What is dry ice?

Dry ice is the solid form of Carbon Dioxide (CO2), which is a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas found naturally in our atmosphere. Though it is present in relatively small quantities (about 0.03% by volume), it is one of the most important gases we know of.

CO2 is a natural media that serves many life sustaining purposes. It is a key element in the carbon cycle; it is the only source of carbon for the carbohydrates produced by agriculture; it stimulates plant growth; and it helps to moderate the temperature of the earth overall. Animal respiration is believed to add 28 million tons of Carbon Dioxide per day into the atmosphere.

With a low temperature of -109° F (-78° C), solid CO2 (dry ice) has an inherent thermal energy ready to be tapped. At atmospheric pressure, dry ice sublimates directly to vapor without going through a liquid phase. This unique property means that the blast media simply disappears, leaving only the original contaminant to be disposed of. In addition, blast cleaning in water sensitive areas is now practicable.

CO2 is a natural by-product of several industrial manufacturing processes such as fermentation and petrol-chemical refining. The CO2 given off by the above production processes is captured and stored without losses until needed. When the CO2 is returned to the atmosphere during the blasting process, no new CO2 is produced. Instead, only the original CO2 by-product is released.

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