eBay

Description

Premium Blue Indicating Silica Gel Beads in 4kg packs.

  • Highest Quality Blue Indicating Silica Gel Beads.
  • Reusable - Can be regenerated & reused multiple times.
  • Non flammable, inert.
  • Bead size is 1 - 2mm diameter.
  • Changes from blue to pink when beads are exhausted & require recharging.

Our blue indicating Silica Gel Beads are premium grade small diameter beads (1-2mm diameter) that are ideal for flower drying, or to protect electronic appliances, documents, photographs, leather goods, clothing, tools & other valuables from the damaging effects of moisture. Moisture is present in the air not only when it is wet & rainy, but also when it is hot & humid. Mould & mildew thrive in moist environments, not to mention the damaging effects of rust & rot when moisture is present. Moisture can also play havoc with electronic equipment such as cameras, video cameras, & other electronics.

With many other desiccants, once they have reached maximum moisture holding capacity, will start to leak out the moisture they have absorbed, & become wet & soggy, potentially damaging the items they are supposed to be protecting. Some of these desiccants may also leach alkaline or acidic chemicals or dyes & other impurities, further damaging the items they are meant to be protecting.

Our Silica Gel will always remain dry to touch, even when it has reached its maximum moisture holding capacity. It will also remain totally inert, meaning it will never leach out any harmful substance.

Suggested Use

  • Ideal for flower drying (Small 1-2mm bead diameter).
  • Place Silica Gel in open top containers & place in your wardrobe or with your valuable documents, stamp collections & photographs.
  • Place Silica Gel sachets with your tools to keep them free of rust.
  • Place Silica Gel sachets with your cameras to keep them free of moisture.
  • Place Silica Gel sachets in your wardrobes to keep clothing & leather goods dry.
  • Place Silica Gel sachets in your laundry basket with your clothes to prevent mildew.
  • Essential for preventing mould on leather.
  • Use for drying flowers, in gun safes, the uses are endless!

Silica gel works best if they are in a sealed container or sealed plastic bag with the item or items to be protected.

How to Reuse/Regenerate The Silica Gel

You should regenerate the silica gel beads when the moisture content by weight of the gel is above 30%. This can be determined by weighing the beads. If the weight is 30% or more of the starting weight, then it is time to regenerate the beads.

To regenerate the beads, place on a tray in the oven at approx 105 to 120 deg Celsius for 2-3 hours. Beads may also be re-generated in the microwave.

The beads may also be left out to dry in the hot sun. Place outside in a single layer on a tray in full sun. Note that this method works best only if the humidity (moisture in the air) is very low (below 50%).

What is Silica Gel Desiccant?

Silica gel is an amorphous form of silicon dioxide, which is synthetically produced in the form of hard irregular granules (having the appearance of crystals) or hard irregular beads. A micro-porous structure of interlocking cavities gives a very high surface area (800 square meters per gram). It is this structure that makes silica gel a high capacity desiccant. Water molecules adhere to the gels surface because it exhibits a lower vapour pressure than the surrounding air.

When an equilibrium of equal pressure is reached, no more adsorption occurs. Thus the higher the humidity of the surrounding air, the greater the amount of water that is adsorbed before equilibrium is reached. It is in these higher humidity conditions (above 50% Relative Humidity) that stored or in-transit items are susceptible to damage.The beauty of silica gel is the physical adsorption of water vapour into its internal pores. There is no chemical reaction, no by products or side effects. Even when saturated with water vapour, silica gel still has the appearance of a dry product, its shape unchanged.