Carbon dioxide (CO2) is useful for food preservation, laboratory research, mosquito control and other applications. There are industrial methods of releasing CO2 by using dry ice or by burning organic fuels such as propane, butane and the like. These industrial methods, however, are limited in their portability and their predictability or control. Furthermore, these methods often require special equipment and/or special handling. These industrial methods are also limited by the fact they must be operated at either low temperatures (in the case of dry ice) or high temperatures (in the case of burning fuels). Dry ice must also be stored at low temperatures or else it will sublimate to produce carbon dioxide during storage.
There is a need in the art to provide a method for producing carbon dioxide that can be conducted at room temperature and that does not require special equipment, handling or storage. Furthermore, there is a need in the art to provide a method for producing carbon dioxide at a controlled rate even at temperatures below 100° F.