Dry ice, used in frozen-food shipments and fog machines, is made from carbon dioxide, a byproduct of industrial processes like ethanol and fertilizer production.
Supplies of carbon dioxide tightened last spring as stay-at-home orders took effect and Americans stopped driving, slashing demand for ethanol, a corn-based biofuel blended into gasoline.Ethanol production has since recovered.
Carbon-dioxide suppliers are confident they can meet the coming demand for dry ice, said Rich Gottwald, chief executive of the Compressed Gas Association, a trade group.