I have a questions I haven’t found answered anywhere, but maybe someone here can help out.
First, some background:
I have bought this silica gel with indicator a while ago and have used it in my AMS and also for storing my filament in ziplock bags.
I now want to dry some of the silica gel, and have looked at the various options there are. I want to rule out the use of my kitchen appliances, as I am not fully convinced of the silica with indicator being really fully non-hazardous. I also recently bought a Creality Space Pi dryer, which I would like to use for drying my silica as well. Of course I would need to print a container for that, and since I only have PLA and PETG available at the moment, I wouldn’t be able to drive the dryer too hot.
Online you can find many different opinions about the ideal drying temperature for silica gel, ranging from 60°C to 145°C.
Efficient energy usage is no big concern for me with this, as my PV modules produce a lot of excess power during the current season.
Question:
What temperature should I dry the silica gel at, and does a longer drying time at lower temperature equal the same results as a quicker drying at higher temperature?
Or does higher temperature actually remove more humidity overall, which a lower temperature can maybe not achieve regardless of time?
I microwave mine in a ceramic bowl on 30-40% power (in an 800w unit) for 20-30min, stir and give it another 20-30min. That usually restores them to a dry state and doesn’t cause issues with overheating them.
This is the only way I’ve been successful with a microwave dry. For a standard 1000-1100 watt microwave, drop the power down to 20%.
I normally toss them into my food dehydrator while I’m drying filament rolls though so I don’t need another step.