US CO2 shortage worsened by contaminated gas from an extinct volcano

An extinct volcano’s underground reservoir in Mississippi has supplied CO2 to US beverage makers and food processing companies for decades. But natural contamination has exacerbated an ongoing CO2 shortage

By Jeremy Hsu

The US is experiencing a carbon dioxide shortage, which has now been intensified by natural contaminants found in the CO₂ supply that comes from an extinct volcano in Mississippi. This underground CO2 source is particularly crucial for bubbly beverage makers and food processing companies.

While the US has multiple sources of natural carbon dioxide, the CO₂reservoir beneath an uplifted area known as the Jackson Dome is the only large underground deposit east of the Mississippi River. …