Dry ice has an important role to play in the scientific and industrial scene. Because of its extreme cold temperature (-78.5°C), dry ice can be used to quickly and safely freeze items as well as keep them at a steady temperature for transport. In addition to this, dry ice can be used to slow down chemical reactions and also to ensure tight metal joins through shrink fitting.
Keeping Food Fresh
Rapid freezing conserves food quality by freezing the food in its fresh state and reducing the amount of water (and therefore ice crystals) on the frozen product. This quick way of freezing ensures items will be just as fresh once they are thawed as they haven’t had a chance to become soggy during the traditional (and slower) freezing method.
How to snap freeze using dry ice: Add food grade dry ice to a cooler with the food you want to freeze. Leave food in the cooler with the lid on for approximately 30 minutes – continually checking to ensure you retrieve the produce as soon as it’s frozen. Remove the frozen food, wrap or place in a container and store in the regular freezer until it’s ready to be used.
Freeze drying (or dehydrating through lyophilisation) is a very common practice in the food sector as it means food can be stored on a shelf for months or even years at room temperature. This way of preserving food is especially convenient for use with food to be taken on camping or long trips as freeze-dried packages are a lot lighter without the liquid content.
How to freeze dry using dry ice: This process is similar to freezing although it takes longer to allow all the moisture to evaporate from the produce. Simply put food in plastic bags and cover with dry ice in a large container in the freezer (please ensure the container has holes to allow the gas and moisture to escape). Once there is no more dry ice left in the container, this means your food has been freeze dried and is ready to store.
This is a process where food grade dry ice is mixed into meats such as mince or sausages to slow the growth of bacteria by keeping the temperature of the product at an acceptable range for longer.
If your power has gone out yet you have a full fridge or freezer of stock, Dry Ice Australia can help by delivering dry ice to ensure your produce stays fresh until the power comes back on, eliminating spoilage or the need to hire expensive generators.
Commercial & Chemical Use
Dry ice can be used to shrink metal materials to easily slide on sleeves, bushings or bearings. Then once the object is warmed back up the room temperature, it expands and forms a strong join in the final product.
How to shrink fit using dry ice: Add dry ice to a 90 per cent pure alcohol bath to create a cold liquid near -78.5°C that can be used like liquid nitrogen. Immerse the metal object in the dry ice so they it shrinks enough for the fittings to slide on. Once this has been completed, the metal can be heated back to room temperature and your metal object will be ready for use.
The extreme cold temperature of dry ice can be used to slow or even stop some chemical reactions. Dry ice is also used to neutralize alkalis and to produce cold pockets that provide very low temperature surfaces on which molecules can condense.
Medical & Pharmaceutical
Using refrigerated vehicles can be very expensive, however dry ice can be used with ambient vehicle couriers to control the temperature and ensure medical samples, vaccines and even biological samples can remain cold and in optimum condition for when they are delivered.
How to store and transport samples and vaccines using dry ice: Simply place the wrapped samples/vaccines in an insulated container and pack the dry ice around the items. Similarly for storage, items can be packed into thermal containers with dry ice placed on top of the product. For short term emergency bulk storage, dry ice can be suspended at height (in a cradle or on a tray) at the top of the container so as the dry ice sublimates, the CO² vapour keeps the products chilled.
Doctors often use dry ice to remove warts and other similar skin related growths. This is a quick and easy way to remove unsightly warts as it freezes the skin causing the skin cells to die, therefore removing the growth almost instantly. Dry ice is also used in the over the counter wart removal products.
