Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Dioxide is a non-flammable, odourless, liquefied gas that serves wide range of applications, where various purity grades, including food and beverage grade carbon dioxide, are available. Found in air, carbon dioxide may exist simultaneously as a solid, liquid and gas - often used as dry ice (solid) and is pressurised to be stored as a liquid.
Industries and Applications
Welding & Metal Fabrication
Readily available and cost-effective, Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the only reactive shielding gas that can be used in its pure form without the addition of an inert gas. While 100% CO₂ permits deep and wide penetration in thicker materials for better fusion of heavier steel metals, it also contributes to an unstable arc with more spatter, leading to increased post-weld cleaning efforts and unwanted downtime. For this reason, CO₂ is usually mixed with an inert gas (typically 75% Argon and 25% Carbon Dioxide) to provide a good balance of thermal and arc stability, without comprising its weld quality, making it versatile for welding non-ferrous materials, including mild steel, stainless steel and aluminum.
Carbon dioxide can also support various metal fabrication processes such as cutting, casting and forming.
Food & Beverage
Due to its highly solubility in liquid, Carbon dioxide is a key ingredient in flavour enhancement of many carbonated and sparkling beverages, protecting their freshness, texture and vibrancy, especially important during the ageing process of wine. In addition to its safe consumption, CO₂ acts as a natural preservative primarily by inhibiting oxidation and bacterial growth, effectively preventing food spoilage and extending the shelf life, without the need for additional additives.
As ‘dry ice’, Carbon dioxide makes for a great short-term preservation in food freezing and chilling, packaging and in-transit refiguration.
Agriculture
In indoor farming and greenhouse enrichment systems, carbon dioxide supplementation supports controlled and consistent growing conditions, maximising high value crop yields and contributing to sustainable farming practices. This allows for year-round cultivation of crops in urban settings with challenging environmental conditions, where natural CO₂ levels may be insufficient for optimal plant growth.
Biogenic Carbon Dioxide
Most industrial CO₂ today comes from fossil fuel processes — extracted as a byproduct of combustion or drawn from natural underground deposits. Biogenic CO₂ comes from a different source. It is captured from biological processes such as fermentation or renewable fuel production, where CO₂ is released as part of the organic carbon cycle rather than from burning fossil fuels. The result is CO₂ with a substantially lower carbon footprint than conventional supply.
Biogenic CO₂ can be used across the same applications as conventional CO₂ — food and beverage processing, controlled atmosphere storage, pH control in wastewater treatment, greenhouse cultivation, and industrial manufacturing. The difference is the source. Industries working to reduce the embedded carbon in their supply chain can substitute biogenic CO₂ directly, with no process change required. Third-party Carbon Footprint of Product (CFP) certification provides an auditable basis for that claim.
Nippon Sanso supplies biogenic CO₂ in Singapore and is developing this capability further across the region. In Thailand, a dedicated facility is capturing CO₂ from ethanol fermentation and purifying it into industrial, food, and beverage grade products.
