Carbon Dioxide: Why dry ice should be a hot topic

We have heard a lot over the past couple of decades how harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) is for our planet. In the right context this is true, but in another, we would see how fun would be sucked from our lives if we got rid of it. CO2 isn’t just important because it gives us fizzy beer or because it’s what our plants feed on, no. It is also important if you want many of our vaccines such as the Covid-19 vaccine many of us had not so long ago. The pharmaceutical industry has always been heavily reliant on dry ice for maintaining sub-zero temperatures when transporting many of their products. With the growth in biopharmaceuticals their reliance on it is higher than ever as these products must be stored at super cold temperatures, especially when in their concentrated form. So why does dry ice need to be a hot topic?

Dry ice, for those who don’t know, is made from frozen CO2 and not frozen H2O like regular ice (otherwise known as wet ice). The pharmaceutical manufacturing industry is layered with complexity and tied together by strict regulation. The methods in which they choose to transport their goods must be vigorously tested, validated and approved. Currently the industry is mostly, if not exclusively, using dry ice for their super cold chain products in transit. There are other methods out there that could replace dry ice such as gel packs and potential wet ice but these haven’t been taken up or validated by the industry. With the increase in biopharmaceuticals the demand for CO2 in the industry has never been higher and they aren’t the only ones relying on it in its frozen or free form. The meat industry, brewers, soft drink manufacturers and even bakers rely on CO2. We mentioned plants earlier but not all CO2 is made equal. The CO2 our plants need is taken from the CO2 in the air, and don’t worry, thanks to our reliance on petrochemicals there’s plenty of that available. The CO2 used in industry needs to come from a specialized processing plant.

In September 2021 the UK was almost suffocated due to a lack of CO2. Planned maintenance and shutdowns due to cost concerns virtually halted CO2 production. It then took the will of the UK government plus £14 million in subsidies to get the plants going again. Now, due to rising fuel prices, the largest contributor to industrial CO2 in the UK may be about to turn their lights off. CF Industries, the US owner of CF Fertilizers UK, announced earlier this month that they are going to temporarily halt production at their plant which will cut the UK’s CO2 supply by one third. There will be obvious casualties to these actions such as brewers and soft drink manufacturers but industries like meat and other foods could turn to nitrogen instead of CO2 for use in packing. However, you can’t freeze nitrogen to make dry ice so it is the pharmaceutical industry and by default, millions of patients, who will suffer the most from this freeze on CO2 production.

Although not as mainstream as this topic should be some industry professionals and the UK government have expressed their deep concern with the situation. Last year the government urged industries to sure up their CO2 supply chains and many have. An increase in import and stock holding is evident but there has been little action or noise from the pharmaceutical industry. As a result they may end up arriving late to this beer free party. This needs to be a topic more widely discussed if we are going to come up with the solutions to avoid CO2 starvation. And the industries most reliant on this product need to wake up and take this seriously and not sit quietly in the corner waiting for the UK government to pick up the bill for them.