The Market for Dry Ice

Dry ice is unique, often thought of as a portable refrigerant and of course, physically unique in that it sublimates from a solid to a gas, while providing refrigeration value. The further by-product value, when applying dry ice in food processing applications, is a form of gaseous bactericide.

Of course, such a commodity requires constant ventilation, as it sublimates in the place of application or storage, which otherwise if applied improperly, can result in harm. Beyond the need for proper ventilation, it is dry ice’s primary value – the very cold nature of the commodity – which can cause injury if there is direct contact with human skin and other living organisms. Over the years, the application of dry ice has morphed from certain industrial uses, such as food preservation/shipping applications to name a few, into a major form of temperature reduction in major food processing plants. Many plants have started with dry ice in service of food processing, then graduated to liquid carbon dioxide (CO2), and sometimes reverted back to dry ice again…