Carbon Dioxide Report

Umair Farooqi

Carbon Dioxide, also known as, CO2, Carbonic acid gas, Carbonic anhydride, Carbonic
oxide, Carbon oxide, Carbon (IV) oxide, or Dry ice, is a molecular bonded chemical that consists
of two oxygen atoms and one carbon atom. Carbon Dioxide can exist as a solid, liquid, or gas,
but it is a gas at room temperature.

Reactions
Carbon dioxide is a compound that is present for many chemical reactions. One chemical
reaction that includes carbon dioxide is; Carbon dioxide + Water -> Carbonic acid. This reaction
is a synthesis reaction.
Retrieval
Although carbon dioxide is present in the atmosphere, it is impractical to attempt to
retrieve it from the atmosphere because it is present in low concentrations. Instead, carbon
dioxide retrieved from the emissions of fossil fuel burning power plants because it produces a
purer, more concentrated amount of carbon dioxide. This method of collecting carbon dioxide is
known as carbon capture and storage (CCS). There are three methods of CCS, post-combustion,
precombustion, oxy-fuel combustion carbon capture (Debra, 2008).
Post combustion carbon capture is the process where carbon is captured after the fossil
fuel is burned. This method requires the CO2 to be removed separated from the other gasses
emitted from the fossil fuels. A benefit of this method is that it can accommodate older power
plants. A scrubber can be added to the smokestack of the power plant and capture up to 90% of
the gasses emitted (Debra, 2008).
Precombustion carbon capture is the method where carbon is captured before the fossil
fuel is burned. Capturing the carbon dioxide before the fossil fuel is burnt eliminates the need to
separate the carbon dioxide from other gasses. Precombustion carbon capture heats the fossil fuel
in pure oxygen and produces carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The gasses are then converted into
carbon dioxide and hydrogen after passing through a catalytic converter. A catalytic converter is
an object that converts harmful gasses into less harmful gasses (Karim, 2000).The carbon
dioxide and hydrogen are then fed into a flask and a chemical known as amine is added to the
flask. This chemical causes the carbon dioxide to sink to the bottom of the flask, where it is later

collected. The carbon dioxide is heated to separate the amine from the carbon dioxide (Debra
2008).
The third method of capturing carbon dioxide is called oxy-fuel combustion carbon capture is
when fossil fuels are burnt with oxygen to produce steam and carbon dioxide. The gasses are
cooled and compressed to separate the steam from the carbon dioxide. This method of carbon
retrieval requires the most amount of money, but it can prevent 90% of the toxins from power
plants from entering the atmosphere (Debra, 2008).
Transportation
After being the carbon dioxide is retrieved from the power plants, it is transported via
pipes, ships or tankers. Carbon dioxide is primarily transported as a gas through pipelines,
although it can be transported as a solid or a liquid as well. There are over 2414 km of carbon
dioxide pipelines running through the United States, both on land and underwater. Carbon
dioxide pipelines are relatively safe, with only 12 leaks from 1986 2006 (Debra, 2008). In
order for carbon dioxide to be transported by ship or truck in liquid form, the container holding
the CO2 must be refrigerated and pressurized since liquid carbon dioxide needs to be at low
temperature and low pressure.
Uses
Carbon dioxide has many uses in our everyday lives due to its low cost and its
abundance. Carbon dioxide is implemented in many foods and drinks such as sodas and wines.
Carbon dioxide is added to sodas and soft drinks to create the bubbles and give the drink the
fizziness. Carbon dioxide in the solid form is known as dry ice. Dry ice is used in the cooling of
grapes in the creation of wine. Dry ice is used rather than regular ice because it does not add
water to the beverage, which decreases the alcohol content. Dry ice also used to preserve food
because it displaces oxygen which prevents bacteria from growing. Dry ice is used in the
transportation of frozen foods such as ice cream, and is also used in freezing foods because it is a
lower temperature than regular ice. Dry ice produces fog when it is placed in water, this fog is
used in theaters or plays as a prop. Carbon dioxide is used in fire extinguishers because it
displaces the oxygen from the fire, which causes it to die out. Carbon dioxide is also used in
greenhouses, to increase the growth of plants.
Disposal
Carbon dioxide is generally released into the atmosphere, but due to the increasing rate of
global warming and climate change, efforts are being made to dispose of carbon dioxide in a way
that does not increase the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. One method of
disposing of carbon dioxide is storing it underground. Storing carbon dioxide underground is
known as geological sequestration (Debra, 2008). Carbon dioxide turns into a liquid when it is
pumped underground due to the pressure. The carbon dioxide is able to flow into the rocks and

fill the empty spaces between them. Scientists estimate that the Earth can hold 10 trillion tons of
CO2, which is enough to store the emissions of carbon dioxides for 100 years (Debra, 2008).
Carbon dioxide can also be stored underwater. Scientists hypothesize that if they dump CO2 at a
depth greater than 3500 meters, the carbon dioxide will seep into the basalt rock of the ocean
floor and turn it into limestone. Scientist see this as a safe permanent solution in the storage of
carbon dioxide, but the storage of carbon dioxide requires a lot of money and energy.
Impact on Environment
Carbon dioxide is found naturally in the environment mostly in the atmosphere and in
large bodies of water, but Carbon dioxide is also a greenhouse gas which contributes to global
warming. Animals exhale carbon Dioxide back into the environment, but Plants absorb Carbon
dioxide during photosynthesis and act as a carbon sink, meaning they absorb Carbon dioxide
from the environment. Fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, are decomposed carbon sinks
that absorbed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere from millions of years ago, so when we burn
these carbon sinks we are releasing the carbon dioxide back into the environment, which is
raising the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The increased amount of Carbon
dioxide creates the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is the result of greenhouse gasses in
the atmosphere preventing the suns radiation escaping from Earth back into space. This causes
the Earths temperature to rise and causes global warming and climate change.