Antihumidity

What is the difference between clay and silica gel?

Clay desiccant is a material of natural origin. It is chemically inert, non-corrosive and is composed mainly of calcium and magnesium aluminium silicates. Thanks to its absorption capacity, clay reduces the dew point inside packaging, making it possible to protect the quality and properties of products against moisture attacks.

Silica gel is an excellent drying agent and is thus used as a desiccant and for local humidity control. Although its action is called "desiccant", in reality the physicochemical process whereby water vapour is removed from the air consists in an operation of adsorption: molecules of water vapour bind to the surface of the silica gel, which should not be understood as only the outer surface, but rather the total surface: silica has considerable porosity, and this means a larger total available area for the exchange of matter, that is, a fairly rapid dehumidification process.