carbon capture and storage noun

The capture and storage of carbon dioxide emitted from eg power plants, in order to prevent it entering the atmosphere (abbrev CCS)

carbon copy noun

1. A duplicate of writing or typed matter made by interleaving carbon paper, a paper coated with a pigment made of carbon or other material
2. Any exact duplicate

carˈbon-copˈy transitive verb

To copy exactly

carbon credit noun

A unit, representing part of a country's or organization's total allowance for the emission of carbon dioxide, which may be traded to another country or organization if the full allowance is not used

carbon cycle noun

1. The circulation and transfer of carbon between animals, plants and the atmosphere
2. The function of carbon in various nuclear reactions in stars

carbon dating noun

Estimating the date of death of prehistoric organic material from the amount of carbon-14 still present in it

carbon dioxide noun

An oxide of carbon (CO₂), a colourless, odourless, incombustible gas, present in the atmosphere, which in solution in water forms carbonic acid (formerly called carbonˈic-acid gas)

carbon dioxide snow noun

Dry ice (see ice)

carbon disulphide noun

(CS₂) a colourless, flammable liquid with an unpleasant smell, used in the manufacture of man-made fibres and solvents

carbon fibres plural noun

Very fine filaments of carbon used in bundles, bound together by resins, to form strong lightweight materials

carbon footprint noun

The extent to which a person, community or organization is responsible for the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through use of fossil fuels

carˈbon-14 noun

A radioactive isotope of carbon, used eg as a tracer element in biological studies or in dating archaeological material

carbonic acid noun

(H₂CO₃) a weak acid

carbonic anhydrase noun

An enzyme in blood cells that catalyses the decomposition of carbonic acid into carbon dioxide and water

carbon microphone noun

A microphone in which variations in sound pressure produced in a diaphragm are detected in a current passing through carbon granules which register a decrease of contact resistance as the sound pressure increases

carbon monoxide noun

(CO) a colourless, odourless, very poisonous gas which burns with a blue flame to form carbon dioxide

carbon-neut'ral adjective

(of a human activity) creating no overall increase or decrease in the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

carbon offsetting noun

The reduction in the emission of carbon from a source to compensate for an emission made elsewhere

carbon process noun (photography)

A printing process using paper sensitized with potassium bichromate and coated with gelatine and a pigment

carbon sink noun

An area, rich in natural flora, that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it produces

carbon steel noun

Steel containing carbon, with different properties according to the quantity of carbon used

carbon tax noun

A tax imposed on industry, and on the users of motor vehicles, to try to limit the amount of carbon being released into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels

carbon tetrachloride noun

(CCl₄) a solvent made from chlorine and carbon disulphide (also tetrachloromethane)

carbon trading noun

The trading of carbon credits (qv above)

carˈbon-12 noun

An isotope of carbon with a mass of 12, used as a standard in determining relative atomic and molecular weight