To reduce their carbon footprint, a French vineyard has announced plans to capture the CO2 produced during the fermentation of grapes and convert it into sodium bicarbonate (an important ingredient in toothpaste).
After collection, pharmaceutical companies will buy the sodium bicarbonate naturally-produced by Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, from Bordeaux, France.
Quoting the Industrial Agricultural Products Center of the University of Nebraska, Cleantechnica says each gallon of wine produces is accompanied by the production of 6.29 pounds of carbon dioxide. While the amount is infinitesimally lower than that produced by a car running down the road, its greenhouse gas effect is the same – hence the need to recycle.
The carbon dioxide emitted during wine making has victims, too. In 2008, two French men suffocated while treading the grapes with their feet due to the odorless carbon dioxide the process emitted (probably the treading thing took place indoor). As it’s heavier than air, CO2 occupied the entire room that these guys were in.
That’s a nice idea to turn carbon dioxide into a source of income, isn’t it? It’s both green and practical.
