Now that’s a very good question, and one that I will try to answer on behalf of the team at Co-Treetment. As you have seen in our literature and read on our pages, a tree absorbs approximately 25kg of CO2 per year; this is based on the estimate that a cubic metre of wood absorbs just under a ton of CO2.
That’s an approximation and in reality, a tree can absorb anywhere between 10 and 40kg of CO2 per year on average, depending on a whole host of factors. It is all to do with ‘photosynthesis’. That’s a Greek word; photo being ‘light’ and synthesis ‘putting together’.
Photosynthesis Formula
The chemical composition of wood doesn’t vary much from tree to tree. Cellulose (C6H10O5)n is the main component of the cell walls of trees. It’s a chain of glucose molecules that the tree produces through photosynthesis. Cellulose makes up 50-80% of wood.
Carbohydrates are produced by the process of carbon assimilation, which is carried on by the combination of water, carbon dioxide, by the application of external energy, light, and chlorophyll along with the involvement of oxygen. The complete chemical reaction is labelled as photosynthesis.
The general balanced reaction for Photosynthesis Formula according to Kamen and Ruban (1941) is
6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O
(Carbon dioxide) (Water) (Glucose) (Oxygen) (Water)
Photosynthesis is the process of converting the energy in which solar energy is converted into the form of light which is used in the production of carbohydrate molecules.
In short Carbon Dioxide + Water → Glucose + Oxygen.
Trees and plants are autotrophs which means they produce their own food. They use the process of photosynthesis to transform water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide into oxygen, and simple sugars that the plant uses as fuel. These primary producers form the base of an ecosystem and fuel the next trophic levels.
Without this process, life on Earth as we know it would not be possible. We depend on plants for oxygen production and food.
In short, trees offer the planet and all of us living on it, a simple solution to a very complex issue. It really depends on us to do the right thing; one particular phrase that caught my attention is the Chinese proverb captured below:-
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
The same can be said of carbon sequestration. A tree must live 10 to 20 years to have a meaningful effect on the environment, Co-Treetment we guarantee the trees we plant for 20 years.
We hope you liked the post today; we also hope you join our journey as we look to change the world one tree at a time and like us put #PlanetBeforeProfit
Simon Evans
Darrell Taylor
Keith Cox
