Answer 1:
I don't believe that a single tree is
sufficient. Here's my reasoning:
You gain energy by burning fuel (food) that
you combine with oxygen to release carbon
dioxide and water. You need to eat a certain
amount of fuel per day in order to life, and the
amount of oxygen that you need is the amount of
oxygen needed to burn that much fuel.
In order to release oxygen, a plant has to
take the other parts of the carbon dioxide and
water that it is using to do this and create
sugars, i.e. fuel. These sugars are solid, and
are added to the plant's body, which can be seen
by the growth of the plant. The amount of oxygen
that is released is the exact same amount of
oxygen required to burn that fuel and turn it
back into carbon dioxide and water.
Therefore, in order to produce as much oxygen
as you consume, the plant would have to grow at
a rate at which you must eat, which is roughly
500 grams per day. I don't believe that redwoods
or other fast-growing trees are capable of
growing that fast.
Click Here to return to the search form.
|