At present, industry makes use of carbon dioxide gas in a pressurized form. This is an example of a gas which is being utilized in a state or concentration in which it does not naturally occur. Carbon dioxide, or CO2, does in fact occur naturally in the atmosphere, but its concentration is so low that the layperson might see it as negligible: 0.04% of the atmosphere. Yet it is not. It is one of the most important gases in the air, and anyone who makes use of a high pressure CO2 pump in their industrial operations should inform themselves about it.
As a gas, CO2 has no smell or color. It is therefore impossible to detect by human senses. In its frozen form, it is known as dry ice, and it is used in cooling applications. However, it soon evaporates once exposed to the ordinary atmosphere. It is therefore difficult to store or trap CO2 in this form.
Carbon and oxygen combine to form CO2. This takes place during normal burning, or combustion. The carbon dioxide molecule, as its name indicates, is made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it in a process known as photosynthesis, through which oxygen is produced as a by-product. This is an extremely important process in the atmosphere, because the major forest areas of the earth produce a large proportion of the oxygen in the air. However, trees can only produce oxygen during the day time, when there is sunshine. At night, in the dark, they produce carbon dioxide instead, and use oxygen. Environmental activists sometimes raise this issue - namely that the elimination of forests is a source of concern.
0.03% might sound like a very small fraction, but CO2 is nonetheless an important gas. It is not used by the body, and is exhaled with water vapor during respiration. In an environment containing only CO2, respiration is impossible and suffocation will ensue in a short space of time.
This is linked to one of the main uses of CO2, which is known as controlled atmosphere storage, or CA storage. In such facilities, the air is almost entirely carbon dioxide, and fresh produce does not decompose, since aerobic bacteria cannot function. The nutritional value of the produce is not always stable over time, though.
Another application of CO2 is in carbonated drinks, or soft drinks. This is obvious and well known, but there is an aspect of this technique that is not advertised and which is not always known to the consumer of these products. CO2 dissolves easily in water to form a weak acid known as carbonous acid (H2CO3). This acid forms and disappears as the fizzy bubbles dissolve and re-evaporate. Leaving a tooth in a soft drink overnight will cause it to dissolve, so that it won't be there the next day.
Carbon dioxide should therefore be treated with caution by those who work with it. In a pure or mostly CO2 environment, death is caused by asphyxiation. Users of the pump equipment should be educated as to the risks and proper operating procedures.
As a gas, CO2 has no smell or color. It is therefore impossible to detect by human senses. In its frozen form, it is known as dry ice, and it is used in cooling applications. However, it soon evaporates once exposed to the ordinary atmosphere. It is therefore difficult to store or trap CO2 in this form.
Carbon and oxygen combine to form CO2. This takes place during normal burning, or combustion. The carbon dioxide molecule, as its name indicates, is made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it in a process known as photosynthesis, through which oxygen is produced as a by-product. This is an extremely important process in the atmosphere, because the major forest areas of the earth produce a large proportion of the oxygen in the air. However, trees can only produce oxygen during the day time, when there is sunshine. At night, in the dark, they produce carbon dioxide instead, and use oxygen. Environmental activists sometimes raise this issue - namely that the elimination of forests is a source of concern.
0.03% might sound like a very small fraction, but CO2 is nonetheless an important gas. It is not used by the body, and is exhaled with water vapor during respiration. In an environment containing only CO2, respiration is impossible and suffocation will ensue in a short space of time.
This is linked to one of the main uses of CO2, which is known as controlled atmosphere storage, or CA storage. In such facilities, the air is almost entirely carbon dioxide, and fresh produce does not decompose, since aerobic bacteria cannot function. The nutritional value of the produce is not always stable over time, though.
Another application of CO2 is in carbonated drinks, or soft drinks. This is obvious and well known, but there is an aspect of this technique that is not advertised and which is not always known to the consumer of these products. CO2 dissolves easily in water to form a weak acid known as carbonous acid (H2CO3). This acid forms and disappears as the fizzy bubbles dissolve and re-evaporate. Leaving a tooth in a soft drink overnight will cause it to dissolve, so that it won't be there the next day.
Carbon dioxide should therefore be treated with caution by those who work with it. In a pure or mostly CO2 environment, death is caused by asphyxiation. Users of the pump equipment should be educated as to the risks and proper operating procedures.
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