French Vineyard to Sell CO2 to Toothpaste Companies

Vineyards around the world rely on a delicately balanced climate in their particular area to ensure the perfect grapes for producing quality wine. Unfortunately many vineyards are threatened by climate change due to the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

The Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte in Bordeaux, France, is famous for its red wines, and plans to do its part to reduce carbon emissions by capturing the CO2 released during the fermentation process, convert it into sodium bicarbonate, and then sell it on to-pharmaceutical companies.

Related article: Why Have US Carbon Emissions Declined so Much?

According to the Industrial Agricultural Products Center of the University of Nebraska, for every gallon of wine produced there is also 6.29 pounds of carbon dioxide. Whilst this is not a huge amount of CO2, and only a small part of the overall volume produced throughout the whole production and distribution process, it still helps to capture it and remove it from the air.

The gas can be quite easily captured in the fermentation trap, where large wineries may use it to prevent the oxidation of the wine. Another option is to capture the CO2 and then send it to a company that works in storage techniques, however it is likely that the winery would have to pay for the transport and storage of the gas.

The idea proposed by the Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte could provide an additional source of income as the sodium bicarbonate can be sold to companies that produce toothpaste.

By. Charles Kennedy of Oilprice.com