Carbon dioxideCarbon dioxide (CO2) is a gas that occurs naturally in the atmosphere and plays a crucial role in the life processes of the planet. This gas, also known as...
Read more (CO2) is a gas that occurs naturally in the atmosphere and plays a crucial role in the life processes of the planet. This gas, also known as atmospheric carbon, is fundamental to the life cycle of plants as it is absorbed during photosynthesis and converted into carbon in the plant’s growth structures through a photochemical process. This process releases oxygen into the atmosphere, a gas essential for the respiration of living organisms.
CO2 is a colourless, odourless, non-flammable gas that is naturally distributed between the biosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere (consisting mainly of the oceans) and the lithosphere, or solid layer of the Earth’s surface. The balance of its circulation between these four reservoirs is essential for life on Earth. In this sense, global carbon, i.e. the total amount of carbon present on Earth, including solid carbon such as that found in fossil fuels and atmospheric carbon, is an important indicator of the health of our planet.
Despite its ubiquitous presence in our atmosphere, carbon dioxide has become a major environmental concern.
It has been released into the air in excessive quantities by human activity for 170 years, and its levels have soared in the last three decades. Its emissions, along with other greenhouse gases, contribute significantly to global warming and climate change.
How carbon dioxide gets into the air
It is important to note that not all carbon is the same. There are different forms of this element, each with its own characteristics and effects.
Fixed carbon is carbon dioxide stored in soils and rocks. It can be released into the atmosphere through erosion and volcanic activity, changing the proportion of carbon in the Earth, or global carbon. This includes carbon in the atmosphere as well as in the Earth’s crust, oceans and living things. The balance between these different types of carbon helps to sustain life on our planet.
Hot carbon is a form of carbon that has been subjected to high temperatures and pressures, resulting in an extremely strong and durable material. Similarly, compressed carbon is another form of carbon that has been subjected to high pressure, resulting in an extremely dense material. Both forms of carbon are used in a wide range of industrial applications, from steel making to power generation.
Pure carbon is a form of carbon that has not been altered or mixed with other elements. This type of carbon is highly valued for its purity and is used in a variety of applications, from jewellery to semiconductor materials.
Finally, carbon equivalent is a measure used to compare emissions of different greenhouse gases based on their potential to contribute to global warming, and is critical to mitigating climate change.
Carbon is also a unique tool for knowing the history of life on our planet, thanks to the three possible isotopes (12, 13 and 14) in which carbon is found in the atmosphere and in living organisms, which take it in through food and plants through photosynthesis. The presence of carbon in the organic and inorganic structures of any living organism makes it possible to determine when it lived on Earth in the last 60,000 years, the maximum time allowed by this dating system. The proportion of carbon-12 is very stable and the time since the death of an organism is determined by measuring the changes in carbon-14, a radioactive or unstable isotope which disappears exponentially after the death of the organism and whose molecule is replaced by nitrogen.
Carbon dioxide, a vital element in ecosystems
CO2 is a gas that is emitted naturally through a number of biological processes, such as respiration by living organisms, and geological processes. Although it is often associated with pollution and the effects of climate change, carbon dioxide itself performs vital functions for life on our planet due to its release from decaying organic matter and the burning of fossil fuels.
However, when atmospheric CO2 levels rise due to human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, it can lead to an excess of warm carbon, or carbon that has been released into the atmosphere. Such an increase in atmospheric carbon can lead to an increase in global temperature, causing what is known as global warming.
In short, it is essential to recognise the importance of carbon dioxide and its balance on a global scale. Careful management of natural resources and reducing our carbon emissions are essential to maintaining the carbon balance of our planet and ensuring a sustainable future for all forms of life.
Carbon dioxide and the greenhouse effect
CO2 plays a key role in the environmental phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect. Because of its close relationship with global warming, this aspect is of great importance in regulating the temperature of the planet.
Carbon dioxide, along with other greenhouse gases such as methaneMethane, known chemically as CH₄, is a gas that is harmful to the atmosphere and to living beings because it has a high heat-trapping capacity. For this ...
Read more/">methane, ozone and nitrous oxide, is released into the air. It traps heat from the sun in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing global temperatures to rise gradually.
Of all the gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect, CO2 is the most naturally occurring. Its concentration in the atmosphere has increased dramatically in recent decades as a result of human activity. Among these gases, carbon dioxide stands out because it remains in the atmosphere for decades.
Global warming is leading to drastic changes in the climate and is causing catastrophic situations in some places. It affects rainfall patterns, causing droughts and floods and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events. In addition, carbon from the atmosphere is being absorbed by the oceans, leading to acidification, which has a detrimental effect on marine life.
There are countless environmental risks to both humans and wildlife if we do not succeed in reducing the current level of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
Agricultural yields will be reduced, drinking water will be unavailable for much of humanity, sea levels will rise, and species and ecosystems will be lost, as is already the case with coral reefs. In addition, there will be mass migrations as a result of drastic climate change, which will have an impact not only on wildlife but also on global geopolitics.
The economic costs of natural disasters around the world are not only increasing in absolute terms due to climate change, but have more than doubled as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) since the 1980s, according to the OECD, which expects this trend to continue in the coming years.
In order to avoid future global problems, the serious risks and consequences of the increase in carbon in the atmosphere highlight the need to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Carbon dioxide, uses and applications
In addition to its role in regulating the global climate, carbon dioxide has a wide range of uses and applications in industry. Under natural conditions, carbon dioxide is a diffuse gas. However, depending on the temperature, it becomes a supercritical liquid or solid when compressed. This compressed CO2 can be used as an indispensable substance in many industrial and scientific processes due to its unique properties, such as removing impurities and preventing oxidation in the steel industry.
In its compressed form, it is used in the production of food and medicines, in the manufacture of carbonated drinks, in fire-fighting and in the production of dry ice, a solid form of carbon that is used in the refrigeration of food and medicines and in air conditioning for its energy efficiency.
Carbon dioxide also has applications in medicine, where it is used to create a controlled environment in certain types of minimally invasive surgery, such as laparoscopy, or in treatments such as cryotherapy.
Hot carbon is a form of carbon that has been heated to extremely high temperatures and is used to make steel and other materials. At the molecular level, pure carbon is the basis of many organic compounds, from fossil fuels to plastics and pharmaceuticals.
In the energy sector, compressed CO2 is used in enhanced oil and gas recovery. This is a technique that allows more hydrocarbons to be extracted from oil and gas fields. In science, compressed carbon dioxide is a valuable tool for studying atmospheric carbon, global carbon and other aspects of the carbon cycle.
In short, although carbon dioxide is best known for its role in climate change, it is also used in many industrial and scientific applications. As such, it is essential to the global economy and life as we know it. Demand for carbon dioxide is expected to continue to grow in the future due to its many applications and benefits.
Effect of carbon dioxide on the human body
At normal levels, CO2 is non-toxic to humans and plays a vital role in regulating blood pH, blood pressure and respiration. However, exposure to elevated levels of CO2 can cause harmful effects such as headaches, dizziness, muscle cramps, respiratory and cardiovascular problems, even loss of consciousness and, in extreme cases, death by asphyxiation.
These effects are the result of oxygen depletion in the blood due to high levels of carbon dioxide. It is therefore essential to maintain a balance in the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. At the same time, it is important to maintain an environment in which the balance of carbon, including solid carbon, hot carbon, pure carbon and compressed carbon, predominates for optimal functioning of the body.
How can carbon dioxide emissions be reduced?
In the current scenario, reducing carbon dioxide emissions has become a global environmental priority to prevent a wide range of future risks and impacts. The implementation of sustainable solutions that help reduce carbon dioxide emissions is essential.
These solutions should focus not only on reducing the amount of pure carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere, but also on the efficient management of global carbon dioxide in order to maintain the carbon balance of our planet.
Carbon capture and storage is one of the most effective ways to reduce CO2 emissions. This process involves capturing atmospheric CO2 released from industrial sources and storing it in underground geological formations. This conversion of atmospheric carbon into solid carbon can help to significantly reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.
The injection of billions of tonnes of atmospheric CO2 underground has a low risk of escaping to the surface, according to recent studies carried out by CSIC in collaboration with researchers from IDAEA and IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB). A safe method of mitigating climate change is geological storage. It is an evolving process that already has the first underground atmospheric CO2 storage facility in Iceland.
Reforestation and tree planting, which are essential for natural CO2 sequestration, can also be implemented.
Trees and other plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and use it in the photosynthesis process. Therefore, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere can be reduced and global warming can be mitigated by planting more trees.
Another sustainable solution is to use renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, instead of fossil fuels, which do not emit CO2 when they are produced. This change can reduce the amount of hot carbon released into the atmosphere while ensuring a sustainable energy source for the future.
In addition, carbon management practices can be implemented, such as improving energy efficiency and optimising industrial processes to minimise the release of carbon equivalent. These solutions not only help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but also contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.
Carbon dioxide measuring tools
In the current climate crisis scenario caused by human activities, accurate measurement of carbon dioxide is vital to mitigate global warming. Carbon plays a major role in regulating temperature and thus the future of life on the planet.
CO2 is measured using a variety of tools and techniques. All are designed to provide maximum accuracy and reliability.
Infrared spectroscopy is one of the most common techniques used to measure CO2. It detects and measures the presence of this gas based on hot carbon and its ability to absorb infrared light. Mass spectrometry is also widely used and is the use of a chemical process to separate gas molecules into ions on the basis of their mass and charge. To measure the amount of CO2 in a given volume of air, compressed carbon is used.
However, these techniques are not useful at the atmospheric level. This is where the Kunak carbon dioxide measurement systems have proven their accuracy. They are among the best sensors currently available internationally, according to several studies and independent evaluations to which they have been subjected. This is based on the fact that the carbon dioxide cartridge has a built-in non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensor. This gives it the ability to measure a wide range of atmospheric CO2 concentrations, from low to high.
Its automatic calibration gives it long-term stability without being susceptible to humidity, temperature and pressure. Its automatic calibration gives it long-term stability without being susceptible to humidity, temperature and pressure. Compensation and mitigation of the effects of these environmental variables is achieved by the built-in Kunak algorithm, which is able to calculate CO2 concentrations locally and in real time without the need for external reference data.
Measuring CO2 is just part of the equation. We must take action to reduce emissions of this gas into the atmosphere if we are to preserve the health of our planet and hence our survival as a species.
Balancing carbon dioxide in the environment
In addition to the most advanced satellites that measure CO2 concentrations from space on a global scale, it is essential to calculate the carbon footprintThe carbon footprint is an environmental indicator that measures the impact of our activities on the environment through the emissions we release into the ...
Read more. Knowing this is essential in order to tackle the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the gas that is used in the calculation of the carbon footprint and its impact on global warming due to its higher proportion in the atmosphere.
A low-carbon global economy goes hand in hand with the world’s transition to a climate-resilient economy.
Although CO2 is an essential gas for life and is produced naturally by human respiration, it is appropriate to regulate its atmospheric emissionsAtmospheric emissions are pollutants emitted into the air, mainly as a result of human activities such as industry, transport by combustion vehicles and en...
Read more and control its presence in indoor spaces. It is essential to ventilate these environments regularly so that the air is renewed and our health is safeguarded while we remain in healthy and safe spaces.
At the environmental level, we need to restore the CO2 balance at the planetary level, as the human species has lived for thousands of years, before the industrial era, thanks to the harmonious relationship between the respiration of living beings and the capture of carbon dioxide by plants through photosynthesis. In order to achieve this, the main sources of emissions, such as industrial activities and agriculture, will have to move towards net zero emissions, focusing on more efficient and sustainable processes.
Environmental justice, the right to breathe clean air
The Seveso Directive; the risk management of hazardous substances
Air pollution at Paris 2024 Olympics: monitoring air quality for sporting champions
Air pollution in New York, the challenge of breathing clean air
Low Emission Zones and air pollution control