What is Dry Ice and How is it Used?
Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide and is used primarily as a cooling agent. A block of dry ice has a surface temperature of minus 109 degrees Fahrenheit.
It also has the very nice feature of “sublimation” as it breaks down, it turns directly into carbon dioxide gas rather than a liquid thus avoiding all the many complications that melted water creates.
The super-cold temperature and the sublimation feature make dry ice great for refrigeration. For example, if you want to send something frozen across the country, you can pack it in dry ice. It will be frozen when it reaches its destination, and there will be no messy liquid left over like you would have with normal ice packing.
Commercial Uses
Wells
Dry ice is used by ranchers to improve water flow in their wells.
Oil industry
Dry ice has been used in the oil fields for years to clean tank bottoms. When paraffin, sludge, build up, a chemical is added along with dry ice to stir-up the tank bottom. This breaks out the liquids and separates water from oil in paraffin mixtures so that water can be removed and the oil saved.
Entertainment
Dry Ice when combined with hot tap water can produce vigorous bubbling water and voluminous flowing fog for use in rock concerts or Halloween displays.
Medicine
Doctors use it to remove warts and mole and to aid in the transfer of supplies, samples, and other sensitive materials throughout a medical facility.
Funeral Homes
Funeral homes use it as a more economical way to preserve bodies prior to a viewing or funeral. By doing so, they are able to skip the expensive and messy embalming process.
Construction
Dry ice allows asphalt to remain at its required temperature while being transported from site to site. It also removes oxygen from tanks that are dangerously flammable. This reduces the risk of flammable vapors catching fire at a construction or manufacturing facility.
Pest Control
If your home has bed bugs, mosquitoes or other types of crawling pests, this material can be an effective method of ridding your home of these pests.
Tips for Using Dry Ice
- Get your dry ice as close to the time of use as possible. This is important due to the fact that dry ice turns from a solid into a gas at a rate of five to ten pounds per 24 hours in a normal insulated container.
- Handle dry ice carefully. You can use oven mitts, insulated gloves, or thick towels to handle dry ice, otherwise, it will burn your hands as it registers at negative 109 degrees
- Transport dry ice in a well-ventilated vehicle. Dry ice is carbon dioxide which is hazardous to your health in large or concentrated quantities.
- Store dry ice with proper air ventilation. It should not be stored in a small space where the gas can build up and become dangerous. Styrofoam and newspaper are suitable insulators for preserving your dry ice.
- You may not want to store your dry ice in a conventional, functioning freezer. The dry ice may be a colder temperature than your freezer thermostat can handle.
- Place dry ice on an appropriate surface. Counter tops are not ideal, as the surface may crack from the extreme cold of the dry ice.
- Dispose of dry ice by letting it return to gaseous form. Leave it out at room temperature and do not dispose of it in the garbage, sewer, sink or tub. Washing dry ice into your plumbing can do damage to your pipes.
Making Dry Ice at Home
Ingredients:
- A CO2 fire extinguisher or carbon dioxide tank.
- Cloth bag
- Heavy-duty gloves.
Carbon dioxide fire extinguishers are labeled as such. If a fire extinguisher doesn’t specify “carbon dioxide” assume it contains something else and won’t work for this project.
All you have to do is release the pressure on the gas and collect the dry ice. The reason you use a cloth bag is that it will allow carbon dioxide gas to escape, leaving just the dry ice.
Put on the heavy-duty gloves. You don’t want to get frostbite from the dry ice! Place the nozzle for the fire extinguisher or the CO2 tank inside the cloth bag.
Either clamp your gloved hand around the mouth of the bag or else tape the bag onto the nozzle. Keep your gloved hand clear of the nozzle.
Discharge the fire extinguisher or, if you are using a CO2 canister, partially open the valve. Dry ice will immediately begin forming in the bag.
Turn off the fire extinguisher or close the valve.
Gently shake the bag to dislodge dry ice from the nozzle. You can remove the bag and use your dry ice.
Dry ice is a great product that has many excellent commercial and home uses.
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Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_ice
https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/science-questions/question264.htm
http://kellydryice.com/dry-ice-uses.html
https://emergencyice.com/4-smart-commercial-uses-for-dry-ice/
https://www.wikihow.com/Use-Dry-Ice
https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/global-dry-ice-market-size-in-2020-industry-demand-market-share-trend-industry-news-business-growth-top-key-players-top-countries-analysis-and-outlookshowing-impressive-growth-by-2026-2020-09-03
https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-make-homemade-dry-ice-606400