Food & beverages
Carbonation, chilling and food processing rely on dependable CO₂ supply. Food-contact use requires the appropriate purification, quality assurance and certification.
Products & outlook
CO₂ is a product.
Methane is energy.
Both are emissions when released. Their commercial value emerges when they are recovered, qualified to a buyer's specification and delivered economically. Here is what the markets use today, and what could matter next.
~230 Mt
CO₂ used globally each year in the IEA's 2019 assessment. Most is used in urea production and enhanced oil recovery, so this is not ESCo₂'s addressable market.
2018 · 2021 · 2026
Years of UK CO₂ supply failures requiring intervention, according to the UK government.
~600×
Smaller volume when natural gas is liquefied for storage and transport, according to the U.S. EIA.
01 / Carbon dioxide
The gas that industry already buys.
CO₂ is used in established supply chains. Demand is local, grade-specific and dependent on reliable delivery. The UK government's 2026 supply review names food, water and healthcare among the sectors exposed when supply fails. Source: UK government ↗
Water & healthcare
CO₂ supports water treatment and specialist medical applications. Acceptance criteria vary by use; an industrial-grade stream is not automatically suitable.
Greenhouses & fertiliser
Growers use CO₂ to stimulate plant growth. Urea production is a major global CO₂ use, though much of that demand is integrated at fertiliser plants rather than open merchant offtake.
Fabrication & construction
Existing uses include metal fabrication, cooling and fire suppression. Mineralisation and concrete curing can turn CO₂ into a material input, subject to technical and buyer qualification.
THE GRADE GATE
Industrial CO₂ is the starting target.
ESCo₂'s current process basis targets industrial liquid CO₂. Food, beverage or medical markets require additional processing where needed, documented testing, certification and buyer acceptance. Those higher grades are potential routes, not current product claims. UK qualification context ↗
Future CO₂ uses
The next markets are being built.
Emerging uses are promising, but they are not yet a substitute for contracted demand. The IEA warns that scale depends on cost, energy input, standards and policy.
CO₂ into building products
Mineralisation can incorporate CO₂ into aggregates and concrete products. This route can retain carbon for far longer than short-lived uses, but project economics and product standards determine adoption.
U.S. Department of Energy ↗CO₂ into protein feedstock
A research consortium is converting CO₂ into acetate for microbial fermentation. Pilot results illustrate a future food pathway, with electricity cost, infrastructure and approvals still to resolve.
Novo Nordisk Foundation ↗02 / Methane & LNG
Recover the fuel before it is lost.
Methane is the main component of natural gas. It can support local power and industry, or be conditioned and liquefied for transport to markets beyond pipeline reach. LNG is a specification and logistics chain, not simply a cold methane stream. U.S. EIA ↗
LOCAL USEPower and industrial heat
Use the gas close to its source where a suitable buyer and connection exist.
DISTRIBUTED SUPPLYLiquefaction and delivery
Move qualified gas in cryogenic storage for power, industrial and other natural-gas users.
Methane-rich liquid is not automatically saleable LNG.
Gas cleaning, composition, energy demand, boil-off management, storage and buyer specifications determine the sale. Methane leakage and eventual combustion must be included in any environmental assessment. The IEA's 2026 methane analysis ↗ documents both the abatement opportunity and the value of captured gas.
Market outlook / October 2026
Opportunity is real. It is not automatic.
These signals describe markets, not a forecast of ESCo₂ sales. The commercial test remains site-specific.
Qualified local supply matters.
Repeated UK interruptions show why buyers value dependable alternatives. A new supplier still has to meet the required grade, delivered cost and continuity of supply.
UK government, 2026 ↗Materials and biotechnology may expand use.
Mineralised products and carbon-to-food processes are advancing. Their scale and timing are uncertain, so ESCo₂ treats them as future options until a buyer qualifies the product.
IEA outlook ↗LNG markets move in cycles.
The IEA's July 2026 forecast expected global gas demand to decline about 0.5% in 2026 amid supply disruption and high prices, while new LNG capacity was coming online unevenly. The investable opportunity is the right regional buyer, not a permanent global shortage.
IEA Gas Market Report, Q3 2026 ↗THE INVESTOR LENS
Three proofs before the revenue line.
- Feed: verified flow, composition and contaminants.
- Product: tested grade and a practical storage and delivery route.
- Buyer: contracted volume, price and acceptance terms.
Environmental claims are assessed separately using measured operations and a lifecycle boundary. CO₂ sold for use is not automatically permanent removal or a carbon credit. IEA on life-cycle assessment ↗
Read the evidence
Sources and further reading.
Primary sources support the factual claims above. The two articles that prompted this page are included below as industry perspectives.
Primary references
- IEA · Putting CO₂ to UseUses, market scale, emerging pathways and lifecycle limits · 2019
- UK government · CO₂ supply resilienceEssential uses, supply failures and specialist-grade context · 2026
- U.S. EIA · Liquefied natural gasLNG handling, transport and end uses · 2024
- World Bank · Global Gas Flaring Tracker2025 flaring volume · 2026 report
- IEA · Global Methane TrackerMethane abatement and gas recovery · 2026
- IEA · Gas Market Report Q3Short-term demand and LNG outlook · July 2026
- Novo Nordisk Foundation · Acetate ConsortiumCO₂-derived food prototype progress · 2025
Perspectives that started the discussion
- World Economic Forum · CO₂ and future foodOpinion by biotechnology leaders · 2024
- Mission Zero · Why CO₂ shortages happenCompany perspective on supply fragility · 2025
Market information reviewed 14 October 2026. A third-party market figure is not an ESCo₂ performance claim or addressable-market estimate.
Put the theory to work
Have a gas stream or a product requirement?
Bring us the feed data or the buyer specification. ESCo₂ can start with a site and market screening discussion.