Solar energy use through biology—Past, present and future

摘要: Abstract Each year plant photosynthesis fixes about 2 × 10 11 tonnes of carbon with an energy content 3 21 J—this is 10× the world's annual use and 200× our food-energy consumption. All atmospheric CO cycled through plants every 300 yr, all O 2000 yr H million yr. The magnitude role largely unrecognized principally because we utilize such a small fraction fixed do not realize important recycling phenomena. Fortunately for us are very adaptable exist in great diversity—they could thus continue indefinitely to supply renewable quantities food, fibre, fuel chemicals. Photosynthesis past provided fossil resources. It now seems time that recognize seriously evaluate what can future via traditional non-conventional mechanisms, e.g. production, fixation.