Plant Photosynthesis

The reaction that takes place in photosynthesis is this:

The left side of the equation is what starts out with and the right side of the equation are the end
product, or what is left Photosynthesis removes carbon from the atmosphere and turns it into
sugars that plants can use to grow and store, also releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. This is a
very fast process. For example, when spring comes and trees start to replace their leaves and
grow, we can see global CO​2​ levels drop very quickly.
 Animals Eating
The chemical equation for animals cellular respiration is as follows:

Left side of the equation is what it starts with, the things on the right side of the equation is what
is left. Respiration uses sugar (glucose) and oxygen and turns them into Carbon Dioxide, Water,
and Energy (ATP). This is the process that happens in living things that keeps them alive. This
process happens at a rapid rate. Every time you exhale, you are releasing the things on the right
side of this equation.
 Driving a Car
The chemical equation of combustion that happens in your car is:

The left side of the equation are what it starts with and they turn into the things on the right side
of the equation. When you combine gas (octane) with oxygen and ignite it inside the engine of
your car, it releases water, carbon dioxide, and energy. This process happens very quickly and
whenever your car’s engine is running, it is releasing carbon to the atmosphere and removing
oxygen.
 Burning Coal to Produce Electricity
The chemical equation for burning coal (greatly simplified) is this:

Coal is full of carbon. When you combine it with oxygen and ignite it, it produces CO2, Water, and
lots of heat energy. This process happens very quickly in power plants. For example, there is a coal
burning power plant in Delta, Utah that still uses coal to create electricity. This power plant
consumes 14,000 tons of coal per day. Nearly a fully loaded train full of coal is delivered there
each day. How much carbon do you think this adds to our atmosphere on a daily basis? In 2025 it
is scheduled to be converted to natural gas.
 Animals and Plants Dying and
Turning Into Fossil Fuels
The process of plants dying and becoming fossil fuels is one that removes carbon from the
atmosphere. A plant takes CO2 and turns it into energy. When that plant dies, if it gets buried, the
carbon that the tree or plant has stored in its tissues will get trapped in the earth and become a
fossil fuel like coal, natural gas, or octane over time. This only works if the plant is buried in a
swamp or some other place. If the plant is left to decompose at the surface of the earth, then its
carbon is released to the atmosphere. The process that converts plants to fossil fuels is very slow.
It takes millions of years for dead plants to be turned into a fossil fuel.
Burning Natural Gas to Heat Our Homes
This process has the same chemical equation as the one for coal.

When you burn natural gas, you combine methane and oxygen and get out water, energy, and
carbon dioxide. The difference between natural gas and coal, however, is that when you burn
natural gas, you release a much smaller amount of carbon to the atmosphere. Natural gas burns
much more efficiently and you end up with less waste. This process is still very rapid and it
releases CO2 rapidly into the atmosphere but in smaller amounts than a coal burning power plant.
 Volcanic Activity
Carbon dioxide is released when magma rises from the depths of the Earth on its way to the
surface. Studies at Mount Kilauea in Hawaii show that the active eruption discharges between
8,000 and 30,000 metric tonnes of CO​2​ into the atmosphere each day. Actively erupting volcanoes
release much more CO​2​ than sleeping ones do. If the volcano is actively erupting, then carbon that
was stored deep in the earth is being rapidly released into the atmosphere. But a dormant
volcano would not be releasing nearly as much carbon to the atmosphere.
 Deforestation
Forests produce oxygen, store carbon dioxide, and help control climate. Forests play a 
huge role in the carbon cycle on our planet. When forests are cut down, not only does 
carbon absorption cease, but also the carbon stored in the trees is released into the 
atmosphere as CO2 if the wood is burned or even if it is left to rot after the deforestation 
process. Deforestation is an important factor in global climate change. Climate change is 
being caused by a build-up of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and if forests continue 
to be cut down the main tool we have to diminish this CO2 build up in being destroyed. It 
is estimated that more than 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide are released to the 
atmosphere due to deforestation, mainly the cutting and burning of forests, every year. 
 Dissolving CO2 in Oceans-Then
Turned Into Limestone
Carbon is removed from the atmosphere when limestone is formed. The ocean absorbs carbon
from the atmosphere and turns it into limestone which is ends on the ocean floor. This is a huge
player is removal of CO2 from the atmosphere but it happens very slowly. It takes millions of
years for the ocean to form a limestone layer just a few millimeters thick. That thin layer however,
represents millions of tons of carbon that were removed from our atmosphere. This process is
one of the great balancers of our carbon cycle on Earth.
 Growing Crops for Biofuels
Photosynthesis is happening when we grow crops to create fuel, like ethanol. So when we are
growing the crops, they remove carbon from the atmosphere. But when we turn those plants into
fuel, the carbon is released again. So in a way, this neither adds or removes carbon from the
atmosphere but keeps it at a steady level. That is one of the reasons that you have seen such a big
increase in cars that burn ethanol or “flex fuel” vehicles.