Silica Gel Desiccant is a granular substance that is made from another substance known as sodium silicate. It's a desiccant in an amorphous form synthetically generated from silicon dioxide. Although, it is termed as a gel, the desiccant is basically in the kind of translucent, hard granules.
Brief Description of Silica Gel
As above, silica gel is an amorphous substance in the shape of irregular granules having an appearance of crystals or beads. It is a micro-porous structure composed of a interlocking cavity that provides a top surface area. It is because of this structure silica gel is characterized as a high capacity desiccant. The water molecules within the material stay on the surface of the gel because of its low vapor pressure. Ultimately, once the desiccant attains an equilibrium condition of equal pressure the process of adsorption doesn't happen further.
What is Silica Gel Desiccant?
Usually, these substances are employed in businesses looking to stop goods or products from becoming damaged due to excess moisture. Silicon dioxide is a ideally conceived substance and the ideal ingredient from the desiccant which aids adsorb water and control the moisture content in a specific condition.
Generally, desiccants are available in sachets; nonetheless, for some cases they're obtained in loose form too. Since they are generally found at a granulated form rather than in the right gel type, they may be enclosed in tiny sachets of breathable material. The sachet sizes totally depends on the volume of air that silica is very likely to maintain dry. The advantage of using this material is the amount of adsorption of water it regulates, which is proven to be around 40% of initial dry weight of a standard desiccant.
The working process of desiccant gel is simple. The beauty of the entire procedure is in the art of physical adsorption of water vapor entering its internal pores. The greater the humidity of the atmospheric atmosphere, the maximum quantity of water is consumed before the material attains its own equilibrium.
Indicating Silica Gel
Some desiccants imbibe an indicator, also known as indicating silica gel desiccant that exhibits similar characteristics as that of a common, regular type. The color of the gel granules shift once it accomplishes specific ailments. For example, once the silica remains dry, the chemicals turn orange, some turn into green color with moisture present and the others turn from orange to white in color. Blue silica alters its color to pink as it totally saturates.
Silica gels are not harmful when they are subjected to people or if ingested. These materials can be placed in the packaging because they prove to be the handiest materials in any product that may get damaged because of moisture content.