Desiccants as part of the process

In the production of hygroscopic powders such as nutritional supplements, functional foods, or pharmaceutical products, dry air is essential for consistent quality and smooth processing. Even small amounts of moisture can lead to clumping, poor flowability, or production disruptions.

Challenge: Moisture in sensitive filling processes

The filling stage is particularly critical, as the powder comes into direct contact with the ambient air. Even in sealed system areas, residual humidity cannot be completely avoided – especially during temperature fluctuations or after production downtimes.

Solution: Air dehumidification with loose silica gel granulate

To keep the air in the filling area consistently dry, loose silica gel granulate is used – for example, in industrial air dryers or specially designed system modules.

Result: Stable product quality during production

The highly effective granulate lowers the relative humidity to a safe level for sensitive products before contact occurs. This reliably prevents condensation and moisture accumulation, ensuring a consistently dry production environment.

A ThoMar customer, a manufacturer of spectacle cleaning kits, discovered that condensation was forming inside the tightly sealed plastic packaging during production. The packaging contains a cleaning cloth, cleaning fluid, and an instruction leaflet, and also serves as part of the final product.

Challenge: Condensation in tightly sealed packaging

Temperature fluctuations and residual moisture caused humidity to accumulate inside the container. The cleaning cloth developed an unpleasant odour, and the paper instructions became damp and wavy – giving the entire set a lower-quality appearance that did not meet the manufacturer’s high standards.

Solution: Desi Dry silica gel bags to prevent condensation

To reliably solve the problem, a Desi Dry silica gel bag was placed directly inside the plastic container during production. The desiccant binds excess moisture in the enclosed air before it can condense.

Result: High product quality in line with customer expectations

Since the introduction of ThoMar silica gel bags, the interior of the packaging has remained dry, and all product components have retained their quality. Scent, texture, and appearance once again fully meet customer expectations. This example demonstrates how even a small adjustment in the production process – the targeted use of a desiccant – can make a noticeable difference.

When preserving fresh flowers, it is essential to maintain their colour, shape, and structure as true to the original as possible. Conventional drying methods such as air drying or pressing often lead to colour loss, deformation, or brittleness of the petals.

Challenge: Gentle drying while preserving colour and structure

For particularly vibrant and delicate flowers, achieving even moisture removal is a key challenge. If moisture is extracted too quickly or unevenly, the blossoms lose their brightness and shape – a quality loss that is unacceptable for professional applications.

Solution: Flower drying with silica gel from ThoMar

A ThoMar customer uses loose silica gel, also known as Kieselgel for professional flower drying. The fine-grained, highly porous granulate gently and evenly removes moisture from the blossoms without affecting their structure or colour. After the drying process, the silica gel can be regenerated and reused several times. This method is ideal for businesses that regularly preserve larger quantities of flowers – for further processing or as decorative products.

Result: Authentic flowers with a natural appearance

The use of loose silica gel ensures consistently high quality of dried flowers. Colour, shape, and surface texture are preserved, resulting in a natural and premium appearance.

Floodlights permanently installed in the ground - e.g. for illuminating pathways, squares, façades or stages - are functional and visually appealing, but must function reliably under harsh environmental conditions. They are not only exposed to changing weather conditions, but also to large temperature differences between the operating and resting phases.

To avoid condensation at this point, desiccants (e.g. DesiDry or BoxDryy® from the ThoMar range) can be used to absorb the excess humidity.

The luminaire housing heats up considerably during operation. A physical effect occurs when switching off and then cooling down: A vacuum is created inside the luminaire. This causes moist ambient air to be sucked in through seals or micro-cracks. This moisture condenses on the cold inside of the housing the next time the temperature drops - an often underestimated problem.

Risks due to condensation:

Condensation in ground spotlights can have serious consequences.

Corrosion of electrical contacts, circuit boards and reflectors

Short circuits or functional failures due to moisture bridges

Impaired light output due to fogged interior surfaces

Reduced service life of the light with repeated exposure to moisture

Even with high-quality, IP-protected luminaires, it is almost impossible to completely prevent the ingress of humidity over time - especially with the frequent temperature cycles that are commonplace in outdoor areas.

Solution: Use of high-performance desiccants

To reliably prevent the formation of condensation inside the lights, ThoMar recommends the high-performance desiccant BoxDryy®. With a lower moisture development, the DesiDry silica gel packets can be used.

This is placed directly inside the housing and immediately absorbs the moisture drawn in when the luminaire cools down. This keeps the humidity inside permanently below the critical threshold value for condensation - the dew point. Installation is straightforward, even at a later date, and can be easily integrated into existing maintenance cycles.

The use of these desiccants ensures permanently clear illuminated surfaces, protects electronic components from corrosion or short circuits and extends the service life of the entire luminaire.

Modern bridge structures such as the Öresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden or similar structures that span bodies of water are subject to extreme climatic and mechanical loads. The situation is particularly critical in the reinforced concrete piers, which have to support the structure for many decades.

For structural reasons, there are cavities or inspection shafts in these piers, often several metres below the water level. Due to their location and surroundings, these cavities are particularly susceptible to:

Condensation due to temperature differences

Ingress of moisture in the event of leaks

Even if these areas are largely structurally sealed, the humidity inside increases over time. This poses a considerable risk, particularly for:

Corrosion of installed steel beams or cables

Mould formation or microbial growth

Impairment of sensors, maintenance equipment or power supplies

Solution: Regulating the humidity with desiccants

To prevent such damage, ThoMar OHG relies on a simple but effective method: the targeted placement of desiccants in vulnerable cavities. These reliably remove moisture from the trapped air over a longer period of time and ensure a permanently stable indoor climate - without any power-operated systems or complex technology.

A practical example is the Öresund Bridge, whose underground pier areas are regularly equipped with desiccants. Depending on the amount of water and application, ThoMar offers for example, the desiccant SeaDry for containers and big places or the CertiDry desiccant bag. This prevents corrosion, moisture problems and faults in technical equipment. The application can be easily integrated into maintenance plans, protects the building fabric in the long term and makes a significant contribution to the operational safety of such infrastructure structures.

IBC containers are indispensable in industrial logistics – but especially after cleaning, residual moisture can lead to unexpected issues. Targeted protection helps to ensure product quality and process safety.

Challenge: Residual moisture after cleaning IBCs

Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs) are large-volume, reusable transport and storage units widely used across various industrial sectors. They are designed for the safe and hygienic transport of liquids or free-flowing materials. Thanks to their robust construction, standardised dimensions, and ease of handling, IBCs are a key component in numerous logistical processes.

After use, IBC containers must be thoroughly cleaned to remove residues and maintain hygiene standards. However, a commonly overlooked issue arises: residual moisture or condensation inside the container, particularly in hard-to-reach areas.

Residual moisture poses several risks – it can trigger unwanted reactions such as decomposition or crystallisation when in contact with chemical substances, impair the quality of hygroscopic products, or encourage microbial growth in IBCs used for food or cosmetics.

Solution: Use of desiccants

To achieve effective and rapid drying of IBCs, ThoMar recommends the targeted use of desiccants. Depending on the type of goods being stored or transported, we recommend the DIN-compliant CertiDry dustproof desiccant with hanging strap, or for sensitive goods and food products, the use of a BoxDryy® high-performance desiccant pouch.

Benefits of using desiccants in IBCs:

The use of desiccants accelerates reusability after cleaning, prevents microbial growth by maintaining a dry internal environment, avoids chemical reactions with residual water, and preserves the quality of sensitive or hygroscopic materials.

Moisture is one of the main adversaries in the storage and packaging of sensitive pharmaceutical and food products. Only targeted measures can prevent loss of quality – especially in highly hygroscopic contents.

Challenge: Moisture protection for sensitive tablets and powders

Manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and food products must ensure reliable protection of their goods, even under fluctuating temperature and humidity conditions. Hygroscopic products such as effervescent tablets, chewable tablets or delicate powder blends are particularly sensitive to moisture – they may clump, lose effectiveness or suffer changes in consistency.

Solution: Silica gel granulate or CapDryy® desiccant closures

To minimise risks and maintain product quality during transport and storage, so-called desiccant stoppers are used. These seal tablet tubes airtight and contain a moisture-absorbing agent – usually highly refined, microporous silica gel that absorbs the residual humidity from the enclosed air.

ThoMar OHG supplies an international packaging manufacturer with high-grade, microporous silica gel, which is integrated into the closures of tube packaging. It keeps the internal humidity low and reliably protects sensitive products like effervescent tablets.

As an alternative to direct filling, ThoMar offers CapDryy® – a specially developed desiccant capsule that can be integrated into standard plastic closures. CapDryy® contains pharmaceutical-grade silica gel, is designed for automated filling and sealing processes, and is produced under controlled conditions. The capsule meets the requirements of the European Pharmacopoeia and the FDA. It is available in various versions and ideal for applications requiring high quality standards and process reliability.