Does the Carbon Dioxide We Breathe Out Hurt the World?
Created By RISC | 1 year ago
Last modified date : 1 year ago
Renewable energy is now being used instead of fossil fuels to achieve net zero carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 2050. Cutting carbon emissions from industry, including carbon capture and storage, has also attracted a lot of attention. But all these technologies are only applied in manufacturing.
What about the carbon dioxide we release when we breathe?
You mightn’t expect carbon dioxide from breathing to have an impact on the environment. But we emit carbon dioxide just like other sources. We breathe in 20.9% oxygen and 0.03% carbon dioxide (the rest is nitrogen and other gases). We use the oxygen in metabolic processes. When we exhale, we return 16% oxygen and 4% carbon dioxide.
You might wonder if this carbon dioxide has an impact.
Humans exhale 0.58-1.04 kg of carbon dioxide each day, depending on what they do. Running and other high-energy activities can release 8 times more carbon dioxide than sitting or sleeping. Thais breathed out about 247.7 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2022, about 11.2% of the country's total carbon dioxide emissions. So carbon dioxide from human respiration contributes to global warming.
Exhaling raises carbon dioxide in the room too. Two people sleeping for 8 hours without ventilation can generate an increase in carbon dioxide of nearly 1,600 ppm. Working or doing general activities in an unventilated room can quickly produce more than 4,000 parts per million of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide levels over 950 ppm will have a severe impact on the brain's ability to perceive information and make judgments. 2,000 ppm or above has a direct influence on health. Building ventilation is vital. But directing carbon dioxide from breathing outside has an impact on the environment. The average quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 424.17 ppm (as of 9 May 2023) but it’s increasing year after year.
Would it be better if we had technology or products that captured carbon dioxide in buildings? This is easier than capturing it in the atmosphere and it’d boost health while playing a tiny role in saving the earth.
Story by: Supunnapang Raksawong, Materials Researcher in Sustainable Building Material, and Napol Kieatkongmanee, Senior Sustainable Designer and TREES-A, Building Technology, Intelligent Systems, Innovative Solutions Specialist, RISC
References:
https://www.researchgate.net/post/How-much-will-be-the-human-breathing-CO2-emission-factor
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Health-effects-of-carbon-dioxide-exposure-36-45_fig4_343930613
https://ourworldindata.org/transport
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/603/5/052100/meta
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pollution-concentration-rooms-d_692.html