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Assi CHM117

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8 views7 pages

Assi CHM117

Uploaded by

pinonahmedr
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Carbon and Nitrogen cycle on Earth

Carbon Cycle:-
The recycling of carbon through a number of organic and inorganic
processes in the environment is known as the "carbon cycle.

Fig:1
The movement of carbon between the atmosphere, soils, living things,
the ocean, and human sources is referred to as the carbon cycle.
As like shown in the fig-1
Main compartments of the Carbon Cycle: -
• Atmosphere
• Terrestrial biosphere
• Ocean
• Sediments
• Earth's interior

Through a series of chemical reactions and tectonic activity, carbon takes


between 100-200 million years to move between rocks, soil, ocean, and
atmosphere .
The Slow Carbon Cycle
By dissolving in rain water and producing carbonic acid, carbon
dioxide is extracted from the atmosphere.
CO2 + H2O → H2CO3 (Carbonic Acid)
The acid dissolves rocks and releases calcium, magnesium,
potassium, or sodium ions into the rivers. Calcium ions are
transported by rivers into the ocean, where they interact with
dissolved carbonate. Calcium carbonate, the reaction's byproduct, is
then dumped on the ocean floor and turns into limestone.
(Ca2+) + (CO₃²⁻) → CaCO 3
Currently, only 80% of rock that contains carbon is formed in this
manner. The remaining 20% is made up of organic carbon from living
things, that has been buried beneath mud layers. Over millions of
years, heat and pressure compress the carbon and muck to create
sedimentary rock like shale. Layers of organic carbon turn into coal,
natural gas, or oil rather than sedimentary rock like shale when dead
plant matter accumulates more quickly than it can decompose.
The cycle returns carbon to the atmosphere through humans. Humans
emit about 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year by burning fossil
fuels.

. Fig:2
Hydrocarbons, which make up the fossil fuels.It produces Carbon
dioxide and water after burning. shown in fig:2
The Fast Carbon Cycle

Fig:-3
The large movement of carbon cycle through life forms on Earth, or
the biosphere.1,000 to 100,000 million metric tons of carbon move
through the Terrestrial biosphere every year.
Plants and phytoplankton are the main components of the Terrestrial
biosphere carbon cycle. Microscopic organisms in the water and plants
take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by absorbing it into their cells.
Using energy from the Sun, both plants and plankton combine carbon dioxide
(CO2) and water to form sugar (CH2O) and oxygen.
CO2 + H2O + energy = CH2O + O2
There are four potential methods to transfer carbon from a plant back
into the atmosphere, but they all contain the same chemical process.
Sugar is broken down by plants to provide them with the energy they
require to grow. In order to obtain energy, animals including humans
eat plants or plankton and digest the plant sugar. At the end of the
growing season, plankton and plants die and decompose (are consumed
by microorganisms). Or plants are consumed by fire. In each instance,
sugar and oxygen combine to produce energy, carbon dioxide, and
water.
CH2O + O2 = CO2 + H2O + energy
Nitrogen cycle: -
The nitrogen cycle is a biogeochemical process that transforms
nitrogen into a variety of forms that subsequently go from the
atmosphere to the soil to living things and back again. As like shown
in the fig:4 .

Fig: -4
Nitrogen cycle is an important part of the ecosystem. Nitrogen
converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among
atmospheric, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems. Nitrogen cycle have
several processes such as,
• Nitrogen fixation
• Ammonification
• Nitrification
• Denitrification
Nitrogen fixation is the conversion of nitrogen gas (N2) into nitrates
and nitrites through atmospheric, industrial and biological processes.
For plants to absorb atmospheric nitrogen, it needs to be "fixed" or
converted into a form that is useful. Lightning strikes fix between 5
and 10 billion kg annually, however the majority of fixation is carried
out by free living or symbiotic bacteria called diazotrophs.The
connections between atmospheric nitrogen molecules are break by
lightning bolt's high temperature and it produce free nitrogen atoms.
Nitrogen oxides are formed when free nitrogen atoms in the
atmosphere combine with oxygen.

N2 + O2 → 2NO
However, diazotrophs—free-living or symbiotic bacteria—perform the
majority of fixation. The nitrogenase enzyme, which these bacteria
possess, reacts gaseous nitrogen with hydrogen to create ammonia,
which the bacteria then transform into other organic molecules.

N2 + H2 → NH 3 .
Ammonification is the process by which bacteria or fungi transform
the organic nitrogen back into ammonium. The first form of nitrogen is
organic, which is produced when an animal or plant dies or releases
waste.
NH2CONH2 + H2O → CO 2 + 2NH3

Nitrificationis the process where, the nitrifying bacteria and soil-


dwelling bacteria are responsible for converting ammonium to nitrate.
Bacteria like the Nitrosomonas species carry out the oxidation of
ammonium during the first stage of nitrification, converting ammonia
to nitrites. The oxidation of nitrites into nitrates is caused by other
bacterial species, including Nitrobacter.
NH3 → NH2OH → NO2– → NO3–
Denitrification the process where nitrates are reduced back into
nitrogen gas which completes the nitrogen cycle. Under anaerobic
conditions, bacterial species like Para coccus and Pseudomonas carry
out this activity. During respiration, they substitute nitrate for oxygen
as an electron acceptor. These facultatively anaerobic bacteria can also
survive in aerobic environments. Anaerobic environments, such as
soggy soils, are conducive to denitrification. In order to respire and
subsequently produce nitrogen gas which is inert and unavailable to
plants the denitrifying bacteria, utilize the nitrates in the soil. Both
obligatory symbionts of anaerobic ciliates and free-living microbes
undergo denitrification.
NO2– → NO →N2O →N2

Fig: -5
Importance of Carbon Cycle

Despite being present in tiny amounts in the atmosphere, carbon


dioxide is essential for energy balance and for absorbing the sun's
long-wave radiation. As thus, it covers the planet like a blanket. A
disruption in the carbon cycle will have major repercussions,
including global warming and climatic shifts. A vital component of all
life on Earth is carbon. from our DNA to lipids and proteins.
Moreover, carbon is the foundation of all known life on Earth. As a
reson Earth, as are the nitrogen and oxygen cycles.ult, the carbon
cycle is essential to the existence of life

Importance of Nitrogen Cycle


plants are synthesise chlorophyll from the nitrogen compounds. It helps
in converting inert nitrogen gas into a usable form for the plants through
the biochemical process. In the process of ammonification, the bacteria
help in decomposing the animal and plant matter, which indirectly
helps to clean up the environment. Nitrates and nitrites are released into
the soil, which helps in enriching the soil with the necessary nutrients
required for cultivation. Nitrogen is an integral component of the cell
and it forms many crucial compounds and important biomolecules.

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