Overview
Brewing beer produces carbon dioxide (CO2), especially during fermentation (the process by which yeast converts sugars into alcohol). Estimates are that fermentation yields three times as much carbon dioxide as is actually needed to produce (including brewing, canning, and bottling) each batch of beer, with up to 15 grams of CO2 generated per pint of beer brewed. According to the British Beer & Pub Association, over 8 billion pints of beer were consumed in the United Kingdom alone in 2019, contributing to the production of a whole lot of carbon dioxide.

While large, global breweries, with their vast financial resources, have been recapturing and reusing carbon dioxide for a number of years, most craft brewers have considered carbon recapture technology to be prohibitively expensive. They have treated excess CO2 as waste, and vented it into the atmosphere, though that practice may make little sense, either economically or environmentally since, in order to produce subsequent batches, brewers must then turn around and purchase carbon dioxide to carbonate the beer, purge beer tanks and lines of oxygen, and to transfer the beer from tanks to bottles or cans.

And carbon dioxide purchase is a recurring line item expense that eats into craft brewers’ profit margins.

Capturing and Reusing Carbon Dioxide
The good news is that recent technological innovations, driven in large part by companies working with NASA on space exploration and investigation, have led entrepreneurs to an awareness that CO2 recapture may in fact now be seen as a relatively affordable, and certainly environmentally friendly, option for craft breweries. The technology involves capturing the CO2 that has accumulated during fermentation and purifying the gas to make it suitable for reuse and/or sale.

The Washington Post has reported that Texas-based Earthly Labs has created a product called “CiCi” (for “carbon capture”), a refrigerator-sized unit that enables brewers to trap and reuse accumulated carbon dioxide. Captured CO2 is piped from the fermentation tanks to a “dryer” to separate water from CO2gas. The gas is next purified and chilled to a liquid for ease of storage and subsequent use.

Brewers can reuse their stored carbon dioxide to carbonate new batches of beer, as well as in the canning and bottling processes for the new beer. Craft Brewing Business, a trade website dedicated to the business of commercial craft brewing, reports that breweries can reduce monthly carbon dioxide expenses by 50 percent or more, and CO2 emissions by up to 50%, via carbon capture technology.

Breweries that capture more CO2 than they can use, may elect to sell the surplus to other breweries, bars, restaurants, and any other businesses that also use carbon dioxide. For instance, the State of Colorado, Earthly Labs, the Denver Beer Co. and The Clinic announced in early 2020 a pilot program in which Denver Beer Co. would sell its surplus CO2 to The Clinic, a medical and recreational cannabis dispensary, which would then pump the carbon dioxide inside its grow rooms to stimulate and enrich plant growth.

Oxygen Monitors Can Mitigate Unseen Dangers of Carbon Dioxide
Brewers and others working around carbon dioxide need to be aware of the potential risks associated with CO2. Carbon dioxide is an odorless and colorless oxygen-depleting gas. Since it deprives the air of oxygen, CO2 use presents a potential health hazard for brewery personnel.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an environment in which oxygen levels fall below 19.5 percent is considered an oxygen deficient atmosphere and should be treated as immediately dangerous to health or life. When there is not enough oxygen in the air, persons working in the affected area may become disoriented, lose consciousness, or even suffocate due to the lack of sufficient oxygen. Because CO2 is devoid of odor and color, individuals working around it might well, in the absence of appropriate monitoring equipment, be unaware that a risk situation has developed.

As such, The National Fire Protection Association recommends that gas monitoring equipment be placed in storage areas or any place where carbon dioxide is used or stored.

PureAire Dual O2/CO2 Monitors

PureAire Monitoring Systems’ Dual Oxygen/Carbon Dioxide Monitor offers thorough air monitoring, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required. A screen displays current oxygen and carbon dioxide levels for at-a-glance reading by brewery employees, who derive peace of mind from the Monitor’s presence and reliable performance.

In the event of a carbon dioxide leak, and a decrease in oxygen to an unsafe level, PureAire’s Monitor will set off an alarm, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting brewery personnel to evacuate the area.

PureAire’s Dual Oxygen/Carbon Dioxide Monitor is well-suited for facilities where carbon dioxide is used, such as breweries, bars, and restaurants. Our Dual O2/CO2 monitor includes both a non-depleting, zirconium oxide sensor cell, to monitor oxygen levels, and a non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensor cell, to monitor carbon dioxide levels. PureAire’s O2/CO2 monitors can last, trouble-free, for over 10 years under normal operating conditions.
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Saving money, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and ensuring employee safety...that is certainly something to which we can all raise a glass.

Pharmaceutical firms research, develop, and manufacture over-the-counter and prescription drugs and medicines. Usage of these drugs includes, but is not limited to, vaccinations, treatment for chronic conditions, and pain management.
To protect the health and well-being of the public, the pharmaceutical industry is one of the most highly regulated industries. For instance, in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carefully monitors pharmaceutical companies to ensure they are complying with the FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations. These regulations contain requirements for the methods, facilities, and controls used in the manufacturing, processing, and packaging of a drug product.  The regulations are intended to ensure that a product is safe for use, and that it contains the ingredients and strengths it claims to have.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Rely on Nitrogen
Pharmaceutical manufacturers rely on nitrogen(N2) (an abundant, inert gas which makes up 78% of the air we breathe) for a wide range of uses, including everything from mixing raw materials, to cryogenic grinding (a process using liquid nitrogen to create ultra-fine, uniform particles), to purging oxygen from packaging.
A sterile environment is critical throughout the drug manufacturing and packaging processes. Nitrogen is used to remove oxygen (O2), moisture, and other possible contaminants, in order to create and maintain a sterile environment for production and packaging.
Nitrogen blanketing is the process by which pharmaceutical manufacturers create an inert, non-reactive, environment for safely mixing chemical compounds. Blanketing with nitrogen safeguards against corrosion and oxidation, and prevents possible volatile reactions that might occur if O2 were present, as some medicinal compounds can be highly combustible when exposed to oxygen.
Oxygen and moisture are purged from packaging not only to maintain sterility but also to protect products during transport, and prolong the stability and shelf life of the packaged drugs.
Oxygen Monitors Can Reduce Risk in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Facilities Utilizing Nitrogen
Nitrogen is an oxygen-depleting gas that is both odorless and colorless. As such, absent appropriate monitoring, workers would be unable to detect a nitrogen leak if one were to occur in a gas cylinder or line. When there is not enough oxygen in the air, persons working in the area can become disoriented, lose consciousness, or even suffocate due to the lack of oxygen.
Fortunately, by utilizing a top-quality oxygen monitor, also known as an oxygen deficiency monitor, pharmaceutical personnel can track oxygen levels and detect nitrogen leaks before an employee’s health is jeopardized.
PureAire Monitors
PureAire Monitoring Systems’ oxygen deficiency monitors continuously track levels of oxygen and will detect nitrogen leaks before the health of pharmaceutical personnel is put at risk. Built with zirconium oxide sensor cells to ensure longevity, PureAire’s O2 monitors can last, trouble-free, for over 10 years under normal operating conditions.  In the event of a nitrogen gas leak, and a decrease in oxygen to an unsafe level, the monitor will set off an alarm, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting employees to evacuate the area.
Best practice calls for oxygen deficiency monitors to be installed anywhere there is a risk of gas leaks. The oxygen monitors should be placed wherever nitrogen is stored, and in all rooms and areas where nitrogen is used.
PureAire oxygen monitors measure oxygen 24/7, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required.
Each PureAire O2 monitor has an easy to read screen, which displays current oxygen levels, for at-a-glance readings by pharmaceutical manufacturing personnel, who derive peace of mind from the monitor’s presence and reliability.

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In 1996, California passed Proposition 215, making it the first of many states to ultimately legalize medical cannabis; as of January 2020, an additional 32 states and the District of Columbia have also made medical cannabis legal. Additionally, recreational use of cannabis is now legal in 11 states and is decriminalized in many others. Cannabis legalization and decriminalization have made cannabidiol (“CBD”, a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis), and tetrahydrocannabinol(“THC”, the chemical responsible for most of cannabis’ mind-altering effects), available to both recreational users and patients seeking treatment for such health issues as arthritis, anxiety, inflammation, seizure disorders, and nausea.
Since California’s groundbreaking move in 1996, medical and recreational cannabis has become a significant and rapidly growing industry. According to DC-based cannabis researcher, New Frontier Data, legal cannabis sales in the U.S. are expected to reach $30 billion annually by 2025. The industry growth has led to a substantial increase in grow rooms, medical dispensaries and other retail outlets, and extraction facilities.
Extraction
Extraction is a process by which desired chemical compounds are extracted and separated from the cannabis plant. Extraction strips the plant of essential oils, including CBD, THC, and terpenes (aromatic oils that give cannabis plants their distinctive scents). The extracted oils can be utilized in vape pens, edibles, capsules, tinctures, and topical solutions. Based on the end product, various techniques can be used for extracting the oils, including carbon dioxide (CO2) extraction and hydrocarbon solvent extraction (using solvents such as butane or propane).
Carbon Dioxide Extraction
Carbon dioxide, high pressure, and heat can be combined to create a “supercritical fluid” that extracts cannabis components from the plant. The CO2 extraction method generally produces high yields with relatively little waste. Temperatures and pressures can be adjusted to create multiple products including vaporizer oils; dabbing concentrates such as so-called waxes, crumble, shatters, and saps; and distillates (cannabis extracts that have been further purified and processed to separate and isolate the various cannabinoids, which include CBD and THC). Because CO2 evaporates on its own, many in the medical products and food and beverage industries find the CO2 extraction method appealing, since no residual carbon dioxide remains in the final manufactured product.
Hydrocarbon Solvents Extraction
Hydrocarbon extraction typically uses organic solvents such as butane and propane to separate essential oils from the plant material. The use of hydrocarbons for extraction is popular owing, in large part, to the relatively low overhead costs, efficiency (including the wide variety of products that can be created from a single extraction, without the need for further refinement), and high product quality associated with this technique. For instance, the low boiling point of butane, and even lower boiling point of propane, allow extractors to remove the desired compounds without risking evaporation of, or damage to, the delicate and heat-sensitive cannabinoids and terpenes. Moreover, their low boiling points makes it relatively easy to purge any residual butane or propane at the end of the extraction process, leaving behind only a relatively pure product.
Oxygen Monitors Can Protect Extractors and Their Employees
 While CO2 and hydrocarbon solvents are important techniques for extracting essential oils from cannabis plants use of these gases is not without risk, since extraction facility personnel and property are exposed to potential leaks from gas supply lines and storage containers.
Carbon dioxide is an oxygen-depleting gas that is both odorless and colorless. As such, absent appropriate monitoring to detect that a leak has occurred, extraction employees could become dizzy, lose consciousness, and even suffocate from breathing oxygen-deficient air. Hydrocarbons such as butane and propane also deplete oxygen and, they are flammable and explosive as well.
Proper gas detection equipment should be placed where the cannabis extraction process takes place, as well as in CO2 and hydrocarbon storage rooms, and in any other site where CO2, butane, and propane may be expected to accumulate. The gas detection equipment should include the capacity to activate visual and audible alarms, stopping the flow of gas and turning on the ventilation system.
PureAire Monitors
PureAire Monitoring Systems has safety monitors to meet the needs of cannabis extractors, whether they use CO2 or hydrocarbon solvents.
For facilities using carbon dioxide to extract their products, PureAire’s line of dual oxygen/carbon dioxide monitors offer thorough air monitoring, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required. The O2/CO2 monitor comes with user-adjustable alarm setpoints for both oxygen and carbon dioxide. The monitor is built with zirconium oxide sensor cells and non-dispersive infrared sensor (NDIR)cells, to ensure longevity.PureAire’s O2/CO2 monitors can last, trouble-free, for over 10 years under normal operating conditions.

Extractors utilizing hydrocarbon solvents, such as butane or propane, rely on PureAire’s LEL, explosion-proof, combustible gas monitors. The monitor is housed in a NEMA 4 enclosure specifically designed to prevent an explosion. The durable, long-life LEL catalytic sensor will last 5+ years without needing to be replaced.
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PureAire monitors feature an easy to read screen, which displays current oxygen levels for at-a-glance observation by employees, who derive peace of mind from the monitor’s presence and reliable performance. In the event of a gas leak, or a drop in oxygen to an unsafe OSHA action level, PureAire’s monitors will set off alarms, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting personnel to evacuate the area. At the same time, the monitors can be programmed to turn off the flow of gas (CO2, butane, or propane, as appropriate), and turn on the ventilation system.
In short, PureAire’s monitors enable cannabis extractors, in a cost-effective manner, to preserve both the quality of their products and the well-being of their employees.

Frozen foods first became commercially viable in the 1930s, thanks in large part to Clarence Birdseye. He is credited with inventing the double-belt freezer, the forerunner to modern quick-freeze technology, which includes the tunnel freezers used by most major food processors in North America.

Frozen foods offer many benefits to today’s busy consumers, including convenience; minimal processing, with few to no preservatives; a long spoilage-free product shelf life; and, especially when compared with canned foods, superior taste, since the ingredients are quick-frozen at their peak of freshness. Seasonal foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are, once they have been frozen, now available year-round. In the same way, people living in landlocked locations can enjoy fresh-frozen seafood, no matter the distance from the coast. And, through the near magic of quick-frozen partially baked bread products, we can consume bakery-quality goods at home, straight out of the ovens in our own kitchens.

Still, even as Mr. Birdseye’s invention made frozen foods available to mass consumers in the first place nearly a century ago, so, too, have more recent innovations in freezing technology, including new freezer types, such as tunnel freezers using cryogenic gases, greatly improved the quality and, therefore, the market acceptance, of frozen foods. These freezers very quickly “flash freeze” foods at extremely low temperatures, such that the foods maintain essentially all of their original freshness, flavor, and texture.

How Tunnel Freezers Work
Tunnel freezers work by rapidly freezing food using cryogenic gases, such as liquid nitrogen (LN2) or carbon dioxide (CO2). The fresh food items are placed on a conveyor belt, which carries them into the freezer, where an injection system (utilizing either liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide), together with fans circulating the gas-chilled air, ensure that all food surfaces are quickly and evenly frozen.

Food products frozen in cryogenic tunnel freezers, including all manner of proteins, fruits, vegetables, and parbaked bread and dough items, are ultimately shipped to grocery chains and warehouse superstores; operators of quick service, fast casual, and fine dining restaurants; and school and hospital cafeterias, among other places, and they are enjoyed daily by millions of hungry people.

Monitoring Can Protect Food Processing Employees
While the use of liquid nitrogen and/or carbon dioxide is essential in that part of the quick-frozen food processing industry using tunnel freezer technology, it is not without risk. LN2 and CO2 are both oxygen-depleting gases, and oxygen deprivation could put employees in real danger if there are gas leaks from freezer supply lines or exhaust systems, or from on-site gas storage containers. In the event of a leak, plant personnel could become disoriented, lose consciousness, or even suffocate from breathing oxygen-deficient air. Since liquid nitrogen and carbon dioxide are both colorless and odorless, workers would, in the absence of appropriate monitoring, have no way of knowing that there has in fact been a gas leak.
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PureAire Water-Resistant Dual O2/CO2 Monitors 
PureAire Monitoring Systems’ water-resistant dual oxygen/carbon dioxide monitors offer thorough air monitoring, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required. A screen displays current oxygen and carbon dioxide levels for at-a-glance reading by employees, who derive peace of mind from the monitor’s presence and reliable performance.

In the event of a nitrogen or carbon dioxide leak, and a decrease in oxygen to an unsafe level, the monitor will set off an alarm, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting personnel to evacuate the area.
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PureAire’s dual oxygen/carbon dioxide monitor is housed in an IP67 water resistant enclosure that will keep the electronics dry during wash-downs and will remain accurate at extremely low temperatures.That makes the monitor ideally suited for facilities using liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide, such as frozen food processing plants with tunnel freezers. Built with zirconium oxide sensor cells and non-dispersive infrared sensor (NDIR)cells to ensure longevity, PureAire’s dual O2/CO2 monitors can last, trouble-free, for over 10 years under normal operating conditions.

Criminalization of cannabis cultivation and consumption in the United States began with prohibition by certain states in the early 20th century (between 1911 and 1933, some 29 states banned the cultivation and/or use of cannabis), with the first significant nationwide federal restrictions implemented under the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.

More recently, just as the states instituted the first cannabis restrictions, so have they taken the lead in relaxing and removing them, first through decriminalization (beginning in the 1970s) and thereafter through legalization of medical cannabis use (beginning in the 1990s) and finally, through legalization of recreational use of cannabis (beginning with Colorado and Washington in 2012).  As of September 2019, medical cannabis was legal in 33 states, while recreational usage was legal in 10 states (with Illinois to follow as of January 1, 2020) and decriminalization in many others. Twenty-six states now permit cannabis cultivation in some form or fashion.

Cannabis legalization has created a significant demand for legally obtainable product, and the cultivation and sale of medical and recreational cannabis has, in a relatively short period of time, become a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States.

Use of Carbon Dioxide to Meet the Growing Cannabis Demand
To help meet the growing demand, cannabis farmers (or “growers”) are raising carbon dioxide (“CO2”) levels to enrich grow rooms, which can shorten the growing season and, therefore, stimulate cannabis production. An increase in carbon dioxide levels stimulates the photosynthesis process, resulting in stronger and faster-growing plants, but the levels must be monitored closely, as too much CO2 can damage plants, as well as present health risks to grow room employees.

Growers typically utilize one of two primary methods to enrich grow rooms with carbon dioxide. The first involves the use of generators to produce CO2 by burning propane or natural gas. This method produces a great deal of heat, which can make if difficult for growers to maintain optimal growing temperatures. Alternatively, compressed carbon dioxide tanks (similar to the ones used in the brewing and carbonated beverage industries) provide the grower with on-demand CO2, and better control over the amount of the gas released, without adding excess heat to the grow room.

Carbon dioxide continues to play an important role in the medical cannabis industry even after the plants have been harvested, because CO2 is an integral part of the process of extracting cannabidiol (or “CBD”, the non-psychoactive chemical compound used to treat conditions such as inflammation, anxiety, epilepsy, and pain, as well as the side effects of certain cancer treatments). Additionally, carbon dioxide is typically used in the packaging process, to help flush oxygen and keep the packaged product fresh.

Carbon Dioxide Monitoring is of Critical Importance in Cannabis Industry
​​To ensure healthy and high yielding cannabis crops, growers must maintain proper CO2 levels, as too much carbon dioxide can lead to lower yields and may even permanently damage the plants. The actual desired CO2 levels may vary depending on the specific cannabis plant varieties being grown, but studies have shown that CO2 levels up to 10,000ppm can significantly increase growth.

However, humans may become disoriented and/or experience respiratory distress when
CO2 levels approach 3,000ppm, and death by asphyxiation is possible at CO2 levels as low as 5,000ppm. Therefore, employee safety concerns demand that cannabis growers and packagers have appropriate monitoring in place.

Proper gas detection equipment should be placed (and secured 12 inches from the floor) in areas, such as grow rooms, where the cannabis growing process takes place, as well as in CO2 storage closets or rooms, and in any other site where CO2 may be expected to accumulate. The gas detection equipment should be capable of activating visual and audible alarms, stopping the flow of carbon dioxide, and turning on the ventilation system.

​PureAire Monitors
PureAire Monitoring Systems’ Dual Oxygen/Carbon Dioxide Monitors offer thorough air monitoring, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required. The O2/CO2 Monitor comes with user-adjustable alarm setpoints for each gas. Cannabis growers can set the carbon dioxide alarm to maintain desired CO2 levels inside the grow room, while both the oxygen and carbon dioxide alarms can be programmed to go off when the levels reach an OSHA action level.
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In the event of a leak and carbon dioxide is elevated to levels unsafe for humans, PureAire’s Dual O2/CO2 Monitor will set off an alarm that includes flashing lights and horns, alerting personnel to vacate the affected area. At the same time, the Monitor will turn off the flow of CO2, and turn on the ventilation system.