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Biomass – Green Revolution
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On March 31st, 2011 at 1:04 pm Peter Maier Said:
Autotrophic life (using carbon dioxide as its source for carbon) uses the power of the sun to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen (photosynthesis) whereby the hydrogen is built into the organic molecules with mostly oxygen, hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen and the oxygen is released in the atmosphere.
Heterotrophic life (using organic matter for its carbon needs) break down these organic molecules and basically retrieve the energy within these molecules for their own energy, while the now separated hydrogen is combined with oxygen to form water again. A process called biochemical oxidation.
This is the way for millions of years, life on earth sustained itself. Humans, first by burning wood and later fossil fuels, is using chemical oxidation for their external energy needs and thereby converting organic matter also back to carbon dioxide and water, but in this process causing many other problems, due to the increase of carbon dioxide and nitrogenous oxides (and other byproducts present in organic matter) into the atmosphere.
By growing bio-fuels and use them as energy source, you basically mimic nature, but the way it is used it also uses chemical oxidation, with all its problems.
While being aware of all these natural processes would it not make more sense to focus on how nature is using hydrogen as the result of splitting water molecules, without organic matter as an intermediary?