In 1998 the European Union decided that cobalt chloride possess health risk and is dangerous to the environment. So they prohibited the use of Silica Gel Blue or Blue Silica Gel as it contains Cobalt chloride in it. And hence the product vanished from the American and European market.
But most of the industries need Indicator substances, so Silica Gel orange is developed to cover this need. It is also known as Enviro gel. The main ingredient in indicating silica gel orange is silicon dioxide, it uses organic substance instead cobalt chloride for the purpose of indicating the humidity. It is organic and safe hence swiftly replacing Silica gel blue. Because of its non toxic nature it has gain popularity in very less time.
Silica Gel Orange contains the units of Silica Gel which are infused with an organic indicator, initially the color of the organic silica gel is orange, and after soaking some moisture it turns Yellow. After more humidity absorption it turns Dark green from yellow and then Dark orange. Different colours show different levels of humidity absorption. It is free from impurities like Sulphates, Chlorides and organic matter. It also has very high absorption efficiency hence very effective when used properly. It generally comes in the shape of Beads, Broken beads and granules all have almost same technical specifications and can be used as per the requirement.
Environment friendly silica gel can be brought in the packing of 15Kg, 20Kg, 25Kg and also500Kg, 800 Kg. Users can repack and use it as per their requirements. Small packets have proved to give optimum results. The size of Silica gel orange generally ranges in 0.5-1.5mm, 0.5-2mm, 1-2mm, 1-3mm, 2-4mm, 2-5mm, 3-5mm, 3-6mm, 4-6mm, 4-8mm. It can be different for different shape of the indicating gel particles. Technical parameters can be little bit different for different shapes of the organic silica gel.
It is generally used in the process of cleaning and drying of gasses and air. As it is organic hence is a best replacement of blue silica gel breathers and work better than old blue silica gel breather. It is also used in drying process of solvents, synthesis products and analytical samples. It is an important ingredient used in the preparation of samples for Karl-Fischer titrations. It works best to protect the damage by moisture in the electronic and communication devices.