Dry ice blasting is a low-abrasion industrial cleaning method that uses solid CO₂ pellets accelerated by compressed air to lift contamination off surfaces. Unlike sandblasting, soda blasting, or pressure washing, it adds no spent blast media — the pellets sublimate (transition directly from solid to gas) on impact, so the only waste stream is the dislodged contaminant itself, which has to be contained and collected.
How the process works
Three things happen at the moment a pellet strikes a contaminated surface: kinetic impact, thermal shock, and gas expansion. The kinetic energy fractures the surface bond between contaminant and substrate. The –78 °C pellet temperature creates a thermal differential that embrittles the contaminant layer. And as the pellet sublimates, the CO₂ gas expands roughly 800-fold in microseconds, lifting the loosened contaminant clear of the substrate.
Crucially, none of this damages the underlying substrate. Pellet hardness is far below that of metal, paint, plastic, or food-contact stainless. The pellet has done its job and disappeared the instant after impact.
What it cleans
- Carbonized grease, oil, and lubricants
- Resin, ink, paint overspray, and adhesives
- Soot, smoke residue, and char
- Mold release, food residue, and product buildup
- Light corrosion and oxidation
- Many coatings (when removal is the intent)
What it doesn't replace
Dry ice is a mechanical cleaning step. It removes physical contamination. It does not sanitize (you still apply your sanitizer per SSOP), it does not strip paint at typical industrial pressures, and it does not remove heavy structural rust. It pairs well with — but does not replace — chemical sanitation, abrasive blasting for paint stripping, or media blasting for heavy corrosion.
Why customers choose it
The shortlist: no process water, no cleaning chemicals, no abrasive media, no added blast-media waste stream, and reduced disassembly on many assets — with dislodged contaminant contained and collected as the remaining waste stream. For any cleaning problem where one of those constraints matters, dry ice is often the right tool, subject to site qualification.