Hialeah, Florida-based Thermal Custom Packaging, a company specializing in transportation solutions for sensitive healthcare and military cargo, is making an impact on frozen food delivery with a green alternative to dry ice.
Coming in two below freezing temperature variations: -16°C (3.2°F) and -21°C (-5.8°F), TCP’s Phase Change Material makes frozen food delivery more environmentally friendly, safer and easier to use than before.
In the age of the pandemic, frozen food delivery has skyrocketed, becoming an essential means for keeping homes stocked and refrigerators full. Currently, food delivery is possible using insulated packaging and dry ice to keep perishable food frozen in transit.
However, despite its use over many years, it is not the best option. TCP’s PCMs have significant advantages over consumer-grade gel pack inserts and cases readily available on today’s market.
TCP’s PCMs are a green product with two primary goals – reducing waste and maximizing resource efficiency. Dry ice is compressed frozen CO2, which is the main greenhouse gas that leads to global warming.
Creating and storing dry ice demands a lot of energy, and most commercial freezers will rely on the primary electricity grid to maintain dry ice until it is needed. However, no amount of refrigeration will keep dry ice frozen; it begins sublimating right after it is formed.
“Our alternative to dry ice provides an environmentally friendly, green option for the world,” said Dr. Clifford Glade, director of TCP. “Our PC-21s and PC-16s are non-toxic, sustainable, reusable and the outer shells of our PCMs are HDPE plastic and therefore recyclable, helping us continue our mission to maintain a small carbon footprint.”
Dry ice is a hazardous material that can not only have negative impacts on the environment when it is created and disposed of but can also be harmful in its use. If not handled correctly, it can be extremely hazardous to those shipping food but also those receiving it after delivery.
It can severely burn the skin, and if not vented correctly, the gas itself can cause asphyxiation, or even worse, a possible explosion.
“Our PCMs are 100 percent safe,” Glade said. “The PCM changes from a solid to a liquid and back to a solid at a precise temperature. The products are made from salts, keeping them safe for the environment and safe for you.”
Thermal Custom Packaging is a medical product manufacturer – specializing in cold-chain transport solutions, insulated containers (totes) and the chemical reactions that maintain them. The Florida-based manufacturer run by doctors has a unique understanding of what is needed out in the field and designs with input during testing in the field.
The company is the force behind the PC-21, the latest transport technology for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and antibiotics – frozen without dry ice.
