Cryogenic Blasting in South Florida
CO2 (Dry ice) Blasting - The Rising Star in Industrial Cleaning Applications
Dry ice blasting is an efficient and cost-effective way for industries to maximize production capability and quality.
What is Dry Ice Blasting?
Dry Ice Blasting is similar to sand blasting, plastic bead
blasting, or soda blasting. This is where a medium is
accelerated in a pressurized air stream to impact a
surface to be cleaned or prepared. Instead of using hard
abrasive media to grind on a surface (and damage it), Dry
Ice Blasting uses soft dry ice, accelerated at supersonic
speeds, and creates mini-explosions on the surface to lift
the undesirable item off the underlying substrate.
Dry Ice Blasting has many unique and superior benefits over traditional blasting media.
South Florida Dry Ice Blasting:
- is a non-abrasive, nonflammable and nonconductive cleaning method
- is environmentally-friendly and contains no secondary contaminants such as solvents or grit media
- is clean and approved for use in the food industry
- allows most items to be cleaned in place without time-consuming disassembly
- can be used without damaging active electrical or mechanical parts or creating fire hazards
- can be used to remove production residues, release agents, contaminants, paints, oils and biofilms
- can be as gentle as dusting smoke damage from books or as aggressive as removing weld slag from tooling
- can be used for many general cleaning applications
Dry Ice Blasting uses compressed air to accelerate frozen carbon dioxide (CO2) "dry ice" pellets to a high velocity. A compressed air supply of 80 PSI/50 scfm can be used in this process. Pellets are made from food grade carbon dioxide that has been specifically approved by the FDA, the EPA and the USDA. Carbon dioxide is a non-poisonous, liquefied gas, which is both inexpensive and easily stored at work sites.
Dry Ice Blasting system is an environmentally, employee and equipment-friendly alternative to most conventional surface preparation and cleaning methods.
How Does Your Current Cleaning Process Compare?
BGM Dry ice blasting is the superior alternative to Media Blasting, Solvents, Water, Steam, Hand Cleaning, Chemicals and Abrasives. BGM Cold Jet dry ice blasting is an environmentally, employee and equipment friendly alternative to most conventional surface preparation and cleaning methods. Compare below current cleaning process to the dry ice blast cleaning process and see how Cold Jet can offer a better service for you.
| Cleaning Method | Secondary Waste | Electrically Conductive | Abrasive | Toxic | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Ice | No | No | No | No | Excellent |
| Sand Blasting | Yes | No | Yes | * | Good |
| Soda Blasting | Yes | No | Yes | * | Good |
| Water Blasting | Yes | Yes | No | * | Ok |
| Solvents/Chemicals | Yes | N/A | No | Yes | Limited |
| Power Tools | No | N/A | Yes | N/A | Limited |
| Hand Tools | No | N/A | Yes | N/A | Limited |
*Upon contact, traditional blasting materials become contaminated when used to clean hazardous substances and objects. These blasting materials are also then classified as toxic waste and require appropriate safe disposal.
BIG GREEN MEN Dry Ice Blasting vs the Others
Standard Blasting vs BIG GREEN MEN Dry Ice Blasting comparison:
Abrasive Blasting (Sand)
This process results in some level of cleanliness and roughness with sand being the most common blasting media. Like all open blasting, sandblasting creates fugitive dust, and this dust is usually toxic. In all cases, it is a nuisance, creating mess and dramatically shortening the life of all nearby moving parts through wear.
BGM Cold Jet dry ice blasting uses nonabrasive dry ice that won't wear away the surface being cleaned and won't create additional waste for disposal. BGM Cold Jet dry ice blasting is the logical choice when no surface roughness is desired.
Soda Blasting
Soda Blasting is generally an effective cleaning method. However, Soda Blasting, like all open blasting, creates a great deal of secondary waste. Often, the time spent blasting is matched, if not doubled by the time it takes to clean up the extra waste soda blasting creates. In fact, the residue and waste left behind by soda blasting can adhere to wood and other substrates being blasted.
BIG GREEN MEN Cold Jet dry ice blasting uses nonabrasive dry ice that often surpasses the clean left behind by soda, but does so without leaving any secondary waste to dispose of. There is also some debate as to the effects soda blasting can have on the PH levels of the soil it comes into contact with after blasting. Since Cold Jet leaves no secondary waste to attend to, the entire project time and the secondary mess are drastically reduced.
(Ultra-)High Pressure Water Blasting
While it is among the fastest methods of cleaning, water blasting nevertheless has limited applications. On steel surfaces, for example, it cannot create any specific surface profile, which is a key parameter in paint performance. Also, the use of water induces flash rusting, which makes paint or coating application more difficult and risky. Furthermore the use of water blasting on production equipment including automated welding lines, presses, motors and machine tools can result in severe electrical problems. Many customers tell us that water blasting is the quickest way to burn up a motor.
BGM Cold Jet dry ice blasting can be used on any variety of materials as well as on or near electrical equipment. Because dry ice evaporates quickly, equipment stays clean and dry. Waste streams are minimized as no additional waste (such as wastewater) results from the cleaning process.
Solvent Cleaning
Most solvent cleaning processes involve substances that are detrimental to the environment and worker safety. When solvents are used to dissolve unwanted surface materials, a subsequent flushing, rinsing or hand tool operation is frequently required to remove the dissolved materials. Equipment must often be disassembled or extensively prepared prior to the solvent cleaning to protect sensitive portions. Solvent management and disposal are also costly issues for businesses.
BGM Cold Jet dry ice blasting dissolves and blasts away unwanted material in one step. Like solvent baths, the BGM Cold Jet dry ice blasting process can simultaneously clean numerous objects with differing, complex geometries. Plus, the BGM Cold Jet dry ice blasting system provides safe, thorough, in-place cleaning for components, subassemblies and complete machines. The dry ice evaporates on contact with the surface, preventing the creation of any secondary waste stream for cleanup.
Power Tool Cleaning
Power tool cleaning can provide a quick solution for flat, simple geometries-but it can also damage or wear down surfaces.
BGM Cold Jet dry ice blasting provides the benefits of power tool cleaning without added "wear" on expensive molds and other production tooling. This, combined with an increased cleaning rate, is the reason EBS Cold Jet dry ice blasting is rapidly replacing power tool cleaning in these operations.
Hand Tool Cleaning
Quick, easy tasks that would take too long to set up for more mechanized approaches are often accomplished by employees who clean only defined areas and use specified hand tools that may end up damaging your equipment.
Top Reasons Dry Ice Blasting is superior:
- Superior clean
- Machines and various surfaces can be cleaned in place
- Quicker clean
- Non-abrasive, nonflammable and nonconductive
- No secondary waste clean up
- Can get into tight spaces that many other methods can not
- Environmentally friendly: meets USDA, FDA and EPA guidelines
- Clean enough for the food industry, strong enough for everything else
Environmental Facts about Dry Ice Blasting
Did you know... Dry Ice Blasting is Clean and Safe?
- Dry ice blasting has been approved by the EPA, FDA, and USDA as an acceptable cleaning method
- Dry ice blasting is safe to use with food processing equipment
- Dry ice blasting does not release harmful gases into the atmosphere
- Dry ice blasting does not generate secondary waste
- Dry ice blasting is safe and non-toxic (once pellets impact the surface they dissipate into the atmosphere)
- Dry ice blasting reduces or eliminates employee exposure to (and corporate liability from) the use of dangerous chemical cleaning agents
Other cleaning methods can be toxic
- Sand, soda, or water blasting can leave toxic secondary waste to be cleaned up in addition to the toxic substrate
- Sand, soda, or water blasting can create downstream contamination that effects surrounding installations
- Soda blasting can kill surrounding vegetation
- Chemical and solvent cleaning methods are toxic, which creates toxic waste to be disposed of
- Workers are exposed to potentially harmful substances through the use of chemicals and solvents
Completely Environmentally Friendly
In addition to being clean and safe, it is also important to remember that dry ice is obtained as a byproduct of other industrial processes - i.e. it is made from reclaimed CO2. It does not produce CO2 or add CO2 to the atmosphere and therefore does not contribute to the greenhouse effect.
Dry ice blasting is truly, and completely, environmentally friendly!
Dry Ice Blasting & Fire Restoration
Reduce cleaning time up to 80%, EBS dry ice blasting has become the preferred method to remove smoke soot, vaporized synthetic resins and char. EBS dry ice blasting has even been known to reduce or eliminate the musty burnt smell that results from fire, smoke and water damage.
EBS dry ice blasting provides fast and efficient removal of smoke damage, even in the tight angles of trusses, around nails, wiring and all plumbing without damage to the surface integrity.
A fire can cause soot, smoke damage and charring to wood, brick, concrete and metal. This type of damage is unsightly and holds odor. Traditionally, the removal method has been sanding, scraping and wire brushing. With EBS, this long and tedious process can be eliminated.
EBS, a technological leader in the dry ice blasting industry, provides the complete blasting solution for any fire restoration project. EBS has carefully considered the needs of the Restoration Professional, and has developed a system that allows for easy entry into tight places, otherwise impossible to reach, and smoke damage removal in drastically less time than any traditional removal method. No other company can provide the variety of essential nozzles and accessories to ensure removal from the multitudes of angles a restoration professional typically encounters.
Using traditional methods, three to five technicians could complete a typical fire restoration project in five or six working days. However, with the EBS dry ice blasting solution, two technicians can complete that very same job in two days. Therefore, residents have lower displacement costs and the contractor can take on more work with reduced labor costs.
The dry ice blasting process by EBS can eliminate or significantly reduce the odor that is left behind by fire damage. Typically, 24 hours after blasting, the odor is undetectable. This means that the use of encapsulation can be drastically reduced in fire restoration. EBS dry ice blasting provides a clean that the other methods simply cannot match.
In addition, the EBS process has no secondary waste stream. So, when you are done cleaning, there is no need to go back and clean up the added mess other blasting medias, such as soda, water and sand, can leave behind.
Dry Ice Blasting & Mold Remediation
Reduce cleaning time up to 80%, EBS dry ice blasting removes 100% of mold spores from wood, and it does so up to 80% faster than traditional cleaning methods. Dry ice blasting provides complete removal even in the tight angles of trusses, around nails, wiring and all plumbing without damage.
Dry ice blasting is rapidly increasing the amount of mold remediation projects a firm can perform, due to a 60-80% time and manpower reduction, as well as the technology's ability to thoroughly remove mold spores from wood. Add to that the ability to reach tight, confined areas without the significant lack of sanding and scraping; and no secondary waste streams.
The existence of mold in a building is the symptom of much larger problem with moisture. As any mold remediator knows, eliminating the moisture problem is the only way to assure the mold will not return. Once the moisture problem has been solved, remediation of the existing mold is top priority. Mold can cause a great deal of health problems and can severely damage the integrity of a building's structure. So, removing the mold in its entirety is vital to any mold remediation project.
The only way to ensure 100% mold spore removal from wood is through dry ice blasting. EBS, a technological leader in the dry ice blasting industry, provides the complete blasting solution for any mold removal project. EBS has carefully considered the needs of the Mold Remediation expert and has developed a system that allows for easy entry into tight places, otherwise impossible to reach, and 100% spore removal in drastically less time than any traditional removal method. No other company can provide the variety of essential nozzles and accessories to ensure complete spore removal from the multitudes of angles a mold remediator typically encounters.
Using the traditional methods of sanding and scraping a mold infested attic, three technicians would typically complete an attic job in five or six working days. However, with the EBS dry ice blasting solution, two technicians can complete that very same job in two days. Therefore, residents have lower displacement costs and the remediators can take on more remediation work.
The unpleasant and uncomfortable process of squeezing into tight corners to sand the mold off of wood trusses and joists, only to have mold spores remain, is soon to become a thing of the past. EBS dry ice blasting provides for complete spore removal from wood. This means that the use of biocides and encapsulation can be drastically reduced or eliminated, as these registered pesticides were used as a back-up method to kill and contain left over mold spores. However, dead mold is still allergenic and must be removed. EBS removes all mold spores, so these chemicals are no longer needed.
Big Green Men - The Dry Ice Jet Blaster
For cleaning, stripping and restoring of interiors for example; fire place, wood beams, wood and wrought iron stairway railings, iron window and entrance gates, kitchen hoods, A/C handlers, wood floors, antique doors and trim, the Dry Ice Jet Blaster is the newest technology available. No other system today has the ability to strip and clean without the mess of sand and water left behind by other cleaning systems. Using dry ice as our source of cleaning media, surfaces are gently blasted at 110 degree below zero. Water instantly evaporates. The only waste produced is the surface coating being removed. There is no secondary waste to clean up or contaminate the work area.
In Marine and Aviation; engines, engine rooms and interiors are safely degreased and stripped away of mold, paints and other coatings without damaging rubber gaskets, controls, electrical and non water resistant equipment.
For auto and truck restorations, steel and fiberglass surfaces are gently stripped of paints and primers leaving only the original bare surface. Steel, chrome and aluminum surfaces are left clean. With the Dry Ice Jet Blaster there is no need to deal with toxic and messy chemical strippers and abrasive sand blasting.
In commercial applications, the Dry Ice Jet Blaster cleans and restores operation of printing presses, food grade processing equipment, conveyor belts, greasy kitchens, refrigerators, floors, and much more without the damage and mess of water and toxic chemicals.
The Dry Ice Jet Blaster is without a doubt the only solution when it comes to interior cleaning and refinishing.
Learn more about our South Florida Dry Ice blasting:
Call your South Florida dry ice blasters today for the most advanced cleaning services around!
