The High Pressure CO2 Pump And The Carbon Dioxide Gas That It Uses

By Daphne Bowen


Industry involves the use of various gases which are not usually isolated in the atmosphere. CO2 is one such gas. It is present in the air, but at an extremely low concentration. It forms about 0.05% of the earth's atmosphere. This may seem insignificant, but it is not. CO2 is one of the most important gases in the atmosphere and so using a high pressure CO2 pump involves knowing more about it.

Carbon dioxide is odorless and has no color, so it cannot be detected by people. When it is reduced to a temperature at which it is in a solid state, it is known colloquially as "dry ice", and it is used to keep things cold. But dry ice is not stable and instantly vaporizes once it has been left exposed to the ordinary air. Storing or maintaining dry ice is not easy.

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.

The process of photosynthesis might be familiar to people. Plants and trees exhibit this process during the day, when the sun is shining on them. Photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide as an input material and produces oxygen as a by-product. The CO2 is taken up directly from the air. But at night, the opposite happens and plants produce carbon dioxide gas. This is why people sometimes raise opposition to deforestation. The main forests of the world are important sources of atmospheric oxygen and they also eliminate massive amounts of CO2.

This means that even though carbon dioxide is present in such a small concentration in the air, it is highly important. It is also potentially lethal because it cannot be used by the human body. It is exhaled together with water vapor when you breathe out. If the air is made up entirely of CO2, it will cause death through asphyxiation instantly.

This property of CO2 is the basis of its use in CA storage (controlled atmosphere storage). In this process, the atmosphere in the storage area is almost totally composed of CO2. This prevents fresh produce from decomposing. The pathogens which cause decomposition require oxygen and cannot function in CA storage. It has been alleged, however, that the nutritional properties of the stored products are not maintained.

Another obvious use of CO2 is in soft drinks, or carbonated beverages. This is known to the public. But what is not so popularly known or advertised is that the carbonation of the drinks gives them an acidic aspect. CO2 dissolves in water to produce carbonous acid (H2CO3). This happens as the bubbles of CO2 dissolve into the drink. Even though this is a weak acid, it is still acidic. As an experiment, leave a tooth in a glass of a soft drink over night. The tooth might dissolve and disappear during that time.

Carbon dioxide can cause death by suffocation. Those who work with it should therefore be trained in the appropriate safety precautions and the nature of the gas. This is particularly important for those who make use of the high pressure pumps.




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