How much Carbon Dioxide does my garden absorb?

Answer 1

nearly not enough as you think.

We are all brought up to think that we should plant more trees and stuff to reduce the amount of CO2 in the air, to help the environment.

But more then 90% of the CO2 in the atmosphere is actually converted to O2 by plant life in the oceans.(algae, sea weeds etc) But it's still a good idea to plant trees and gardens as do help somewhat.

Answer 2

The answer to this question is very mechanical. Plants absorb CO2 when they produce glucose sugar during photosynthesis.

Sugar is C6H12O6. So, a molecule of sugar weighs 180 and it is made from six molecules of CO2 which each weigh 44. In other words, when a plant sucks in CO2 from the air, it produces about 180 pounds of plant material from every 264 pounds of CO2 it sucks in.

So, if you grow 180 pounds of turnips, then you have removed 264 pounds of CO2.

THe CO2 is produced from fossil fuels. So, let's say you put 100 pounds of heptane (gasoline) in your car and drive around. The 100 pounds of gas will produce 7x44 = 308 pounds of CO2.

So, you have to grow well over 200 pounds of turnips to cancel out the CO2 from one tank of gas.

Answer 3

Loads.

Answer 4

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. It is often referred to by its formula CO2. It is present in the Earth's atmosphere at a low concentration of approximately 0.04% and is an important greenhouse gas. In its solid state, it is called dry ice. It is a major component of the carbon cycle.

Origins
Natural sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide include volcanic outgassing, the combustion of organic matter, and the respiration processes of living aerobic organisms; man-made sources of carbon dioxide come mainly from the burning of fossil fuels for heating, power generation and transport. It is also produced by various microorganisms from fermentation and cellular respiration. Plants convert carbon dioxide to carbohydrates during a process called photosynthesis. They produce the energy needed for this reaction through the photolysis of water. The resulting gas, oxygen, is released into the atmosphere by plants, which is subsequently used for respiration by heterotrophic organisms, forming a cycle.


Chemical and physical properties
Carbon dioxide is a colorless gas which, when inhaled at high concentrations (a dangerous activity because of the associated asphyxiation risk), produces a sour taste in the mouth and a stinging sensation in the nose and throat. These effects result from the gas dissolving in the mucous membranes and saliva, forming a weak solution of carbonic acid. One may notice this sensation if one attempts to stifle a burp after drinking a carbonated beverage.

Its density at standard temperature and pressure is around 1.98 kg/m3, about 1.53 times that of air. The carbon dioxide molecule (O=C=O) contains two double bonds and has a linear shape. It has no electrical dipole. As it is fully oxidized, it is not very reactive and is non-flammable.

Synthesis and chemistry
Carbon dioxide may be obtained from air distillation, however this yields only very small quantities of CO2. A large variety of chemical reactions yield carbon dioxide, such as the reaction between most acids and most metal carbonates. As an example, the reaction between sulfuric acid and calcium carbonate (limestone or chalk) is depicted below:

H2SO4 + CaCO3 → CaSO4 + H2CO3
The H2CO3 then decomposes to water and CO2. Such reactions are accompanied by foaming and/or bubbling. In industry such reactions are widespread because it can be used to neutralize waste acid streams.

The production of quicklime (CaO) a chemical that has widespread use, from limestone by heating at about 850 oC also produces CO2:

CaCO3 → CaO + CO2
The combustion of all carbon containing fuels, such as methane (natural gas), petroleum distillates (gasoline, diesel, kerosene, propane), but also of coal and wood, will yield carbon dioxide, and, in most cases, water. As an example the chemical reaction between methane and oxygen is given below.

CH4 + 2 O2 → CO2 + 2 H2O
Iron is reduced from its oxides with coke in blast furnace, producing pig iron and carbon dioxide:

2 Fe2O3 + 3 C → 4 Fe + 3 CO2
Carbon dioxide can be used in chemistry to create a carboxylic acid from a Grignard reagent.

R-MgX + CO2 → R-COOH
Yeast produces carbon dioxide and ethanol, also known as alcohol, in the production of wines, beers and other spirits:

Glucose → 2 CO2 + 2 C2H5OH
All aerobic organisms produce CO2 when they burn carbohydrates, fatty acids and proteins; it is the prime energy source and the main metabolic pathway in heterotroph organisms such as animals, and also a secondary energy source in phototroph organisms such as plants when not enough light is available for photosynthesis. The large amount of reactions involved are exceedingly complex and not described easily. Photoautotrophs (i.e. plants, cyanobacteria) utilize another modus operandi: They absorb the CO2 from the air, and, together with water, react it to form carbohydrates:

nCO2 + nH2O → (CH2O)n + nO2
Carbon dioxide is soluble in water, in which it spontaneously interconverts between CO2 and H2CO3 (carbonic acid). The relative concentrations of CO2, H2CO3, and the deprotonated forms HCO3- (bicarbonate) and CO32-(carbonate) depend on the pH. In neutral or slightly alkaline water (pH > 6.5), the bicarbonate form predominates (>50%) becoming the most prevalent (>95%) at the pH of seawater, while in very alkaline water (pH > 10.4) the predominant (>50%) form is carbonate. The bicarbonate and carbonate forms are very soluble, such that air-equilibrated ocean water (mildly alkaline with typical pH = 8.2 – 8.5) contains about 120 mg of bicarbonate per liter.


Biology
Carbon dioxide is an end product in organisms that obtain energy from breaking down sugars, fats and amino acids with oxygen as part of their metabolism, in a process known as cellular respiration. This includes all plants, animals, many fungi and some bacteria. In higher animals, the carbon dioxide travels in the blood from the body's tissues to the lungs where it is exhaled. In plants using photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere.

Human physiology
See also: Arterial blood gas
CO2 is carried in blood in three different ways. (The exact percentages vary depending whether it is arterial or venous blood.)

Most of it (about 80% – 90%) is converted to bicarbonate ions HCO3− by the enzyme carbonic anhydrase in the red blood cells.[citation needed]
5% – 10% is dissolved in the plasma[citation needed]
5% – 10% is bound to hemoglobin as carbamino compounds.[citation needed]
The CO2 bound to hemoglobin does not bind to the same site as oxygen; rather it combines with the N-terminal groups on the four globin chains. However, because of allosteric effects on the hemoglobin molecule, the binding of CO2 does decrease the amount of oxygen that is bound for a given partial pressure of oxygen.

Hemoglobin, the main oxygen-carrying molecule in red blood cells, can carry both oxygen and carbon dioxide, although in quite different ways. The decreased binding to carbon dioxide in the blood due to increased oxygen levels is known as the Haldane Effect, and is important in the transport of carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs. Conversely, a rise in the partial pressure of CO2 or a lower pH will cause offloading of oxygen from hemoglobin. This is known as the Bohr Effect.

Carbon dioxide may be one of the mediators of local autoregulation of blood supply. If it is high, the capillaries expand to allow a greater blood flow to that tissue.

Bicarbonate ions are crucial for regulating blood pH. As breathing rate influences the level of CO2 in blood, too slow or shallow breathing causes respiratory acidosis, while too rapid breathing, hyperventilation, leads to respiratory alkalosis.

It is interesting to note that although it is oxygen that the body requires for metabolism, it is not low oxygen levels that stimulate breathing, but is instead higher carbon dioxide levels. As a result, breathing low-pressure air or a gas mixture with no oxygen at all (e.g., pure nitrogen) leads to loss of consciousness without subjective breathing problems. This is especially perilous for high-altitude fighter pilots, and is also the reason why the instructions in commercial airplanes for case of loss of cabin pressure stress that one should apply the oxygen mask to oneself before helping others — otherwise one risks going unconscious without being aware of the imminent peril.

According to a study by the USDA,[3] an average person's respiration generates approximately 450 liters (roughly 900 grams) of carbon dioxide per day.


USE IN PLANTS

Plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by photosynthesis, also called carbon assimilation, which uses light energy to produce organic plant materials by combining carbon dioxide and water. Free oxygen is released as gas from the decomposition of water molecules, while the hydrogen is split into its protons and electrons and used to generate chemical energy via photophosphorylation. This energy is required for the fixation of carbon dioxide in the Calvin cycle to form sugars. These sugars can then be used for growth within the plant through respiration. Carbon dioxide gas must be introduced into greenhouses to maintain plant growth, as even in vented greenhouses the concentration of carbon dioxide can fall during daylight hours to as low as 200 ppm, at which level photosynthesis is significantly retarded. Venting can help offset the drop in carbon dioxide, but will never raise it back to ambient levels of 340ppm. Carbon dioxide supplementation is the only known method to overcome this deficiency. Direct introduction of pure carbon dioxide is ideal, but rarely done because of cost constraints. Most greenhouses burn methane or propane to supply the additional CO2, but care must be taken to have a clean burning system as increased levels of NO2 result in reduced plant growth. Sensors for SO2 and NO2 are expensive and difficult to maintain, accordingly most systems come with a carbon monoxide (CO) sensor under the assumption that high levels of carbon monoxide mean that significant amounts of NO2 are being produced. Plants can potentially grow up to 50 percent faster in concentrations of 1000ppm CO2 when compared with ambient conditions.[4]

Plants also emit CO2 during respiration, so it is only during growth stages that plants are net absorbers. For example a growing forest will absorb many tonnes of CO2 each year, however a mature forest will produce as much CO2 from respiration and decomposition of dead specimens (e.g. fallen branches) as used in biosynthesis in growing plants.[citation needed] Regardless of this, mature forests are still valuable carbon sinks, helping maintain balance in the Earth's atmosphere.