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Our container desiccants are easy to use and occupy minimum space. Ideal for long shipments and storage, our desiccants use calcium chloride to efficiently remove moisture from the air. Offering 10 times moisture reduction compared to silica gel, they are perfect for transportation and storage.
A desiccant is a substance designed to reduce moisture. It’s produced from a chemical substance, such as silica or calcium chloride, which has the capacity to absorb water and remove humidity from the air.
A container desiccant is specifically designed to reduce moisture in shipping containers and to protect goods during storage or transport. They keep conditions dry by removing moisture from the surrounding environment.
The Absorpole for example will be placed inside a container. It then removes moisture using an innovative, carbon-neutral, calcium chloride compound.
There are a number of container desiccant products available, so it’s important to select the best product for your needs. The Absorpole is best used for long-haul shipments and cold temperatures, while the AbsorGel range is effective in tightly paced containers, where space is limited.
All our desiccants contain calcium chloride, which is highly effective at removing moisture from the air, and far better than silica gel.
In fact, calcium chloride absorption capacity is 10 times higher than silica gel.
And when you look at the environmental aspect, it’s estimated that the carbon footprint of silica gel is 20 times higher than that of calcium chloride.
One question we get asked a lot is what the benefits of our AbsorGel (calcium chloride desiccants) are compared to silica gel. The short answer is the increased absorption capacity the AbsorGel desiccant offers.
Silica gel can typically hold around 25% of its weight in water. On the other hand, our AbsorGel® desiccants can hold around 250% to 300% their own weight. That means AbsorGel is over 10 times more effective at absorbing moisture than silica gel.
The higher absorption rate of AbsorGel® means you need a lot less of it than silica gel for the same effect. So for packing shipping containers, this will also shorten installation and removal, along with reducing handling requirements.
If you use small pouches of silica gel (1 to 10 g), it can be difficult to reduce the amount of desiccant, but there are still a number of other benefits:
Some leading garment manufacturers have banned certain silica gel pouches as they may contain small amounts of cobalt (II) chloride. Cobalt (II) chloride is a dangerous and poisonous substance that can cause contamination and impact our health.
AbsorGel® on the other hand is a natural desiccant containing calcium chloride, a compound present in nature.
A shipping container desiccant such as Absorpole or AbsorGel is specifically designed to absorb moisture over long periods of time. After all, they are intended to be used in shipping containers transported worldwide.
The exact length of time that a container desiccant lasts depends on the environmental conditions, the amount of moisture being absorbed, and the number of desiccants placed in a single container. Generally, you can expect a product such as the Absorpole to be effective for 12 weeks. You can maximise this by selecting the best type of container desiccant for your shipping requirements, and by strategically placing desiccants amongst cargo.
During long journeys, it’s easy for moisture to build up inside containers. Unfortunately, excess moisture build-up isn’t good for the products bring shipped. Excess moisture and humidity can cause rusting, contamination and degradation of goods, so it’s important to keep moisture out of containers.
While desiccants are an effective moisture control method, there are several other best practices that can be followed to avoid moisture build-up:
Condensation occurs when hot air hits a cold surface. Condensation can lead to build-ups of moisture within shipping containers, which in turn can lead to damaged goods and unhappy customers.
Condensation is best controlled using a combination of methods, including removing moisture from the air with the use of an effective container desiccant such as Absorpole or AbsorGel.
The temperature of containers can be regulated to ensure there are no cold surfaces where condensation can form, while dehumidifiers and ventilation remove moisture and heat.
Due to differences in the process of sourcing silica gel and calcium chloride, the general figures point to calcium chloride’s carbon footprint being half of silica gel’s. Furthermore, you have to use 10 times as much silica gel compared to calcium chloride. The result being that the carbon footprint of calcium chloride desiccants is 1/20 of that of silica gel.
Plus, the Absorpole is the first carbon neutral desiccant in the market. The plastic is made from 100% recycled material with a carbon footprint 60% less than regular PP plastic. All unavoidable carbon dioxide emissions related to the production and sourcing of the new Absorpole have been calculated and compensated via Gold Standard projects.
If you require assistance selecting the best shipping container desiccant for your storage and transport needs, the team at ITP Packaging are here to help. Our range of Absorpole desiccant products is easy to use and offers as much as 10 times more moisture reduction compared to standard silica gels. Contact our friendly staff today to find out more.
ITP Packaging was formed in 2013 as an independent supplier of Industrial, Transit and Protective Packaging for the manufacturing industries. In 2018 the business moved into the online marketplace with its core aim to be ‘The number one supplier of Industrial, Transit and Protective Packaging through customer satisfaction’. Read more about us
ITP Packaging was formed in 2013 as an independent supplier of Industrial, Transit and Protective Packaging for the manufacturing industries. In 2018 the business moved into the online marketplace with its core aim to be ‘The number one supplier of Industrial, Transit and Protective Packaging through customer satisfaction’. Read more about us
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