Benzene in beverage-grade CO₂, verified to 0.5 ppb

AirBreather measuring BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene) in beverage-grade CO₂ to 0.5 ppb

Approved to Coca-Cola reference NA-KO-102. One of the world's largest beverage producers asked for this analyzer. ASTG built it.

Carbon dioxide is an ingredient. When it carbonates a drink, every impurity it carries goes with it, and benzene is the one no producer or bottler can afford to miss. It is a known carcinogen, it is regulated, and a single contaminated batch can halt a line, trigger a recall and damage a brand built over decades. Beverage-grade CO₂ benzene monitoring is the assurance your product is safe to sell.

AirBreather measures benzene in beverage-grade CO₂ to a 0.5 ppb detection limit, roughly forty times below the 20 ppb v/v aromatic-hydrocarbon limit in the ISBT guidelines. That headroom is the difference between a result that sits on the limit and one that proves compliance with room to spare, batch after batch.

Request a benzene-assurance review of your CO₂ stream

A superior detection limit, with full speciation

AirBreather measures aromatics on a dedicated GC-PID, which separates them and quantifies each one in turn. The 0.5 ppb figure covers more than benzene: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene are each resolved individually, at 0.5 ppb. The ISBT guideline reports aromatics as a single number, expressed as benzene; AirBreather shows which aromatic is actually present. Knowing the species, not just the sum, is how you trace contamination to its source. These are the compounds most closely tied to product safety and sensory failure.

One platform, the whole ISBT picture

Benzene is the headline. The same system measures over forty impurities at once, covering the full ISBT, CGA and EIGA specification: speciated aromatics on the GC-PID, sulfur and methanol on the FTIR, and oxygen on a dedicated sensor (infrared cannot detect it). Total sulfur resolves to 0.020 ppm; methanol to 0.5 ppm. One system, the full specification.

Built for the way CO₂ is actually produced and delivered

For producers, AirBreather protects the certification your customers depend on. It runs continuous analysis at up to forty sample points, uses Sample Safety Tech to eliminate cross-contamination, and turns results around in four minutes. It needs no carrier gas other than air, no span gases, no calibration gases. It validates internally and uses less sample gas than any comparable system. It also reads recycled and alternative CO₂ sources, which matters as producers qualify new feedstocks against a tightening supply.

For bottlers, it protects at the point of use. Tanker offload runs through the DIP-1 driver interface with automated fill panels and purity alarms. The Secure COA module issues certificates of analysis with full 21 CFR Part 11 audit trails. Everything runs remotely through CBAS. Service intervals are one year.

Assurance you can defend

AirBreather was developed at one of the world's largest beverage manufacturers' request and refined over five years of field trials and in-service use. It carries Coca-Cola approval NA-KO-102. It was built to be the analyzer you can stand behind when it matters. CO₂ supply is tightening and regulatory scrutiny is increasing. The margin between detection limit and compliance limit is what gets audited.

Download the AirBreather data sheet

Frequently asked questions

What is the ISBT limit for benzene in beverage-grade CO₂?
The ISBT guidelines set the aromatic-hydrocarbon limit, expressed as benzene, at 0.020 ppm v/v (20 ppb). AirBreather detects to 0.5 ppb, giving roughly 40× margin.

How does AirBreather detect benzene?
AirBreather uses a dedicated GC-PID that separates the aromatics and quantifies each one individually. It resolves each BTEX compound (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene) at 0.5 ppb: full speciation, not a single "total aromatics" figure.

Which standards does it meet?
It exceeds ISBT, CGA and EIGA guidelines across 40+ impurities, and carries Coca-Cola approval NA-KO-102.