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What You Should Know About Dry Ice

Are you looking for a way to keep your food frozen as you are transporting it to a picnic site? The solution to the problem might be to invest in one or more bags of dry ice because it can keep food a lot colder than regular ice. However, there are a few things that you should know about dry ice if you have never used any before. Take a look at this article to gain more insight about dry ice.

Dry Ice Can Keep Your Food Frozen

The perk of using dry ice over regular ice is that it is as cold as -109.3 degrees Fahrenheit. You can count on your frozen foods remaining that way until you reach the picnic site. For instance, with regular ice, frozen meats will likely begin to thaw out if you are traveling to a picnic site that is far away. Dry ice is basically frozen carbon dioxide, which is a natural gas that is inhaled when you breathe.

Dry Ice Must Be Stored In A Ventilated Container

Although dry ice is more useful for keeping food frozen, you must make sure it is handled right. Dry ice dissipates through sublimation, which is the process of the ice transforming from a solid to gaseous state.

If you are not careful about how your dry ice is stored on the way to the picnic site, it can end up causing the container that it is stored inside to burst open. For instance, if your container is airtight, the gas can build up inside of it and create a lot of pressure. You must keep the ice in a ventilated container to allow gas to seep out as sublimation takes place. 

Carefully Dispose Of Leftover Dry Ice

You must understand that dry ice cannot be disposed of in the same way as regular ice. You don't want to place dry ice down the drain of a sink or any type of plumbing fixture. It is ideal to dispose of the leftover ice at the picnic site by allowing it to completely sublimate. Don't pour the ice out on the ground for the sublimation process, especially if there will be children around that can access it. Simply leave the ice inside of the ventilated container until it is completely gone. Get the dry ice that you need for your cold foods as soon as it time to head out to the picnic site.

For more information about dry ice, consider contacting companies like United City Ice Cube.


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