eli5: Why is co2 the gas used to pressurize drinks. Why can’t something like nitrogen or atmosphere air be used.
In: 2772
Just adding to the other answers here– Carbon Dioxide is highly compressible compared to nitrogen and air. A large canister of CO2 will hold more compressed (liquefied) gas compared to others. CO2 can be compressed and stored as a liquid under ordinary temperatures, unlike liquid nitrogen which requires expensive cooling.
The per-unit cost to the businesses that provide the soda, and the cost to the consumers, is less and therefore improves the popularity of the product.
Incidentally: the high compressibility and low temperature requirements of CO2 is being investigated as a means of grid-scale energy storage, similar to a battery: https://electrek.co/2022/06/28/worlds-first-co2-battery/
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