Collection: Silica Gel Packets

What is Silica Gel?

Silica gel is a highly effective desiccant widely used to control humidity and moisture in various applications. Composed of silicon dioxide (SiO2), the same material found in sand, silica gel is an amorphous and porous substance. Its tiny particles boast a large surface area, enabling it to absorb and retain significant amounts of moisture from the air. This remarkable property makes silica gel an indispensable drying agent across numerous industries, from pharmaceuticals to electronics, ensuring products remain dry and free from moisture-related damage. Some silica gel packets are coated with cobalt chloride, which acts as a moisture indicator by changing colour from blue when dry to pink when saturated.

How Silica Gel Works

Silica gel is a desiccant that operates by absorbing moisture from the air, effectively reducing the humidity levels in its surroundings. The silica gel beads are filled with millions of nanometer-sized pores, which significantly increase their surface area and enhance their drying power. When these beads come into contact with moisture, they absorb the water molecules, thereby making the air drier. This absorption process is reversible, meaning that the silica gel can be reused by heating it to remove the absorbed moisture. This remarkable ability to absorb and release moisture makes silica gel an invaluable tool for controlling humidity in various applications.

Properties and Characteristics

Silica gel possesses several key properties that make it an excellent choice for moisture control. One of its standout features is its high surface area, which allows it to effectively absorb and retain moisture from the air. The porous structure of silica gel beads further enhances this capability, making it a powerful drying agent. Importantly, silica gel is non-toxic, making it safe for use in a variety of applications, including food storage and packaging. However, it’s crucial to note that silica gel can pose a choking hazard if ingested, so it should always be kept out of reach of children and pets. These characteristics collectively make silica gel a versatile and reliable solution for managing moisture.

Silica gel is also used in cat litter products to absorb moisture and control odours.

Uses of Silica Gel

Silica gel’s ability to control humidity and absorb moisture makes it incredibly versatile, with a wide range of applications. Here are some common uses:

• Keeping snacks and spices dry: In humid environments, silica gel packets can be placed in containers to keep snacks and spices from becoming soggy.
• Preventing spoilage in food products: By controlling excess humidity, silica gel helps prevent spoilage and extends the shelf life of food items.
• Protecting electronics: Silica gel is used to dry out phone lenses, camera lenses, and other electronic items prone to moisture damage.
• Preserving homemade jerky and dried fruits: Silica gel packets help keep homemade jerky and dried fruits dry and fresh.
• Removing moisture from salt shakers: Placing silica gel packets in salt shakers prevents the salt from clumping in humid conditions.
• Maintaining museum and library exhibits: Silica gel is used to control relative humidity in museum and library exhibitions and storage, protecting valuable artifacts and documents.
• Medical and diagnostic applications: Silica gel is used in diagnostic test strips, inhalation devices, syringes, drug test kits, and hospital sanitation kits to maintain product integrity.

Safety Precautions and Handling

While silica gel is generally non-toxic, it is essential to handle silica gel packets with care to avoid potential hazards. Silica gel can pose a choking hazard, especially for small children, so it should always be kept out of reach of children and pets. When handling silica gel, it is advisable to wear gloves and work in a well-ventilated area to avoid inhaling any dust. If silica gel is accidentally ingested, it is crucial to drink water to help the gel pass through the digestive system safely.

Valdamark Silica Gel Solutions

High-Performance Sorbents for Demanding Projects

Valdamark offers a comprehensive range of silica gel solutions tailored to meet the needs of the most demanding projects. Our silica gel packets are crafted from premium-quality silica gel beads, designed to absorb and retain moisture efficiently. Available in various sizes, these packets can be customised to suit the specific requirements of your project, ensuring optimal performance. Whether you need to protect sensitive electronics, pharmaceuticals, or other moisture-sensitive products, Valdamark’s silica gel packs provide a reliable and effective solution to keep your items dry and safe.

Valdamark Silica Gel solutions focus around the high performance range of sorbents designed and tested for the most demanding of projects in a cross section of industries.

Silica gel is a porous, granular, and transparent form of silicon dioxide that displays impressive water vapour retention ability.

Little packets of silica gel are effective moisture absorbers for various household items. Non-indicating silica gel can absorb up to 40% of its own weight in moisture. In commercial and retail markets this can prevent the build up and growth of mold on products as well as other hazards that would lead to moisture damage like condensation.

Valdamark is the master distributor for Multisorb Filtration Group (formerly Multisorb Technologies) silica gel and desiccant products.

Solutions primarily focus on Multisorb’s active packaging approach. Here we take a holistic view of your project requirements to gain deep a understanding of what it is you are looking to achieve. The active packaging concept is designed to ensure drug product stay safe, effective, reaching the end user defect free and in factory condition.

You make the medicine whilst we preserve the efficacy with Silica Gel by controlling moisture

When it comes to the medical, pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors Multisorb products ‘best in class’, trusted by the worlds biggest logo’s.

When dealing in heavily regulated sectors it is essential for our clients that their products are optimally protected whilst conforming in full to their respective regulatory requirements.

Silica gel is used to remove moisture in medical and pharmaceutical packaging to maintain product integrity.

Quality is built into the DNA of the Multisorb brand. Regular audits and host audits are conducted by customers themselves to ensure efficacy. Our scientific and R&D capabilities allow us to forecast and calculate the anticipated effects of moisture over time. Using a special isotherm developed by our scientists in house we can measure the exact absorption capacity for a drug substance within it’s specific package. This innovative technology allows our teams to determine the optimal equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) over a period of time and match the precise amount of sorbent for a given application.

Silica gel & lower total cost of ownership

When considering the total cost of ownership (TCO) for silica gel we like to emphasise the ‘value equation’ that surrounds the use of our products. Often the cheaper, less efficient products work out to be more expensive in the long term. We can help you decipher these costs and expenses allowing you to make an informed ‘figures led’ decision.

Silica gel packets are also used in salt shakers to prevent salt from clumping in humid environments, offering a practical application in food storage.

A brand held to a higher standard

Multisorb’s quality is second-to-none. Our clients are always reassured that our packaging solutions protect their products and conform to all regulatory requirements. Some silica gel packets include a moisture indicator that changes color to show moisture levels. Our regulatory affairs and compliance staff are well qualified experts who ensure our product solutions meet all the relevant regulatory requirements.

Our Silica Gel solutions are certified to be non toxic:

• ISO 9001:2015 Registered.
• GFSI FCCS 22000 Certified.
• 21 CFR Parts 210-211 (cGMP) compliant.
• Certified for EU 10/2011 on food contact.

They provide market leading protection for moisture sensitive products when being transported or stored. Silica packets are effective in preventing moisture damage to various items such as snacks, ammunition, and seeds.

Metal based products, retail goods, nutraceuticals, diagnostics equipment and electronics are all perfect for use in conjunction with Minipax Silica Gel Sachets and Desiccant products. However a product as versatile as this is constantly discovering new uses for itself.

Our Silica Gel solutions are certified to be non-toxic

Our silica gel packets are made from high-quality, food-safe silica gel beads that are certified to be non-toxic. We take pride in providing safe and reliable products that meet the highest standards of quality and safety. These certifications ensure that our silica gel packets are suitable for use in various applications, including food storage and packaging.