Spring carbonic acid, Subst. w., is used in the so-called CO2 process for decaffeination. Carbonic acid (i.e. carbon dioxide) occurs in nature as a gas or dissolved in water. Is a component of the air we breathe in and out. Under certain temperature and pressure conditions, it is an ideal extraction agent for caffeine. This is how normal coffee is turned into a decaf using natural – i.e. not chemically synthesized – means.
