silicagelsingapore01

[silicagelsingapore01]

Basics of Silica Gel Desiccant

Silica Gel Desiccant is a granular substance that is made from another substance called sodium silicate. It is a desiccant in an amorphous form synthetically produced from silicon dioxide. Although, it is termed as a gel, the desiccant is basically in the form of translucent, hard granules.

Brief Description of Silica Gel

As aforementioned, silica gel is an amorphous substance in the form of irregular granules having an appearance of crystals or beads. It is a micro-porous structure consisting of an interlocking cavity that offers a high surface area. It is because of this structure silica gel is qualified as a high capacity desiccant. The water molecules present in the substance remain on the surface of the gel because of its low vapor pressure. Ultimately, when the desiccant attains an equilibrium condition of equal pressure the process of adsorption does not occur further.

What is Silica Gel Desiccant?

Normally, these materials are used in businesses that want to prevent products or goods from getting damaged due to excess moisture. Silicon dioxide is an ideally conceived material and the best ingredient in the desiccant that helps adsorb water and control the moisture content in a given condition.

Generally, desiccants are available in sachets; however, for some cases they are obtained in loose form too. Since they are typically found in a granulated form and not in a proper gel form, they can be enclosed in small sachets of breathable material. The sachet sizes totally depends on the volume of air that silica is likely to keep dry. The benefit of using this material is the amount of adsorption of water it regulates, which is known to be around 40% of original dry weight of a standard desiccant.

The working process of desiccant gel is straightforward. The beauty of the entire process lies in the art of physical adsorption of water vapor entering into its internal pores. The higher the humidity of the atmospheric air, maximum amount of water is absorbed before the substance attains its equilibrium.

Indicating Silica Gel

Some desiccants imbibe an indicator, also known as indicating silica gel singapore desiccant that exhibits similar features as that of a common, regular form. The color of the gel granules change once it attains certain conditions. For instance, when the silica is dry, the chemicals turn orange, some turn into green color with moisture present and others turn from orange to white in color. Blue silica changes its color to pink when it completely saturates.