CO2 shortage threatens UK beer supplies

Carbonated drinks could soon be off the menu in pubs
and restaurants, as beer and soft drinks manufacturers face the
“worst supply situation to hit the European carbon dioxide business
in decades”.

As well as giving fizzy drinks their fizz, carbon
dioxide (CO2) “also delivers beer at the pub pumps and is
additionally used to pack fresh meat and salads”, the BBC reports.

CO2 is a byproduct of the process of producing
ammonia for use in fertilisers. The gas is then refined by CO2
suppliers until it is “food-grade” and sold on to breweries and
soft drink manufacturers.

However, fertiliser production ramps up in late
summer, meaning that many ammonia plants schedule maintenance
during the spring or early summer – “the peak time for production
of soft and alcoholic drinks”, says industry publication Gasworld, which broke the story.

This year, low ammonia prices and the high cost
of the natural gas needed to produce ammonia has led several major
plants to extend their summer shutdowns – with a disastrous effect
on carbonated drinks manufacturers, which are now “desperate” for
fizz.