man using dry ice to clean surface

Protecting The Environment

The environmentally friendly choice to clean a variety of surfaces, dry ice blasting reduces harmful waste that can be generated by cleaning with detergents or chemicals. Versus traditional cleaning methods, including sand blasting, water blasting, soda blasting, hand cleaning, or solvents and chemicals, dry ice blasting produces no secondary waste, reducing the debris generated to minimal levels. By removing the need to contain and remove these cleaning agents, dry ice blasting allows for approximately 500sf of surface to be cleaned per hour! 

A Sustainable Alternative 

The dry ice used for blasting is created through the use of reclaimed CO2,  giving new life to a byproduct of other industrial processes without creating additional off gasses. Evaporating on contact, this CO2 does not produce secondary waste or further contribute to the emission of greenhouse gasses. With the ability to provide a variety of cleaning pressures, from 60 to 250 PSI, dry ice blasting can be used on sensitive or delicate materials as well. 

When using dry ice blasting, surface coatings like paint oil, adhesives, and accumulated debris shrink from the rapid change in temperatures and are forcibly blown off the surfaces they are attached to, leaving your product clean and dry. Eliminating the need for water and reducing hazardous waste or chemical drainage, cleanup following dry ice blasting is as easy as sweeping up the residue that has been removed from the surfaces.  

Approved by the EPA, USDA, and FDA, and safe for food-use among a variety of other applications, you are able to clean equipment in-place, without dismantling or accommodating for equipment cool-down.

Adding in Abrasives

Without the use of abrasives to remove an array of contaminants, dry ice blasting allows you to clean many surfaces without profiling or altering the appearance and texture of the product. There are times, though, that stubborn rust and contaminants need the help of an abrasive media to achieve the desired end result. By adding crushed garnet or recycled glass abrasive media into the dry ice stream, you can achieve the proper surface finish. Even these media can be recycled and contribute to the environmentally conscious use of dry ice blasting. Garnet blasting media as an alternative to silica sand that produces less dust and is safer for both wet and dry abrasive blasting. Crushed garnet can be reused several times in the blasting process, with the medium becoming more rounded with each use, while scouring deep into cavities and pitted surfaces to remove all rust, salts and contaminants. 

Reducing your carbon footprint and increasing your green initiatives, glass beads are another abrasive media that can be incorporated into the dry ice stream to increase the strength of the blast. Glass beads are made from recycled glass bottles and can be used multiple times before replacement is needed.  With repeated use, these glass beads become smoother, making it possible to reuse when a gentler abrasion is needed, or when working with delicate materials or complex or fragile parts.  

One of the biggest advantages to dry ice blasting is the elimination of toxic chemicals within the cleaning process, reducing both the damage to the environment and to the overall health of your employees, customers, and contractors. 

Work With General Abrasives

Offering services for dry ice blasting, General Abrasives provides an environmentally responsible solution that keeps employees safe by reducing harmful chemical use and tedious manual cleaning and keeps the work area free of secondary waste like dust and runoff. With our dry ice blasting services, we provide clients with 30 years of experience, proudly serving clients across South Louisiana. Protect your investment in your equipment and your employees with our proven cleaning services. Contact our team today to learn more and schedule a free demo.