There are many uses for dry ice, a solid form of carbon dioxide that is colorless and inflammable. When you’re traveling or camping, you can use it to keep food cold and preserve it. In the event of a blackout, you can also use it to keep refrigerator temperatures.
If you want to use it correctly and effectively, you need to know the answers to the question: “What is the shelf life of dry ice?”. For 18 to 24 hours, dry ice kept in a cooler will remain frozen. Dry ice’s shelf life is primarily influenced by how it is stored and the size of the brick.
For your benefit, we will go over dry ice in this article. Please keep reading.
Table of Contents
What Is Dry Ice And How Does It Work?
Carbon dioxide exists in solid form as dry ice. It is created using a unique procedure that involves pressurizing it into a liquid before cooling it. After that, it is left to return to gas while being depressurized.
Due to the sudden temperature drop brought on by the expansion process, some carbon dioxide turns into solid pellets. Once the carbon dioxide has solidified, it is cut into pieces that can be used in a variety of places, such as biochemical labs, Halloween haunted house sets, and food preservation.
Because it doesn’t become liquid, that is the main reason it is called “dry ice.” The ice turns to vapor at higher temperatures.
How Is Dry Ice Made?
Dry ice, often referred to as “solid snow,” is made by liquefying carbon dioxide and injecting it into a holding tank where its temperature drops down -109° F.
Depending on the machine that was used for production, it can then be compressed into various shapes or forms, such as pellets that melt when your hand is warm to the touch but don’t behave in the same way as typical snowball fights during the winter.
What Are Some Common Uses For Dry Ice?
Not just for Halloween parties and eerie atmosphere, dry ice is also useful. Numerous uses, from business to industry, can be found for it. Here are some common uses for dry ice.
Storage And Shipping Goods
Foods and products that are perishable require special handling while being transported. Additionally, some goods and items can become spoiled or damaged when left at room temperature.
Perishable food products can benefit from the extended freshness provided by dry ice. For example, we can pack the meat in a container with dry ice when shipping it to keep it fresh.
Due in large part to the stringent laws governing food storage, dry ice is a necessary product in the food industry. It also assists in the bacterial removal of mold and mildew, preventing the spread of allergic reactions and diseases that are transmitted through food.
Medical Industry
As dry ice is frequently a useful and affordable substitute for specialized freezers, we may use it to store biological samples in hospitals. Vaccines, test samples, and organs like the heart and kidneys may all be kept in storage using dry ice.
Plumbing Pipe Repairs
When performing maintenance and repairs, we can use dry ice to freeze water pipes. In order to perform maintenance and repairs, qualified plumbers may freeze the water pipes. This stops the flow of water and enables the plumber to fix the pipes in places where shutting off the water is not an option.
Dry Ice Blasting
When not solid, dry ice can be used as a cleaning agent. Compressed air, for instance, can be used to spray tiny pellets onto a target surface. The ice pellets will clean the target surface of any unwanted debris and contamination. Additionally, the surface will continue to be dry and free of abrasions.
How Long Is Dry Ice Good For?
The amount of dry ice, the temperature and conditions outside, as well as how it is stored, all affect how long it will last.
Normal room temperature sublimation rates for dry ice are 5–10 pounds per hour. It takes 3-5 hours to evaporate if you leave it in the open air. If dry ice is placed in a liquid, it sublimates much more quickly than if it is in the open. When submerged in water for 15 minutes, a 5-pound block will sublimate.
Dry ice can endure longer when handled and stored properly. A 5-pound block of dry ice can last between 12-24 hours when put in a well-insulated Dry ice cooler or a Styrofoam shipping box. 36 hours are possible with two bags.
Dry ice should be purchased as soon as possible before use and then properly stored because it has a brief shelf life. You should take sublimation into account when purchasing dry ice for later use. For example, if you need 15 pounds of dry ice tomorrow, you will need to purchase 20 to 25 pounds.
How Long Does Dry Ice Keep In A Styrofoam Cooler?
In a styrofoam cooler, dry ice will keep its properties for roughly 24 hours. This time frame, however, is restricted to regular-sized coolers that can accommodate up to two dry ice blocks. With additional dry ice blocks, the dry ice will continue to function for about 3–4 days in large Styrofoam.
Factors that affect dry ice shelf life in styrofoam include;
- Amount of dry ice used
- Thickness of styrofoam
- Where the dry ice is placed (top or bottom)
- Amount of space in the box
How Can I Tell If Dry Ice Is Bad, Rotten, Or Spoiled?
The prevention of foodborne illness will be aided by the use of proper hygiene and food safety measures.
It is beneficial if you see it. Invisible bad things exist. Remember, dry ice should NEVER be touched or tasted as it will severely burn your hands, throat, or other parts of your body. To handle the ice chunks, put on thick rubber gloves or use tools.
Naturally, there are some health risks connected to eating spoiled food, so always remember to practice food safety and consume your food before its shelf life has passed!
How To Store Dry Ice To Extend Shelf Life?
Because they don’t need as much empty space as refrigerators, freezers are more efficient. When not in use, dry ice needs to be kept in an insulated cooler. An insulated container with a loosely closed lid is ideal. Dry ice should not be put in an airtight container, but it should not be left exposed for extended periods.
Important: Use thick rubber gloves or tools when handling the ice chunks.
Because it can infect you or seriously stab you if you touch it with bare hands, it’s important to avoid getting any on your skin.
As a result, the lid shouldn’t ever be shut tightly. This is due to the fact that some of the dry ice will inevitably sublimate into carbon dioxide; if the container is sealed too tightly, the gas produced by the carbon dioxide can explode.
The cooler box should be placed in a cool, well-ventilated area. Before adding the dry ice, thoroughly dry the cool box. As was already mentioned, moisture and water cause the dry ice to sublimate.
To reduce sublimation caused by exposure to air and atmospheric moisture, cover the dry ice when it is not in use with a towel, paper bag, or newspaper. Use newspaper or other paper to fill in any gaps between items packed in the cool box for preservation, and dry ice to delay sublimation.
Not all cool boxes can hold or be used with dry ice. To make sure a cool box is compatible, always check the manual. In order to prevent damage to the internal components, cooler boxes made for use with dry ice—such as Styrofoam coolers—typically have additional padding. A ventilation system is also built into them.
Dry ice can cause interior damage if it is used with a cool box that is not intended for that purpose. Additionally, an explosion could result from a buildup of carbon dioxide.
Tips: If you place the dry ice on top of your cooler rather than the bottom, it will melt away much more quickly. This is so that water vapor won’t be left behind when condensation is caused by heat from a hot surface, like sitting next to an open flame.
Where Can I Find Dry Ice? How Much Is It?
The cost of dry ice is very reasonable for those who haven’t used it before. Dry ice usually costs between $1 and $3 per pound, depending on where you purchase it. Really, you can find it anywhere. It is sold in large quantities at supermarkets like Walmart and Costco. They will direct you where to go if you simply ask one of the staff members.
Here’s a quick shopping hint: buy it in large quantities rather than one or two small blocks at a time. Since most retailers offer bulk discounts, purchasing dry ice in individual, small prefabricated slabs will typically run you a few cents more ($1.1 to $1.3 per pound). When you require dozens of pounds at once, those few extra cents can quickly add up.
How Should I Dispose Of Dry Ice?
There are two simple ways to get rid of dry ice, neither of which is particularly difficult.
The first method is to merely leave all of the dry ice you wish to dispose of outside in a well-ventilated area. If at all possible, leave it outside in your backyard or in a hidden location on your front porch. All of the dry, ice-like material will eventually turn to gas and float away. The dry ice should be exposed to the sun to speed up the process.
The second method is to just dump dry ice into a pot of boiling water. This is the quickest (and most entertaining) way to get rid of dry ice. Due to sublimation, a lot of white smoke will be released when the ice touches the boiling water. Observing the procedure is very entertaining.
However, it is entirely possible for the boiling water to freeze up if you have a lot of dry ice to get rid of. In that case, simply boil and then fill the pot with more hot water.
One piece of advice: while you’re removing your dry ice supply, make sure no one nearby will breathe in the sublimated CO2 gas. CO2 is toxic.
Conclusion
The carbon dioxide that is solid and used for many things is called dry ice. Longer-lasting cooling is achieved with dry ice. However, due to its short shelf life, it must be properly stored in a Styrofoam cooler in a cool, dry environment. A 5-10 pound pack lasts roughly 24 hours when kept in proper storage.
