Wednesday 28 May 2014

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.
indicating silica gel orange beads

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.

Wednesday 16 April 2014

The indicating type silica gel is almost same as the other except that it changes its color when it is fully contaminated and at that time it needs to be replaced. The best thing about silica gel is that once it is fully contaminated it is possible to reuse it again by heating them over 300oC.
Crystals and Beads
As the silica gel beads are non-toxic it is possible to use them with consumable goods. But still it cannot be used loosely so, they are used in small breathing packets which allows to pass the air through it. There are various silica gel suppliers who sell the desiccant in bulk. But before purchasing any desiccant go through the details of the product. It should be approved by USFDA and passes the food and pharma grade. Only those desiccants passing tests under this category are non-toxic and are safe to use with consumable products. Silica gel is also used in breathers. The purpose of using these breathers is that usually in big factories sudden cooling and heating of machineries produces huge amount of moisture which needs to be absorbed. Many of the desiccants are used all on its own but some prefer to use it in combination with other desiccants like activated carbon or molecular sieves. Molecular sieves are known for absorbing odor. Using it in combination with other desiccant enhances the absorbing quality.
Silica gel is said to be the best desiccant when it comes at absorbing moisture. Removing moisture from unnecessary places is very necessary as even a drop of it can become a reason for big loss. Silica gel is also of two types indicating and non-indicating. White silica gel comes under the category of non-indicating category where blue and orange are the indicating ones. 
silica gel desiccants
Silica gel desiccant is used in various industries to keep the products environment dry and moisture free pharmaceuticals, food, electronics, textile, stationery, agriculture, leather, air, gas and many more. Apart from controlling moisture it is also used for the removal of air, gas and water. Once the product starts to react with moisture, (specially the consumable goods) it starts to lose its originality and effectiveness. By protecting it against moisture it is possible to avoid spoilage and growth of fungi, mold, bacteria and other micro-organisms which inhibits in moisture condition. So, using silica gel can increase the shelf life of the products and keep them fresh for a long term.

Tuesday 15 April 2014

There is another type of silica gel called the Self-indicating silica gel. It has a moisture sensitive additive impregnated to the plain silica gel. The indicator changes color as moisture is adsorbed thus giving a visual indication of activity level of the silica gel. There are many self-indicating silica gels available in the market, among which the orange self indicating silica gel is the common.
Orange to Dark Green Silica Gel Using an organic indicator this silica gel offers a very strong orange to dark green colour change. Orange to Colorless Iron salts is used as additive in this high capacity desiccant, changing from a deep orange to a very pale yellow colour. The indicator is very robust, making this silica gel well suited to repeated regeneration and reuse. Self-indicating orange silica gels are non-toxic just like other silica gels. Silica gel is in different industry for Breathers Transformers, Solvent Drying, Industrial Gases and Air drying Industries.
Packaged food is the most common type of food that we consume today. Due to the fast paced lifestyle that we follow, storing food has become the only option for us. Storing food can be difficult as there are many problems involved in storing eatables. One of the main problems is spoiling of the food articles due to moisture. The presence of moisture will promote the growth of fungus mold, mildew and bacteria on food items. In order to prevent this, some particular desiccants are used to suck up the moisture and create a dry atmosphere inside the packages. There are many types of desiccants available in the market, but one of the safest and commonly used desiccants is silica gel.
Silica gel is a hygroscopic and can absorb moisture up to 40% of its weight. It is an USFDA approved, non-toxic, DMF Free, organic desiccant. Silica gel is hard, irregular and in the shape of granules or beads. It has a high ability to desiccate. As it exhibits a lower vapor pressure than the surrounding air, water molecules adhere to the gels surface. Standard white silica gel is non-indicating as remains physically unchanged even when it adsorbs moisture. Non-indicating silica gel is cheap and effective, available in bulk packs sachets. Size of Beads is 2-5mm, 3-5mm and 4-8mm.

Thursday 10 April 2014

Some of the characteristic trains of this desiccant are that they are absolutely to use as they are USFDA Approved and are safe to use with food items, as are absolutely non-toxic. It makes the environment moisture free. These desiccants are DMF free and easily qualify all the food and pharmaceutical grade. There are many companies who silica gel sachets manufacture. Although, these sachets are available in many sizes but one standard size of these packets ranges from 1 gm. to 25 gm.
By absorbing moisture, these desiccants protects against many problems like fungus, bacteria, humidity and spoilage. Some of the desiccants not only protect against moisture but they also absorb odor. Many of the times these desiccants are used all on its own and sometimes in combination with other desiccants. These desiccants mostly come in granular or powdered or in capsule form. That is because in this form the surface area for absorption increases. You can find the use of silica gel pouches at mostly all small and big places.

Monday 7 April 2014

Silica Gel Orange Granular
Among all the silica gel granular, the best one which is considered by most of the industrialist is silica gel orange beads. In this type of silica gel molecules impregnated is naturally an organic indicator. Also this type of silica gel granular has high absorption capacity. It is said that it has the capacity to absorb moisture almost 40% of its weight. Once the granular are fully contaminated it turns from orange to light orange then light green and then finally dark green indicating that it is fully contaminated. It is available in various sizes ranging from 2-5mm, 3-5mm and 4-8mm. It is used for various purposes like drying and storage of flowers and seeds, optical instruments and other devices and drying of analytical samples and solvents. It is also the best replacement of blue silica material which was widely used in breather transformers. Apart from this it is the best solution to protect electronic and communication devices.