by Sam A. Rushing, Advanced Cryogenics, Ltd. | April 8, 2024 (biofuelsdigest.com).
Of the most interesting applications in the carbon dioxide industry, and perhaps the most versatile, is also the food industry, from dry ice applications, to various liquid applications; to gaseous MAP (modified atmosphere packaging) and purge forms of usage. Further in a gaseous form, CO2 is used in a more humane method for stunning animals before slaughter. As additional food-related applications, the use of CO2 in trucks (via dry ice sublimation or shot into the truck as a snow; the same could apply to certain ship holds, and other forms of shipping and containing methods for food products. Further, CO2 is successfully used in lieu of certain (sometimes carcinogenic) chemical compounds for grain fumigation. There have been tests and some success shown in applications for enriching irrigation water, for crop-growth enhancement. When speaking of crops, we must also remember that CO2 gas is used in many greenhouse settings to lend a hand in the process of photosynthesis thus enhancing certain bedding plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables. Some food plants also run their pneumatic systems with CO2 v. air, thus creating less rust in these systems with a much dryer gas v. air. The food industry also can benefit from CO2 in water treatment and pH reduction applications – such as effluent run–off and discharge…