4. What is dry ice?

Dry ice is the solid form of CO2 with a temperature of -79°C. At atmospheric pressure dry ice sublimes directly from a solid back to gas. It is called "dry ice" as it does not contain water.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) doesn't exist as a liquid at room temperature and at atmospheric pressure. So dry ice doesn't melt (hence it is "dry") but sublimates - meaning that the CO2 goes directly from solid to gas as it absorbs heat.

For dry ice cleaning purposes dry ice in the form of granulates of 3 mm diameter, called pellets, is most commonly used.

Do you want more information about dry ice? Contact us or go to our page ‘dry ice process’.