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Answer:
Ms. H, who is in charge of
manufacturing drying agents at FUJI GEL SANGYO
LTD., kindly answered the above
question. The following is her answer:
The drying agent in the question is equivalent to Type A silica
gel produced by our company (see the photo on the
left). Type A is generally used for cookies and crackers. It
begins to absorb the water at a low moisture level and retains it,
unless this drying agent is heated at a high temperature.
Method of reusing
In order to separate the water from
used drying agent, we need to apply high heat. Open the bag of drying
agent and transfer the contents on to a plate and microwave it. The dehydrated drying agent can be placed in a small porous bag like an envelope, and stapled to avoid spilling. I recommend windowed
envelopes for easy viewing. Make sure not to burn yourselves because
the silica gel would be very hot after being microwaved.
Important points regarding the reusing process
-
Make sure that the drying agents are
silica gels.
-
Ensure that the drying agents were used
for food products. Do not try to reuse them if they were originally
used for non food products such as shoes or some machines because they
may have absorbed something other than water.
When to stop microwaving
Silica gels are transparent bead-like
substances containing some blue beads. The color is used as an
indicator: blue beads can still absorb some water; if they have turned
pink, it means the silica gels have already absorbed the water.
When microwaving, watch for the color
change. When pink beads turn blue, you can stop heating. Do not depend
on the time but always watch for the color change because the time
varies depending on the water content and the volume of silica gel.
Sometimes the beads turn a brownish color after being microwaved for a
long time.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank Ms. H and FUJI GEL SANGYO
LTD. for their careful teaching and kind support for this
answer.
This article is translated by Chemistryquestion.com from the original article in Chemistryquestion.jp. Please let us know if you find any errors.
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