Scientific & Industrial
Dry Ice in Science and Industry
With its extreme cold temperature (-78.5°C), dry ice is essential for freezing items quickly and maintaining stable temperatures during transport. It is also used to slow chemical reactions and ensure secure metal joins through shrink fitting, making it a valuable tool across various industries.
Keeping Food Fresh
Snap Freezing
With its extreme cold temperature (-78.5°C), dry ice is essential for freezing items quickly and maintaining stable temperatures during transport. It is also used to slow chemical reactions and ensure secure metal joins through shrink fitting, making it a valuable tool across various industries.
Freeze Drying
Freeze drying (lyophilization) extends shelf life by removing moisture, making food lightweight and ideal for long trips or storage. This method keeps food fresh for months or even years at room temperature. How to freeze dry with dry ice: Place food in plastic bags, then cover with dry ice in a ventilated container inside the freezer. As the dry ice sublimates, it removes moisture from the food. Once the dry ice is gone, the food is fully freeze-dried and ready for storage.
In process cooling to reduce spoilage
Mixing food-grade dry ice into meats like mince or sausages helps slow bacterial growth by maintaining a lower temperature for longer. This process extends freshness, ensuring better quality and safety during storage and transport.
Back up cooling during a power outage
If a power outage threatens your stocked fridge or freezer, Dry Ice Australia can deliver dry ice to keep your produce fresh. This prevents spoilage and eliminates the need for costly generators, ensuring your food stays preserved until power is restored.
Commercial & Chemical Use
Shrink Fitting
Dry ice is an effective way to shrink metal components for easy assembly. Once warmed back to room temperature, the metal expands, creating a secure and durable join. How to shrink fit using dry ice: Immerse the metal part in a 90% pure alcohol bath with dry ice, creating a super-cooled liquid near -78.5°C. This causes the metal to contract, allowing fittings like sleeves, bushings, or bearings to slide on effortlessly. As the metal returns to room temperature, it expands, forming a tight and secure fit.
In-process cooling
Dry ice’s extreme cold can slow or halt certain chemical reactions, making it valuable in scientific applications. It is also used to neutralize alkalis and create ultra-cold surfaces where molecules can condense, aiding in various laboratory and industrial processes.
Medical & Pharmaceutical
Storage and transportation
Using dry ice is a cost-effective way to maintain the required temperature for medical samples, vaccines, and biological materials without the high expense of refrigerated vehicles. Simply place wrapped samples or vaccines in an insulated container and pack dry ice around them to ensure they stay cold. For storage, items can be placed in thermal containers with dry ice positioned on top. In short-term emergency bulk storage, dry ice can be suspended at the top of the container in a cradle or on a tray, allowing the sublimating CO₂ vapor to keep the products chilled and in optimal condition.
Wart removal
Doctors commonly use dry ice to remove warts and other skin growths by freezing the affected area, causing the skin cells to die and the growth to be removed almost instantly. This method is quick and effective, making it a popular choice for minor dermatological procedures. Dry ice is also an active ingredient in many over-the-counter wart removal products.
