CO2

Industrial plant with towers, pipes and steel constructions in front of a bright sky. One tower is striped red and white.

EXTRACTION

Production
Natural volcanic CO₂ sources
Combustion of fossil fuels
Hydrogen production in refineries
etc.

Close-up: An ice cube on a spoon, surrounded by white vapour. The spoon is covered in frost. The background is dark.

Physics

With a density of 1.977 kg/m³ under standard conditions (1013 mbar, 0 °C), CO₂ is around 1.5 times heavier than air and can therefore displace it when it escapes into deeper areas.

There is therefore a risk of suffocation from the colourless and odourless gas.

Black board with wooden frame shows the chemical formula CO2 in white chalk: molecular structure and molecular formula.

CHEMISTRY

CO₂ is used in the beverage industry, but also to neutralise alkaline waste water.

As the resulting carbonates are strong buffers and the carbonic acid is only a weak acid, largely neutral waste water is produced without complex controls. Due to its non-toxicity and environmental friendliness, CO₂ is therefore well suited for such tasks.

Close-up of plant cells under the microscope. Green chloroplasts are visible in transparent, hexagonal cells with a bluish background.

PHYSIOLOGY

Due to its high density, escaping carbon dioxide can displace the air, especially near the ground, and therefore reach concentrations that can lead to breathing difficulties and subsequently to unconsciousness and even death from suffocation.

This already occurs with a proportion of 7 - 10 % in the air.

Silver-grey gas cylinders stand close together, some in a grey metal holder. Stickers and labelling can be seen on the cylinders.

TRANSPORT

Only the transport form of the pressurised gas cylinder is interesting for aquaristics. Liquid CO₂ and dry ice are probably unsuitable for aquaristic purposes and are also oversized.

Two measuring devices, one grey, one white, stand on a wooden bench. Strips of paper and a stone lie next to them. Trees and dry grass can be seen in the background.

ENVIRONMENT

CO₂ in the air is one of the foundations of life on earth. The only problem is the rapid increase in this trace gas since the beginning of industrialisation.

A blackboard with mathematical formulae, functions and graphs in white chalk on a dark background. Integrals, sums, Fourier transformations and coordinate systems are recognisable.

DATA

All important properties of CO₂ in tabular form.

Close-up of a light green plant with oxygen bubbles and a large, reflective bubble on top. The background is dark.

AQUARISTICS

Carbon dioxide