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.
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.
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.
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 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 is not a gas that should be handled lightly by people. In high concentrations it can cause death through suffocation. Those who make use of high pressure pump equipment should therefore be aware of its nature and how to observe the proper precautions.
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.
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.
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 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 is not a gas that should be handled lightly by people. In high concentrations it can cause death through suffocation. Those who make use of high pressure pump equipment should therefore be aware of its nature and how to observe the proper precautions.