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.
It is not possible to identify CO2 gas by eye or smell, since it has no color or odor. It is sometimes used in a solid state as "dry ice" to keep items cold. Dry ice is not, however, stable in that form and it immediately turns into gas when the container is opened. It is extremely hard to keep dry ice in a solid form.
CO2 is formed by the reaction of carbon with oxygen. This is simply ordinary combustion, or burning. One carbon atom combines with two oxygen atoms to form the CO2 molecule. Carbon might not be regarded as the most common fire hazard but it burns to produce carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide is also formed by trees and other plants through the reverse of photosynthesis at night, in the absence of the sun. During the day, plants perform the process of photosynthesis, during which carbon dioxide is harvested from the atmosphere and converted into oxygen. At night, however, the process is reversed and the plants release CO2. The destruction of forests is a threat to the safe composition of the atmosphere because trees remove large amounts of CO2 from the air.
Despite its tiny proportion in the air, CO2 is a significant gas to people. It cannot be used by the body, and during breathing it is actually exhaled, together with water vapor, as a waste product. If a person is placed in an environment in which the air consists only of carbon dioxide, they will die within minutes.
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.
People are probably more aware of the use of CO2 in carbonated drinks, such as fizzy soft drinks. They may not realize that CO2 also does something else in these drinks - it dissolves in water to produce a mild acid known as carbonous acid (H2CO3). The bubbles of gas in the drink dissolve into the liquid part to produce this acid. It is not powerful but it can cause damage. A tooth will dissolve in a soft drink if left in it over night.
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.
It is not possible to identify CO2 gas by eye or smell, since it has no color or odor. It is sometimes used in a solid state as "dry ice" to keep items cold. Dry ice is not, however, stable in that form and it immediately turns into gas when the container is opened. It is extremely hard to keep dry ice in a solid form.
CO2 is formed by the reaction of carbon with oxygen. This is simply ordinary combustion, or burning. One carbon atom combines with two oxygen atoms to form the CO2 molecule. Carbon might not be regarded as the most common fire hazard but it burns to produce carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide is also formed by trees and other plants through the reverse of photosynthesis at night, in the absence of the sun. During the day, plants perform the process of photosynthesis, during which carbon dioxide is harvested from the atmosphere and converted into oxygen. At night, however, the process is reversed and the plants release CO2. The destruction of forests is a threat to the safe composition of the atmosphere because trees remove large amounts of CO2 from the air.
Despite its tiny proportion in the air, CO2 is a significant gas to people. It cannot be used by the body, and during breathing it is actually exhaled, together with water vapor, as a waste product. If a person is placed in an environment in which the air consists only of carbon dioxide, they will die within minutes.
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.
People are probably more aware of the use of CO2 in carbonated drinks, such as fizzy soft drinks. They may not realize that CO2 also does something else in these drinks - it dissolves in water to produce a mild acid known as carbonous acid (H2CO3). The bubbles of gas in the drink dissolve into the liquid part to produce this acid. It is not powerful but it can cause damage. A tooth will dissolve in a soft drink if left in it over night.
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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