As a kid, I always wondered how did magicians managed to create huge cloud of fog on stage. This was a constant question in my mind throughout my childhood. Little did I know that the secret for the mind blowing illusion was Dry Ice.

Dry Ice has become one of the integral part of the modern world. As the world grows importance of Dry Ice is expected to grow at a astonishing rate.

Table of Contents

What is DRY ICE ?

Dry Ice is nothing but solid form of Carbon – Dioxide ( C02 ) which is frozen at extremely low temperatures. Dry Ice is different from your regular Ice. For Dry Ice ( Solid State ) if needed to converted to gas, it has to go through a process called Sublimation.

Dry Ice has a wide range of uses ranging from Food Storage, Shipping and Medical applications. Understanding the properties of dry ice is very much important for its effective utilization.

Dry Ice is completely composed of Carbon dioxide ( CO2 ), when CO2 gas is cooled to -109.3 Fahrenheit CO2 gas is converted to solid state without going through liquid phase.

In this article let us cover all the aspects of DRY ICE.

What are the properties of Dry Ice ?

Dry Ice also know as Solid Carbon Dioxide has many properties that makes it most useful in variety of applications.

1. Temperature – Dry Ice has a very low temperature ( -109.3 Fahrenheit ) making it one of the most coldest substance available.

2. Sublimation – We all from the initial paragraph in the article that Dry Ice sublimes. i.e. Solid dry ice converts into without getting into the liquid phase. This process creates a fog like effect. One important fact to be noted here 1kg of Dry Ice can produce 541 liters of CO2 gas.

3. Non-Toxic Nature – Dry Ice is non toxic, hence it is widely used in food preservation and scientific and medical applications. Dry ice can also be used as a insulator in various applications.

4. Germ Killing Properties – Dry ice comes with germ killing properties and hence it is very much used in places that handle food.

5. Density – Dry ice is approximately 109 times more heavier than regular ice. Hence making it more effective in providing cooling solutions.

Applications of Dry Ice.

Dry Ice has a lot of applications, let us understand them one by one –

1. Food & Beverage Industry

In the food and beverage industry, dry ice is an indispensable material in refrigeration and preservation process. Its low temperature property ensures that perishable materials like meat, seafood and diary products like cheese and other milk products remain intact and frozen throughout the journey.

Just imagine incase if the perishable products have to be transported through sea logistics which may possibly take months to reach the final destination, in such cases Dry Ice plays a very important role to keep the products frozen and fresh for a very long time.

Dry ice also improves the shelf life of the products and helps to keep the products fresh for a very very long time. Also dry ice is widely used to cool the products in a short period of time.

2. Shipping & Transportation Industry

Dry ice plays a very important role in Shipping, Transportation and Logistics industry.

Pharmaceuticals ( Medicines and other medical products ), Biological samples and temperature sensitive products that need to be preserved at cryogenic temperatures and this temperature can be achieved by using dry ice. Cryogenic temperatures achieved through using dry ice helps in maintaining the efficacy of these products.

Dry ice is shipping and logistics ensures the goods always arrive at the destination in optimal condition.

3. Scientific & Medical Industry

When you talk about Scientific and Medical industry, the first thing that comes to your mind is blood samples, tissue samples which requires very very low temperatures for preservation and this can be achieved using dry ice, which ensures that the sample is intact for further scientific investigations.

Further more for transporting organs which requires very low temperatures for it to be intact and again dry ice can be used to achieve this low temperatures.

Safety Precautions while handling Dry Ice.

While dry ice very much useful, but it requires very careful precautions while handling it.

1. Protection Gear – Always wear insulated gloves while handling dry ice, this helps in preventing frost bite.

2. Good Ventilation – Always store dry ice in well ventilated areas, as dry ice sublimes it releases CO2 to the atmosphere and the place of storage which increases the risk. So always maintain a good ventilation where ever dry ice is stored.

3. Proper Storage – Always store Dry Ice is a insulated container and environment. This reduces sublimation.

Conclusion.

While dry ice remains as a very important product across various industries across the globe, right from medical and food preservations to creating magical effects its impact is far reaching. However handling dry ice requires a lot of careful safety protocols to avoid accidents.

However one should always keep in mind the dry ice should be very carefully used and reap the maximum benefits of it.