We usually see it in ice cream carts, keeping our favorite desert nice and frozen. But just what is dry ice and is there anything else to use it for outside of ice cream? In fact, dry ice has a multitude of uses. Think about what it is first. Is is the solid state of carbon, much colder than water ice so it freezes or cools things faster and more efficiently. Two, it does not melt into water, but sublimates directly to carbon dioxide gas, this means that there is no water left behind nor are there chemicals or other substances that can taint or compromise the material it is freezing or cooling. Thirdly, it displaces the air around the item it is cooling, filling the area around it with carbon dioxide, an oxygen deprived surroundings that is perfect for retardation of food spoilage.
And it is easy to make too. Because making dry ice is simple and easy to do, it is made by a lot of small companies, making it easily accessible to people. So from its use as a coolant for food and other things, it is also used in smoke machines, cleaning rubber molds, loosening asphalt floor tiles, freezing valves for repair, even as bait for mosquitoes, bedbugs and other insects that are attracted by carbon dioxide. Not only is dry ice cool and amusing, it is also easy to make, transport and very useful. So yeah, dry ice is has so many uses outside of ice cream carts.