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.
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.
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.
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.
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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