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A quick look through Yahoo!'s Dry Ice category brought us to ABC Ice House, a company that makes dry ice for the trade and retail customers. This company's web site provided many details under the link "Dry Ice, What is it?" Also in this category, we found a company that makes the presses used to manufacture dry ice. Basically, dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is usually found as a gas -- it's what we exhale. To make dry ice, CO2 is compressed, and it liquefies
at a pressure of approximately 870 pounds per square inch. The dry ice press then reduces the pressure, and part of the liquid CO2 sublimates (meaning it turns from a solid into a gas). The remaining liquid freezes into flakes that are compacted into solid blocks. The resulting dry ice is denser, heavier, and colder than ice made from water. Dry ice is used commercially for shipping and storing food products and is also used in industrial cleaning operations. At home, dry ice makes a great addition to Halloween decorations and beverages.
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