

PEAK® PAe 1 gal/1000 ft2 0.4 gal/1000ft2 70% solid and 30% liquid a

http://www.theblackfootcompany.com/new/de-ice/ka.htm. b

http://www.proviron.com/Deice/E36/e36_tech.html. c

http://www.p2pays.org/ref/19/18054.htm. d

http://www.orisonmarketing.com/deicers/RDF1/RDF1.html. e

http://www.oldworldind.com/chemicals/specs/pk_pa_spec.pdf. 

Table 4. Temperature Specific Application Rates for Cryotech E-36® 

(in gallons per thousand square feet) 

Packed Snow & Ice 

Depth (Inches) 

Air Temperature 

20F - 32F 

Air Temperature 

10F - 20F 

Air Temperature Less 

than 10F 

2 to 3 3.7 4.6 9.1 

1 to 2 1.8 2.7 6.0 

1⁄2 to 1 1.2 1.8 3.0 

Less than 1⁄2 0.9 1.2 1.8 

Glare Ice 0.9 1.2 1.8 

Typical urea application rates could not be obtained directly by EPA, however a correlation 

between the application of a different solid runway deicer, sodium acetate, was determined. The 

amount of sodium acetate required to provide the same protection time as urea is between 66-70 

percent.1,2 Typical application rates for Cryotech NAAC®, a commercial sodium acetate deicer, 

are presented in Table 5 along with the calculated application rates for urea. 

Table 5. Application Rates for Sodium Acetate and Urea 

Sodium Acetate, Cryotech NAAC®, Application 

Ratea Calculated Urea Application Rate 

Near 32°F on thin ice = 3 - 5 lbs/1000 ft2 Near 32°F on thin ice = 4.3 - 7.1 lbs/1000 ft2

Less than 10°F on 1 inch ice = 10 - 25 lbs/1000 ft2 Less than 10°Fb on 1 inch ice = 14.3 - 35.7 lbs/1000 ft2

a

http://www.peterschemical.com/sodium-acetate/. b

Urea loses its effect at temperatures below 20F. 

 

1

http://www.fyvestar.com/id25.html. 2

http://www.tc.gc.ca/TDC/summary/13300/13392e.htm.
Memorandum 

October 8, 2010 

Page 5 

EPA estimated the application costs for urea and potassium acetate based on the 2005 average 

unit costs (as shown in Table 2) and the application rates (as shown in Table 3, 4, and 5). Table 

6 shows the costs of chemical application per 1000 square feet for both urea and potassium 

acetate. 

Table 6. Cost for Application of Urea and Potassium Acetate, per 1000 Square Feet 

Chemical 

Deicing Application Cost 

(per 1000 ft2) 

Anti-Icing 

Application Cost 

(per 1000 ft2) 

Urea $0.65-$1.07, Near 32oF on thin ice 

Potassium Acetate $2.92 (thin ice) and $8.76 (thick ice) $1.17-$1.46 

Comparison of Urea and Potassium Acetate Effectiveness at Freezing Temperatures and 

Long Term Effects on Pavement 

EPA compared the effectiveness at freezing temperatures and long term effects on pavement of 

urea and potassium acetate. This comparison showed that potassium acetate is a more effective 

deicer at freezing temperatures and is less corrosive on airfield pavement than urea. 

The eutectic temperature for urea is 12.2°F, meaning urea will not deice below this temperature. 

In practice, it has been observed that urea does not work at or below 23°F.3

 Potassium acetate is 

an effective deicer at much lower temperatures, having an eutectic temperature of approximately 

-76°F at 50 percent concentration.4 Figure 1 presents the freezing point of Cryotech E-36®

potassium acetate runway deicer at different concentrations. 

The testing described in the article, “Effects of Runway Deicers on Pavement Materials and 

Mixes: Comparison with Road Salt”5

 found that asphalt samples subject to freeze-thaw cycles in 

the presence of any deicing chemical caused a decrease in the indirect tensile strength (ability to 

withstand stress) and modulus of elasticity (tendency to be deformed elastically). The data also 

showed an increase in the penetration values of asphalt cement. The tests further concluded that 

the maximum damage was caused by urea, while the damage due to the other deicers, 

particularly potassium acetate, was comparable to that of distilled water. 

 

3

http://www.airport-technology.com/contractors/deicing/verdugt/ 4

http://www.snowmagazineonline.com/articles/printer.asp?ID=1216&IssueID=70&Source=back 5

Y. Hassan; A. O. Abd El Halim; A. G. Razaqpur; W. Bekheet; and M. H. Farha. (2002). “Effects of Runway 

Deicers on Pavement Materials and Mixes: Comparison with Road Salt” JOURNAL OF TRANSPORTATION 

ENGINEERING, 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-947X(2002)128:4(385) 
Memorandum 

October 8, 2010 

Page 6 

Figure 1. Cryotech E-36® Freezing Points at Different Concentrationsa

a

http://www.cryotech.com/products/E36/physical.php

Mechanical Equipment and Chemical Storage Costs for Switch to Liquid Chemical 

Pavement Deicer 

Airports require application equipment to spread chemical deicers on the airside pavement. A 

change from solid chemicals to liquid chemicals will require an airport to purchase or retrofit 

equipment to properly apply liquid chemical deicers. EPA requested liquid chemical application 

equipment costs from vendors across the country that offer a variety of different application 

equipment options and obtained costs from three vendors. EPA requested information on 

equipment of various sizes to assess costs by a large vs. small/medium coverage area. A new 

truck was assumed to have a large coverage area if it operated with 100 foot spraying booms and 

at least 2,500 gallons of tank space. A truck retrofit or trailer was assumed to have a large 

coverage area if it operated with at least 75 foot booms and at least 2,000 gallons of tank space. 

A new truck was assumed to have a small/medium coverage area if it operated with 50 foot 

spraying booms and at least 1,100 gallons of tank space. A truck retrofit or trailer was assumed 

to have a small/medium coverage area if it operated with booms of 50 feet or a different type of 

spreading mechanism. EPA used this information to estimate liquid application equipment costs 

for those airports that currently use solid urea for airfield deicing and would need to convert to a 

non-urea deicing chemical (e.g., liquid potassium acetate) under the final rule. 
Memorandum 

October 8, 2010 

Page 7 

Liquid pavement deicers can be purchased in various size carboys or bought in bulk. The actual 

size of bulk liquid storage tanks that may be needed will depend primarily on the amount of 

deicing chemical purchased each deicing season. To estimate storage tank costs, EPA used tank 

cost data from fact sheets contained in ARCP Report 146

. EPA used this information to estimate 

liquid pavement deicer storage costs for airports that currently use solid urea for airfield deicing 

and would need to convert to a non-urea deicing chemical. 

Liquid pavement deicers (e.g., potassium acetate) are readily available throughout the United 

States. In addition, EPA’s airport questionnaire identified five Alaskan airports7

 using potassium 

acetate as an airfield deicer for the years 2002-2005, indicating that liquid deicers are also 

available for use in Alaska. EPA’s queries indicate that liquid potassium acetate is packaged in a 

variety of containers and sizes including 1 and 5 gallon containers, 55 gallon drums, 260-265 

gallon totes or in larger bulk sizes. Transportation costs for chemical purchasing are assumed to 

be about the same for liquid deicers as those for solid deicers, including Alaska. 

Capital Costs for Liquid Deicer Application Equipment 

Table 8 provides costing information for small/medium and large liquid deicer application 

equipment. Equipment is presented for two types of installations; new sprayer trucks and truck 

retrofits/towed sprayers. Costs are presented as a total capital cost and is averaged by equipment 

type and size. 

Table 8. Application Equipment Costs for Liquid Pavement Deicer 

Installation 

Type 

Large 

Coverage Deicing Unit 

Medium/Small 

Coverage Deicing Unit 

Full Truck $160,000 Tyler Ice AD Series – 4,000 

Gallons with 100' Booms 

(Eagle) b

$130,000 Tyler Ice AD Series – 2,000 

Gallons with 75' Booms (Eagle)

$280,000 4,000-5,000 gallon units 

(Tyler ICE) c

$197,500 2,000-3,000 gallon unit (Tyler 

ICE) 

$245,000 ASP nozzle sprayer spraying 

width 45 Meter. Tank content 

10,000 liter. (Schmidt) d

Average Costa $228,000 $164,000 

Installation 

Type 

Large 

Coverage Deicing Unit 

Medium/Small 

Coverage Deicing Unit 

Truck Retrofit/

Towed 

Spreader 

$110,000 3,500 2T 5M Towed 

Spreader (Eagle) 

$35,000 Smart Tote 125, 8-25’ spray 

width(Eagle) 

$35,000 Epoke PC Compact , Drop 

behind spreader, (Eagle) 

$130,000 Tyler Ice TAD Series, 2,000 

gallons with 75' booms 

(Eagle) 

$60,000 Tyler Ice TAD Series, 500 

gallons with 12-36' boomless 

spray (Eagle) 

 

6

 ACRP Fact Sheets, ACRP Report 14, Deicing Practices, Transportation Research Board, Sponsored to Federal 

Aviation Administration, AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM. 

7

 Alaskan airports that reported using potassium acetate in EPA's airport questionnaire (years 2002-2005) were; 

Fairbanks Intl, Ted Stevens Anchorage Intl, Ralph Wien Memorial, Nome, and Deadhorse. 
Memorandum 

October 8, 2010 

Page 8 

Installation 

Type 

Large 

Coverage Deicing Unit 

Medium/Small 

Coverage Deicing Unit 

$20,500 Small Tote Sprayer, 8’-50’ 

booms, (Tyler ICE) 

$50,000 ASPT nozzle sprayer spraying 

width of 15 meters. Tank 

content 3,000 liter (Schmidt) 

Average Costa $120,000 $40,000 

a – Yearly cost was calculated assuming a 6% interest rate and a 20 year loan term. 

b – Eagle – Mr. Trevor Winn, CA, CFO at Eagle Airfield (a division of Team Eagle Ltd). http://www.teameagle.ca/. 

c – Tyler ICE Div. of Wausau Equipment – Mr. Mark Kreutzfeldt. http://www.wausau-everest.com/ 

d – Schmidt – Mr. Rene Wender - Product Manager Airport equipment. http://www.aebi-schmidt.com. 

Capital Costs for Liquid Pavement Deicer Storage Tanks 

Table 9 provides capital costs for storage tanks. Costs for three types of storage tanks are 

presented; portable (frac) tanks, modular tanks, and permanent tanks. For smaller storage needs, 

it is likely that an airport can use the chemical tote provided with the liquid deicer purchase. 

Tank type and size would be determined based on the amount of liquid deicer estimated for 

purchase for a typical deicing season. Operation and maintenance costs for liquid storage are 

assumed to be about the same as those for solid storage. EPA proposes that a modular tank with 

50,000 gallons capacity will be the best option for airports that use greater than 1,000 gallons and 

less than 50,000 gallons of liquid airfield deicing chemical each deicing season, a modular tank 

with 100,000 gallons capacity will be the best option for airports that use greater than 50,000 

gallons of deicing chemical each season. Airports using less than 1,000 gallons of deicing 

chemical will be able to purchase chemicals in small totes or larger drum containers requiring no 

additional storage costs. 

Table 9. Storage Tank Capital Costs for Liquid Pavement Deicer a

Tank Type Size (gallon) Transaction Type Cost Cost for 2/3 of a year rental

Portable (Frac) Tank 21,000 Rental $45/day $10,980 

Portable (Frac) Tank 21,000 Rental $1,350/month $10,800 

Average Portable 

(Frac) Tank Cost 

 $10,890/yr 

Tank Type Size (gallon) Transaction Type Cost Cost per gallon 

Modular Tank 50,000 Purchase $40,000 $0.80 

Modular Tank 100,000 Purchase $50,000 $0.50 

Modular Tank 245,000 Purchase $80,000 $0.33 

Modular Tank 500,000 Purchase $130,000 $0.26 

Modular Tank 1,000,000 Purchase $225,000 $0.23 

Modular Tank 2,000,000 Purchase $375,000 $0.19 

Average Modular Tank 

Cost 

 $0.38 

Tank Type Size (gallon) Transaction Type Average Cost Cost per gallon 
Memorandum 

October 8, 2010 

Page 9 

Permanent Tank 2,000,000 Purchase 2,000,000 $0.90 

Permanent Tank 4,000,000 Purchase 4,000,000 $0.70 

Average Permanent 

Tank Cost 

 $0.80 

a – ACRP Fact Sheets, ACRP Report 14, Deicing Practices, Fact Sheets 27, 28, and 30. Transportation Research 

Board, Sponsored to Federal Aviation Administration, AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM. 

Applicability of Mechanical Equipment and Chemical Storage Costs

Responses to EPA’s airport deicing questionnaire indicated that 31 airports applied urea as an 

airside pavement deicer during the 2004-2005 deicing seasons. Of the 31 airports that reported 

urea use in the questionnaire, 19 of the airports also reported liquid potassium acetate use for 

airside pavement deicing.8 EPA assumes that airports with the capability to apply liquid 

potassium acetate at the time of the questionnaire currently have the capability to spread liquid 

pavement deicers and are therefore out of scope for increased equipment costs to switch from 

solid to liquid pavement deicers. Table 10 presents the remaining 12 airports that reported urea 

use in the questionnaire but did not report the use of liquid potassium acetate. EPA assumes 

these airports do not currently have the capability to apply liquid deicers to airside pavement and 

has estimated increased equipment costs. 

Assessment of Spreader Equipment Costs

Using data presented in Tables 4 and 5, during temperatures between 10°F and 32°F a 

comparison of potassium acetate vs. urea showed that for each gallon of potassium acetate 

applied approximately 4 pounds of urea is needed for the same coverage area. Using this 

relationship, EPA estimated the volume of potassium acetate that would be purchased and 

assessed a storage tank size. EPA then assumed that Small, Medium, and Non-hub airports using 

only solid deicers would require 1 medium spreader truck and 1 medium truck retrofit/towed 

unit. Large hub airports were assumed to purchase 1 large spreader truck and 1 large truck 

retrofit/towed unit. Based on these assumptions, EPA estimated spreader equipment capital costs 

of $203,850 for Small/Medium/Non-hub airports and costs of $348,333 for large hub airports. 

Chemical Costs to Convert from Urea to Liquid Deicer 

The national average use of urea, based on EPA’s Airport Deicing Questionnaire data for the 

three deicing seasons between 2002 and 2005, was 7,075,865 pounds per year, costing an 

estimated $1,064,998. As presented in Table 5, urea has a range of application rates. Using the 

available range of application rates (small coverage area and large coverage area for the same 

amount of urea) and statistical airport weighting values as determined by EPA, EPA estimated 

the chemical costs for a national switch from urea to potassium acetate. Table 11 presents the 

data to determine the additional chemical cost associated with a switch to potassium acetate; with 

a total additional cost ranging from $1.19 million for small coverage areas to $2.44 million for 

large coverage areas. 

 

8

 Airports that reported Urea and Potassium Acetate use include; Fairbanks Intl Airport, Ted Stevens Anchorage Intl Airport, Tri-State/Milton J 

Ferguson Field, Austin Straubel Intl Airport, Piedmont Triad Intl Airport, Fort Wayne Intl Airport, Indianapolis Intl Airport, Ralph Wien 

Memorial Airport, Salt Lake City Intl Airport, Colorado Springs Airport, Manchester Airport, Boise Airport, Toledo Express Airport, Deadhorse 

Airport, Stewart Intl Airport, Reno/Tahoe Intl Airport, Charlotte/Douglas Intl Airport, Bradley Intl Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National 

Airport, Central Wisconsin Airport, Greater Rockford Airport, Akron - Canton Regional Airport 
Memorandum 

October 8, 2010 Page 10 

Table 10. Airports Requiring Liquid Pavement Deicer Equipment 

Airport ID Hub Size 

Capital Cost for 

Spreader 

Equipment ($) 

Average annual 

Urea Usage (lbs) 

Estimated KAce 

(Gallons) 

1007 N 203,850 27,517 6,879 1013 N 203,850 20,000 5,000 1041 N 203,850 333 83 1053 L 348,333 10,217 2,554 1074 S 203,850 32,440 8,110 1085 N 203,850 6,000 1,500 1103 S 203,850 478,000 119,500 1105 S 203,850 498,000 124,500 1110 N 203,850 2,400 600 1118 N 203,850 67,333 16,833 1146 S 203,850 18,000 4,500 1147 M 203,850 63,333 15,833 

Notes: KAce volume based on a ratio of 4 lbs urea/gal KAce Airports 1024 and 1100 reported urea use during one season only for pilot study. These airports are not costed for urea conversion. 

Airport 1105 uses only 240 lbs (annual average) of potassium acetate and we have not assumed that they will have liquid spreading equipment. 

Spreader Equipment Cost Assumptions: Large hub airports are costed for 1 large spreader truck and 1 large truck retrofit/towed unit = $228,333 + $120,000 = $348,333All other hub size airports are costed for 1 medium spreader truck and 1 medium truck retrofit/towed unit = $163,750 + $40,100 = $203,850 

Storage Assumptions: Potassium Acetate Gallons Estimate is based on an approx. application rate of 4.3 lbs urea/1000 SF and 1 gal KAC/1000 SF (for a 4:1 ratio) 

Assume that <1,000 gallons of KAC usage/year can use delivery totes for storage and storage costs = $0 Assume that storage needs from 1,000 - 21,000 gallons will require purchase of a tank at a cost of $40,000; amortized over 20 yrs = $3,776/yr. 

Assume that storage needs from 50,000 - 100,000 gallons will require purchase of a tank at a cost of $50,000; amortized over 20 yrs = $4,720/yr.
Memorandum 

October 8, 2010 Page 11 

Table 11. Calculations for the Estimated Cost of a National Switch from Urea to Potassium 

Airport 

ID 

Average 

Urea Used 

Urea 

Deicing 

Coverage 

Arealarge 

estimate 

Urea 

Deicing 

Coverage 

Areasmall 

estimate 

Average 

Predicted 

Urea 

Cost 

Predicted 

Potassium 

Acetate 

Cost-small 

coverage 

area 

(Thin Ice) 

Predicted 

Potassium 

Acetate 

Cost - large 

coverage 

area 

(Thin Ice) 

Difference in 

Average Urea 

Cost and 

Predicted 

Potassium 

Acetate Cost, 

small coverage 

area 

Difference in 

Average Urea 

Cost and 

Predicted 

Potassium 

Acetate Cost, 

large coverage 

area 

Nationa

Airport 

Weight 

Based on 

4.3lbs/1000s

qft 

Based on 

7.14lbs/1000

sqft 

Average of 

Column I and 

J 

Based on 

$2.92/1000sqft 

Based on 

$2.92/1000sqft Column L - Column K Column M - Column K 

Pounds 1000s of sq ft 1000s of sq ft $ $ $ $ $ 

1007 26650 6198 3732 $4,011.13 $10,898.88 $18,097.21 $6,887.75 $14,086.08 2.15078751010 383333.33 89147 53688 $57,696.02 $156,769.37 $260,310.08 $99,073.35 $202,614.05 1012 1670733.3 388543 233996 $251,464.4 $683,269.09 $1,134,544.50 $431,804.74 $883,080.14 1013 20000 4651 2801 $3,010.23 $8,179.27 $13,581.40 $5,169.04 $10,571.17 1016 62666.667 14574 8777 $9,432.05 $25,628.38 $42,555.04 $16,196.34 $33,122.99 8.08911751017 41540 9660 5818 $6,252.24 $16,988.35 $28,208.56 $10,736.11 $21,956.32 2.32693871018 98666.667 22946 13819 $14,850.45 $40,351.07 $67,001.55 $25,500.62 $52,151.10 1022 267962.5 62317 37530 $40,331.40 $109,586.90 $181,965.23 $69,255.50 $141,633.83 1.9682311024 0 0 0 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 1041 333.33333 78 47 $50.17 $136.32 $226.36 $86.15 $176.19 3.14088761043 10000 2326 1401 $1,505.11 $4,089.64 $6,790.70 $2,584.52 $5,285.58 1053 5700 1326 798 $857.91 $2,331.09 $3,870.70 $1,473.18 $3,012.78 1066 1467340 341242 205510 $220,851.4 $600,088.63 $996,426.23 $379,237.28 $775,574.88 1070 0 0 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 1.74136941074 32440 7544 4543 $4,882.59 $13,266.78 $22,029.02 $8,384.19 $17,146.43 2.14167731079 22500 5233 3151 $3,386.51 $9,201.68 $15,279.07 $5,815.17 $11,892.56 1085 6000 1395 840 $903.07 $2,453.78 $4,074.42 $1,550.71 $3,171.35 5.59583261090 405676.67 94343 56817 $61,058.95 $165,906.98 $275,482.76 $104,848.03 $214,423.81 1.50428801091 0 0 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 3.17490911100 0 0 0 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 2.0917405
Memorandum 

October 8, 2010 Page 12 

Table 11. Calculations for the Estimated Cost of a National Switch from Urea to Potassium 

Airport 

ID 

Average 

Urea Used 

Urea 

Deicing 

Coverage 

Arealarge 

estimate 

Urea 

Deicing 

Coverage 

Areasmall 

estimate 

Average 

Predicted 

Urea 

Cost 

Predicted 

Potassium 

Acetate 

Cost-small 

coverage 

area 

(Thin Ice) 

Predicted 

Potassium 

Acetate 

Cost - large 

coverage 

area 

(Thin Ice) 

Difference in 

Average Urea 

Cost and 

Predicted 

Potassium 

Acetate Cost, 

small coverage 

area 

Difference in 

Average Urea 

Cost and 

Predicted 

Potassium 

Acetate Cost, 

large coverage 

area 

Nationa

Airport 

Weight 

Based on 

4.3lbs/1000s

qft 

Based on 

7.14lbs/1000

sqft 

Average of 

Column I and 

J 

Based on 

$2.92/1000sqft 

Based on 

$2.92/1000sqft Column L - Column K Column M - Column K 

Pounds 1000s of sq ft 1000s of sq ft $ $ $ $ $ 

1103 508000 118140 71148 $76,459.77 $207,753.50 $344,967.44 $131,293.73 $268,507.67 1105 638666.67 148527 89449 $96,126.59 $261,191.41 $433,699.22 $165,064.82 $337,572.63 1.51924611110 2400 558 336 $361.23 $981.51 $1,629.77 $620.29 $1,268.54 1112 20000 4651 2801 $3,010.23 $8,179.27 $13,581.40 $5,169.04 $10,571.17 1114 151800 35302 21261 $22,847.63 $62,080.67 $103,082.79 $39,233.05 $80,235.17 2.86610211116 7238 1683 1014 $1,089.40 $2,960.08 $4,915.11 $1,870.68 $3,825.71 1118 66000 15349 9244 $9,933.75 $26,991.60 $44,818.60 $17,057.85 $34,884.85 1128 232950 54174 32626 $35,061.62 $95,268.07 $158,189.30 $60,206.44 $123,127.68 1129 16747.5 3895 2346 $2,520.69 $6,849.12 $11,372.72 $4,328.43 $8,852.03 1130 0 0 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 1131 0 0 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 2.68154001141 62666.667 14574 8777 $9,432.05 $25,628.38 $42,555.04 $16,196.34 $33,122.99 1144 84393.333 19626 11820 $12,702.16 $34,513.80 $57,308.96 $21,811.64 $44,606.81 3.01563181146 27000 6279 3782 $4,063.81 $11,042.02 $18,334.88 $6,978.21 $14,271.08 1.87819621147 89333.333 20775 12512 $13,445.68 $36,534.08 $60,663.57 $23,088.40 $47,217.88 1150 655066.67 152341 91746 $98,594.98 $267,898.41 $444,835.97 $169,303.43 $346,240.99 1153 21333.333 4961 2988 $3,210.91 $8,724.56 $14,486.82 $5,513.65 $11,275.91 

SUM 7,105,138 

Note: Airpor