All about CO2

Vital stats

Vital stats

Get to know at a glance important, interesting and insightful info and data about CO2.

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Molecular Weight 44.1 g/mol	Density 1.96 g/l	Type of bond  Covalent bond	Colour  Colourless
Solubility in water 90 ml CO2 in 100 ml water (room temp.)	Density of dry ice & liquid CO2 1600 & 1101 Kg/m3	Half-life 120 years	CO2 lifetime in atmosphere  300-1000 years
Concentration in atmosphere - in 2021, 2000, 1900 Oct 2021: 0.041%, 414 PPM; In 2000: 370 PPM; In 1900: 296 PPM	Expected future  concentrations in atmosphere 450 PPM by 2050 & about 500 PPM by 2100	Concentration in a closed room without ventilation  Several hundred PPM to over 1000 PPM	Life threatening concentration levels  Above 50,000 PPM
Concentration in vehicle exhaust 10-12%	Concentration in our breath  4-5% by volume (100X the inhaled concentration)	Concentration in power plant emissions  5-15%, depending on type of plants	Who measures atmospheric CO2 levels? NOAA and Scripps, USA
Current CO2 emissions  35 billion tons, 2019	CO2 emissions in 1800 0.03 billion tons	Amuont of CO2 to be taken off atmosphere for safe zone 100-1000 billion tons by 2100	Cost to capture CO2 directly from air  About $500/ton of CO2 captured (2021)
CO2 in atmosphere 850 billion tons	CO2 stored in  plants 550 billion tons	CO2 stored in soils 2500 billion tons  (1500 billion tons in permafrost)	CO2 stored in oceans  38,000 billion tons
Is it ok if the air has zero CO2? No, we will freeze (and there will be no plants & trees)	Is CO2 a good refrigerant? Yes	Do CO2 levels change with altitude? Yes, it decreases with altitude	Do human & animal breathing add to global warming?  No
Can higher CO2 concentration increase plant yields? Yes. In C3 plants upto 100%, in C4 plants upto 25%	Can CO2 be converted to liquid fuels &  chemicals? Yes	Can CO2 be converted to proteins & food? Yes	Do roads & pavements absorb CO2? Yes, but very gradually
Can CO2 be used to treat wastewater? Yes	Do CO2 levels help in human respiration? Yes!	Can CO2 be used for cleaning clothes? Yes, in the form of a solvent	Can CO2 be used to make diamonds? Yes.
What is the largest use of CO2 currently? For urea production	Can CO2 be used for pest control? Yes	Is the artificial fog we see on stages CO2? In many cases, yes.	Do rocks absorb CO2? They are one of the largest absorbers of CO2
Can CO2 make us dumb? Likely	Did CO2 play a role in dinosaurs'  extinction? Likely	Do we exhale more CO2 while running than while sitting? Yes, a lot more.	Does composting release CO2? Yes
Is water vapour a greenhouse gas? Yes	What are the CO2 levels in Martian atmosphere? 95% (950,000 PPM)