Covid-19: Dry ice set for a surge in demand (Gasworld.com, English only)

Once a vaccine has been declared ready, the challenge then lies in delivering millions of doses at ultra-low temperatures using dry ice – the solid form of carbon dioxide (CO2) – and cryogenic freezers that use liquid nitrogen.

Vaccines will need to be kept at temperatures as low as minus 70 or 80 degrees Celsius (minus 94 or 112 degrees Fahrenheit), and they may have to be shipped from one continent to another.

During their journey from pharmaceutical companies to hospitals and vaccination centres, the vaccines will be packed into containers of dry ice and then loaded onto planes and lorries.

Huge orders are expected from transport and logistics companies that will distribute vaccines in 2021. But following CO2 shortages across the US this year, many in the industry are asking: will we have enough dry ice?

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