Plants use carbon dioxide (CO2) during photosynthesis to make glucose. It
takes six molecules of CO2 to make every molecule of glucose, and this
basic building block is then used for energy and to make the structure of
the plant itself. This biochemical reaction is the same for all plants, but
the faster a plant grows, the more carbon dioxide it will use up per
second. By that measure, bamboo might be the best at sucking up CO2.
However, fast-growing plants tend not to live long and when a plant dies,
all the carbon in the plant is broken down by insects, fungi and microbes
and released as CO2 again.
So the plants that are considered the most adept at locking away carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere are the longest-living ones, with the most mass
– hardwood trees. It’s all temporary though. Eventually every plant returns
all the carbon dioxide it uses back to the atmosphere.
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