Photosynthesis

(A biochemical process)
Removal of carbon from the
atmosphere
Plants are a SINK for carbon
Plants
How does an apple seed grow into a tree?
?
Small biomass
Large biomass
Jan Baptist Van Helmont
Soil
Water
Tree had gained 74kg of biomass
Soil mass stayed the same
Van Helmont inferred that the mass of the tree must be the result
of adding the water. But he was wrong!
5 Year experiment
Plants can fix carbon
Plants can take CO
2
gas from the atmosphere
And
FIX it into organic solid compounds
Gas (g)
Solid (s)
CO
2
(g) C
6
H
12
O
6
(s)
Photosynthesis
Plants contain chlorophyll pigments which are
able to capture light energy to build organic
molecules.


And chlorophyll too!
REMOVAL
Carbon dioxide gas is removed from the
atmosphere and through the process of
photosynthesis incorporated into organic
molecules that are stored in plants.

Plants contain may types of sugars, oils and
proteins.

Plants are a SINK for carbon compounds