What is a calcium chloride desiccant?

What are desiccant bags

Starting with the most basic definition, a desiccant is a substance that absorbs moisture. It is most commonly used to remove moisture that would normally degrade or even destroy moisture-sensitive products. As oxygen absorbers are to air, desiccants are to moisture. This means that if left unprotected in a damp place, the items may develop mold and mildew, and if a small pillow or a pack of desiccant is stored on the boat, then these items will be safe. There are many types of desiccants. Wikipedia gives us a lengthy list of desiccants, but instead of burdening myself, I asked my friend Ron Brown to share his knowledge of desiccants and how he uses various types of this amazing experimental results of things. Here are some of what he shared with me.

Some common and uncommon desiccants

• Silica gel: Silica gel is one of the more common desiccants. Crafty types use it to dry flowers and other items. As with other desiccants, as moisture evaporates from the flowers, it is absorbed by the gel, drying them for future generations. Silicone packets containing pills, over-the-counter medicines and vitamins were also found. What many people don’t know is that they can be reused if you dry them in the oven on low heat.
• Salt: Salt is a drying agent. If it clumps in the shaker and doesn’t come out, it means it has absorbed moisture from the air and the small salt grains have stuck together. To prevent clumping, add calcium silicate to table salt.
• Rice: Add rice to the salt shaker to keep the salt flowing freely. So if salt is a desiccant, maybe rice is a stronger desiccant.
• Calcium Chloride: Experts said that they completely ruined a pair of leather shoes, using a shovel to scatter chloride from the back of a flatbed truck (to minimize the dust kicked up) during their college summer job CA, Road Construction Day.
• Paris cement and gypsum: Paris cement and gypsum are both “calcined” at high temperatures and will gradually harden if placed around the garage. They absorb moisture from the air. They are desiccants.
• Drywall or Wallboard: Ever heard of the Kearney Radiometer? When building the Kearny radiometer to detect radiation, Kearney himself said that you have to put a desiccant in your cell to keep the atmosphere as dry as possible. In his original radiometer instructions, he described how to make his own desiccant from drywall. He recommends a piece of wallboard or drywall, which has been broken into half-inch cubes and dried in the oven. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work (Ron tried it). His guess is that the “plasterboard” has changed over the years. There is no doubt that builders prefer siding that does not absorb moisture over siding that absorbs moisture.

Why calcium chloride?

• Calcium chloride desiccant bags are very effective at absorbing moisture from the surrounding air and is one of the most hygroscopic materials.
• Calcium chloride is an inorganic compound – a salt with the chemical formula CaCl2. White flakes or granules at room temperature, easily soluble in water. Calcium chloride desiccants work well in temperatures ranging from freezing to 80 °C or higher.
• Calcium chloride is commonly used as a deicing agent for gravel roads and foods, for removing dust, or as an absorbent for desiccants. In much of the world, calcium chloride is extracted from limestone as a by-product of the Solvay process.
• Calcium chloride is not harmful to the environment, but is classified as H319 according to GHS (which causes serious eye irritation).
• Calcium chloride is available in various concentrations and is usually specified as 74-77% or 94-97% depending on the level of purity. The higher the concentration, the higher the absorption capacity. This means that desiccants containing 94-97% CaCl2 have the ability to absorb more water than 74-77% CaCl2.

Absortech uses calcium chloride as an absorbent in our desiccants because it is more efficient than other types of desiccants such as silica gel and clay desiccants.

Born superior

It can attract several times its own weight in water, and if the air is humid enough and the temperature is hot enough, it will dissolve into liquid brine. Liquid brine is either collected in a collector or mixed with modified starch to form a gel within its packaging.

Absorptive capacity

Calcium chloride desiccants absorb more moisture when the relative humidity (RH) of the surrounding air is high. And its absorption increases exponentially with increasing relative humidity, a remarkable result compared to other desiccants such as silica gel and clay.

Sustainable choice

Other desiccants may include toxic substances. For example, silica gel with an indicator can include cobalt, a toxic substance. Calcium chloride, on the other hand, is a natural product and has no negative impact on the environment. However, the main environmental advantage of using calcium chloride desiccants compared to other types of desiccants is, of course, that these desiccants are more efficient, so the amount and weight of desiccant used for the same protection is much lower. By choosing the most efficient desiccant, you can save a lot of plastic, transport and CO2 emissions. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions is one of the most important challenges facing our future.