Gasoline powered automobiles use an oxidation reduction process to convert gasoline into power. The process reduces nitrogen oxide into nitrogen and oxygen, oxidizes carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and oxidizes hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water. The oxidation reduction system occurs simultaneously inside of your catalytic converter in your engine, providing an efficient conversion of fuel to energy. Newer versions of the converter increase the efficiency of this process, but they continue to rely on the same principle process.
Your home heating system uses another form of oxidation reduction to generate heat for your home. This process reduces hydrocarbons and oxygen into flammable carbon dioxide and water. This reduction procedure generates energy in the form of heat, that is used to warm your home. The oxidation reduction process is very quick, occurring almost instantaneously in your home heating unit. The heat release from this form of oxidation reduction process is essential for the conversion of hydrocarbons into home utilities.
Plants use the photosynthesis process to break down carbon dioxide and sunlight into nourishment. This process is an oxidation reduction that separates the hydrocarbons found in sunlight, as well as the carbon dioxide from the air. The process produces carbohydrates for the plant, releasing excess oxygen naturally into the environment. This form of oxidation reduction is essential for the natural life cycle, replenishing the supply of oxygen in the air. .
Natural respiration is the opposite of the photosynthesis process, providing essential oxygen to breathing animals. This process uses oxygen from the air, and carbohydrates from your own body, in an oxidation reduction process that supplies your body with oxygen and releases the essential carbon dioxide that plants rely on for their survival.