Season start for polar bears at the STR: At low temperatures, aircraft often need to be de-iced before take-off – the latest additions to the electric fleet at the airport will be used at the state airport this winter.
The two special vehicles for aircraft de-icing, known as “polar bears” in airport jargon, are the first electrically powered vehicles of their kind in Germany, according to the airport in a press release. During so-called deicing, certain parts of the aircraft are sprayed with a biodegradable mixture of hot water and glycol. What drips off the fuselage or wings after the hot shower is pre-treated in the airport's retention basins before it goes to the local sewage treatment plants. The residues of the de-icing agents are used there as an external carbon source in order to optimize biological processes.
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