SubZero Blasting: "We produce our own dry ice for blasting work because we were fed up with the poor quality"

Mr Giannandrea, please tell us about your company. What products and services do you offer, and in which sectors do you operate?
«SubZero Blasting Inc» (SZB) offers the following services: dry ice blasting, sandblasting, protective coatings and dry ice production. We operate in the food processing, manufacturing, fire restoration, pharmaceutical construction, industrial refurbishment, protective coatings and many other sectors.

What was one of the most challenging and remarkable dry ice blasting projects, and why?
The most remarkable dry ice blasting job and the most impressive results of my career so far actually took place just a few hours ago, as I write this.
In our area of Ontario, Canada, there is a huge project to decontaminate the soil from radiation, which has been running for about 10 years and is far from complete. Over the years, SZB has been repeatedly deployed to decontaminate construction machinery whose radiation levels in the work zones or ‘hot zones’ were too high, before it could be removed from the construction sites and used for normal civilian operations outside the remediation areas. Until now, we have always used the power and abrasion of sandblasting, which works very well but requires priming and subsequent repainting.
About a month ago, I suggested carrying out some tests with dry ice blasting instead of sandblasting, for obvious reasons such as the mess, abrasion and the need for repainting, airborne contamination, etc.
So today, 10 April 2024, we tested various machines, and the blasting results were positive. Until now, none of the people involved had wanted to try this method until I managed to persuade them to give it a go, as I was certain it would work. No dust, no abrasion, no repainting, no risk of accidentally damaging other parts of the equipment. A win-win situation for everyone. As I said, we only received the news of the successful results a few hours ago, so I am confident that dry ice blasting will become an important part of this project. I will know for sure tomorrow after speaking with representatives from the company that commissioned us.

Do you produce the dry ice for dry ice blasting yourselves?
Yes, SZB operates a sister company called ‘Dry Ice Solutions’ at the same site as SZB in Colborne, Ontario, Canada. We produce our own dry ice for SZB’s operations and for other companies that use dry ice across a wide range of industries.

How well known is dry ice blasting as an (industrial) cleaning method in Canada?
Dry ice blasting is known within Canadian industry, but I believe it is not as well known as it could be. There is still a lot of work to be done to communicate and demonstrate its amazing benefits, and the industry also has a long way to go in terms of delivering the quality of dry ice required to showcase and demonstrate it properly.
As far as I know, SZB and ‘Dry Ice Solutions’ are the only dry ice manufacturers that specialise in the dry ice blasting industry and understand how important fresh, high-quality dry ice is for effective blasting. That is why I got into dry ice production. I’d had enough of substandard dry ice, which in some cases was already several days old by the time I received it. No dry ice manufacturer in my area understands the blasting aspect and its importance. SZB and ‘Dry Ice Solutions’ have made it their mission to support the industry through consultancy, training and high-quality, made-to-order dry ice with a freshness guarantee.

Could you envisage entering the dry ice production business as a ‘supplier’ to the cold chain logistics sector, the food and beverage industry or other sectors?
SZB and ‘Dry Ice Solutions’ are delighted to supply dry ice to any sector that requires it.

Gordon Giannandrea, President of SubZero Blasting Inc