Q. What is the purpose of a desiccant?
Desiccant is a hydrating agent that draws moisture from the surrounding environment. It absorbs and binds water particles to itself.
Q. What is Silica Gel, and how does it work?
Silica gel is a kind of silicon dioxide (Si02), which occurs naturally in the form of sand. Silica gel is non-crystalline and extremely soluble, while sand is crystalline and non-porous. A chemical reaction is used to make silica gel by adding sodium silicate with sulfuric acid. Silica gel is an amorphous adsorptive agent with stable chemical properties and a porous structure that is extremely complex. Because of its strong absorbability, chemical consistency, large surface area, and higher mechanical efficiency, it is odourless, tasteless, and non-toxic, and it has a high potential for physical and chemical dehumidification. As a result, silica gel is used in the manufacturing of meats, pharmaceuticals, export products, and precision instruments. Silica gel is simple to deal with, and silica gel that has been saturated with moisture can be regenerated to provide fresh moisture protection by merely reheating it in certain conditions.
Q. What are the most popular moisture-related issues?
Mould, fungus, mildew, rust rotting, lumping, caking, agglomeration, and decomposition are all issues caused by moisture in containers. Electronics can also be damaged by moisture.
Q. What is the right way to use desiccants?
Desiccants should be used inside a closed/sealed moisture barrier to be more effective.
Q.What are our clients?
Electronic components, computers, pharmaceuticals, packaging, metal components, engineering, food packaging, clothing, chemicals, and a variety of other products are available.
Q. So it's not really a gel, is it?
Silica gel is not the same as hair gel. It's a solid substance that can be granular or beaded. The size of the granules or beads determines how they are sorted. The grain size of silica gel in sachets is normally unimportant, but for uses like drying flowers, a fine grain silica gel is preferable to a broad grain silica gel. A grain size of 0.5-1.0 mm rather than 1.0- 3.0 mm or 3.0 - 6.0 mm. The larger grain sizes are ideal for complex drying applications, such as passing air through a bed of silica gel to dry it.
Q. Does silica gel, on the other hand, get damp while it collects water?
No, one of silica gel's greatest advantages is that it absorbs water molecules within its pores while remaining completely dry and appearing physically unaltered. It does not expand or contract.
Q. So, silica gel acts as a desiccant?
Yeah, it physically adsorbs water vapour rather than by a chemical reaction. Water vapour is forced into the crystalline form of silica gel.
Q. Is silica gel available in a variety of colours?
Yes, it now does. Silica gel is used in two types: non-indicating and self-indicating. Silica gel with no hint is translucent and remains that way as it retains moisture. Common moisture-sensitive cobalt chloride indicators have been used to impregnate self-indicating silica gels. This produces a blue silica gel that gradually changes colour as it absorbs moisture, eventually becoming pink. The new self-indicating silica gels come in a variety of colours (due to various moisture-sensitive indicators), but they all have the same purpose: to signal when the silica gel is saturated and can no longer absorb any more moisture.
Q. Is silica gel available in a ready-to-use form?
Yes, really. Before using the silica gel, it is not necessary to 'generate' it. It is often sold dry and ready to use (in loose or sachet form).
Q. Is it possible to keep silica gel for a long time?
Almost forever, in truth. The trick to preserving the sachet's effectiveness is to store it in an airtight container before it's time to use it. Since silica gel absorbs moisture from any environment, a sachet left out in the open will begin to absorb water vapour almost instantly. Despite the slow rate of moisture absorption, small sachets may be vulnerable to such exposure due to their poor moisture keeping ability. It is not advised that they be exposed to the air for more than 15 minutes.Larger sachets should not be taken out of their packaging more than 1 hour before they are required. In an enclosed atmosphere, the shelf life of silica gel can be estimated to be between 18 and 24 months. Practical evidence has demonstrated that it often exceeds this threshold.
Q. What is the actual volume of water vapour that silica gel can hold?
Silica gel is capable of absorbing up to 40% of its own weight in moisture.
Q. Is it possible to use silica gel in some situation?
Yes, in theory, but it's still just useful in a closed setting. To maintain the Relative Humidity at low levels in a situation where fresh air (and moisture) is continuously being applied, an enormous amount of silica gel would be needed.
Q. What Is Relative Humidity (RH), and What Does It Mean?
Water vapour will still be found in the air. There would be a saturation point at any given temperature where no further moisture can be stored (any excess will condense). The true moisture content of air is calculated as a percentage of the saturation content as relative humidity. The goal of using silica gel is to maintain the Relative Humidity under 50% of the saturation power. Corrosion and mould development will not be encouraged at these stages. When the temperature decreases, issues occur because the moisture content of the air at the current temperature is much lower.
Q. Is silica gel toxic to your health?
Silica gel is non-toxic and non-flammable, as well as very inert and having a high melting point. Since it resembles sand, it can be moved easily by all way.
Q. When silica gel is contained in a sachet, how does it function?
The materials used to produce silica gel sachets were selected for their ability to breathe. They cause water vapour to flow through and be absorbed by the silica gel.
Q. Why do sachets come in so many different sizes?
The more silica gel used, the greater the object to be covered. In certain cases, a single sachet from a number of sachets may be used.
Q. And what sachet size can I use?
The response would be decided by the question. A rule of thumb for a well-sealed item is that 10 grams of silica gel are required for every 30cm cube of package length. 340 grams per cubic metre is the result. Is it possible to get silica gel sachets that are both non-indicating and self-indicting? Yes, really. Through the sachet material, the orange self-indicating silica gels can be observed.
Q. What is the method for regenerating silica gel?
When self-indicating silica gels get saturated, they can be regenerated by heating them at 100-120°C before their original colours return. The moisture that has been adsorbed is simply driven out by the sun. Regeneration can be achieved several times, but the crystals will gradually lose their colour and 5 % of their absorption potential after each reactivation. Just the absolute minimum of heat can be used when regenerating self-indicating silica gel sachets. All bags containing more than 10 Grams of silica gel should be separated from their packaging because the seals can open during heating. While non-indicating silica gel may be regenerated in the same way as indicating silica gel, there is no way to tell whether the silica gel has been regenerated other than by weighing it. When totally regenerated, it can revert to its initial dry weight.
