Dry Ice
What is Dry Ice?
Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide (CO2), a colorless and odorless gas that is a normal part of our earth’s atmosphere. Its advantages include lower temperature that that of water ice and not leaving any residue. Dry ice sublimates at -109.3°F. To make dry ice, gaseous carbon dioxide (CO2) is first pressurized and refrigerated to form liquid CO2, which is allowed to expand in an atmospheric chamber. When CO2 converts from liquid to gas, there is an extreme drop in temperature. This causes some of the gas to freeze, yielding both snow-like CO2 and vapor CO2. The “snow” is then hydraulically pressed into dry ice blocks and pellets. Dry Ice is much heavier than traditional ice, weighing about double.
- Dry Ice Blasting – Dry ice blasting is quickly growing. Dry ice blasting is a great alternative to sand blasting since the dry ice will sublimate making clean up easy.
- Metal Working/Foundry – Dry ice can be used to help shrink metal fittings.
- Solvent Recovery – Dry ice can be used to help recover hydrocarbon or ethanol solvents in a closed loop system through distillation.
- Solventless Plant Extraction – Dry ice is great solventless, clean, way to extract resin glands (trichomes) from a cannabis plant.
- Agricultural – Dry ice will help increase growth rate of plants by sublimating co2 near plants to help with the photosynthesis process.
- Laboratory & Research – Temperature sensitive medical supplies, samples, and equipment are commonly transported and stored using dry ice.
- Medical, Lifesciences, & Healthcare – The cold temperatures of dry ice make it great to use for skin imperfections and to remove warts.
- Fire Restoration – Dry ice is one of thee best ways to restore after fire and smoke damage. Dry ice blasting is ideal for wood, concrete, and brick leaving no residue behind after dry ice blasting.
- Food Storage and Distribution, Packaging – More people are turning to online shopping for grocery items. Dry ice can be used to help transport frozen items and keep them cold for extended periods of time.
- Mold Remediation – Dry ice blasting can also be used to kill and remove mold spores and mildew. With it’s subzero temperatures dry ice works great to kill mold and mildew on contact.
- De-flashing Molded Plastics and Rubber – Since dry ice will coil and shrink whatever it touches, it can be used to make rubber parts and plastic brittle to easily remove flash.
- Special Effects, Halloween – Dry ice can provide some great special effects when combined with water. If you are looking to create a fog for Halloween or a concert, dry ice can be used to create a great fog visual effect.
- Power Outages, Emergency Refrigeration – If your freezer breaks or you are without power dry ice can be used to keep your freezer items cold during the interruption.
- Hunting, Camping, and Fishing – Dry ice is a great way to help keep your items cold during camping and keep your fish and game fresh during transportation.
- Food and Grocery – Dry ice can be used to prevent perishable items from spoilage. It is great to use with fresh fish or sushi to help preserve freshness. Dry ice can help keep fish fresh for longer times than wet ice. Dry ice can be used to help freeze fresh fruits for preservation.
- Asphalt Cooling – Dry ice can help maintain the required temperatures of asphalt after production and can help speed up the cooling process and core the pacing sooner.
- Meat Processing – Dry ice can be used during the production of meat to prevent spoilage.
- Pest Control – Dry ice can be used to remove pest like bed bugs and mosquitoes instead of chemicals.
- Science Experiments – Dry ice can be used multiple ways to create a cool and exciting science experiment for school.
- Wine Making – Dry ice is used in the wine making process to cool down bunches of grapes quickly after picking to help prevent spontaneous fermentation by wild yeasts. Dry ice can be used to help ward off bacterial infections during a cold soak. Adding a little dry ice to the bins while picking can help maintain a constant cool temperature for the grapes during transportation from the field back to the winery.
Commercial Supply Options 200 lbs or more
Retail Supply Options 10 lbs or more
Safe Handling of Dry Ice
Handling
Dry Ice temperature is extremely cold at -109.3°F. Always handle Dry Ice with care and wear protective clothing or leather gloves whenever touching it. An oven mitt or towel will work. If touched briefly it is harmless, but prolonged contact with the skin will freeze cells and cause injury similar to a burn.
Storage
Store Dry Ice in an insulated container. The thicker the insulation, the slower it will sublimate. Do not store Dry Ice in a completely airtight container. The sublimation of Dry Ice to Carbon Dioxide gas will cause any airtight container to expand or possibly explode. Keep proper air ventilation wherever Dry Ice is stored. Do not store Dry Ice in unventilated rooms, cellars, autos or boat holds. The sublimated Carbon Dioxide gas will sink to low areas and replace oxygenated air. This could cause suffocation if breathed exclusively. Do not store Dry Ice in a refrigerator freezer. The extremely cold temperature will cause your thermostat to turn the freezer off. It will keep everything frozen in the freezer but it will be used up at a faster rate. It is the perfect thing if your refrigerator breaks down in an emergency. There are also Commercial Storage Containers available.