Apparently there is a carbon dioxide shortage that is at least in part due to the company that produces the vast majority of it using its CO2 stores for "enhanced oil recovery" leading to CO2 contamination with "hydrocarbons, including benzene".
I'm about to start using a calcium reactor and got a bottle of CO2 from Airgas. In setting up the regulator, there was an odd smell (also I found the knob on the CO2 tank to be broken). So back to Airgas I went. The guy there did a sniff test, claimed it was fine, and gave me a new bottle. I set up the regulator again and got a faint odor that reminded me of hydrocarbons. Regulator isn't leaking significantly and maintained pressure adequately after I turned off the tank valve. However, I held off on starting the calcium reactor because of this weird smell.
So my question is, what is the risk of contaminated CO2? If it is contaminated, will it affect my tank? Should I run my calcium reactor effluent/outflow through an activated carbon column as a precaution?
Thanks!
Mike
I'm about to start using a calcium reactor and got a bottle of CO2 from Airgas. In setting up the regulator, there was an odd smell (also I found the knob on the CO2 tank to be broken). So back to Airgas I went. The guy there did a sniff test, claimed it was fine, and gave me a new bottle. I set up the regulator again and got a faint odor that reminded me of hydrocarbons. Regulator isn't leaking significantly and maintained pressure adequately after I turned off the tank valve. However, I held off on starting the calcium reactor because of this weird smell.
So my question is, what is the risk of contaminated CO2? If it is contaminated, will it affect my tank? Should I run my calcium reactor effluent/outflow through an activated carbon column as a precaution?
Thanks!
Mike
US CO2 shortage: Strains set to continue throughout the coming months
Tightening in supply or supply shortages of carbon dioxide (CO2) are continuing to hit businesses across the US, with strains set to continue throughout the coming months.
www.gasworld.com