Dry ice blasting is an innovative industrial cleaning method with a broad range of applications in engineering projects. It is widely used in cleaning marble, stone, wooden or other surfaces from a broad range of contaminants such as oils, glue, rust, paint as well as in the rehabilitation of natural disasters. At a first glance, dry ice blasting seems identical to abrasive blasting techniques. However, dry ice, as opposed to sand or other abrasive media has a much lower density/hardness and is able to remove contaminants without harming the substrate material.
Due to the special characteristics of the media used (solid CO2), dry ice blasting employs a totally different operating principle. The sudden temperature differential causes bond failure of contaminants, whereas the instantaneous sublimation of dry ice during impact creates a lifting force that removes them. Some of the most prominent advantages of dry ice blasting over other cleaning methods include the following:
- Dry ice is nonabrasive, nontoxic and nonflammable
- Fast and efficient cleaning without having to move/disassemble the equipment
- Causes no harm to substrate material
- Can be applied to any surface
- Absence of secondary contaminants since dry ice sublimates after impact
- It is environmentally friendly since there is no use of chemical additives
Hydrodemolition