Oxygen is primarily produced by photosynthesis, a process used by plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. These organisms use energy from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create sugar and oxygen. The sugars serve as food for the organism, while the oxygen is released into the atmosphere.
In fact, over half of the oxygen production on Earth comes from the ocean, with the majority of this production coming from oceanic plankton. While most oxygen production occurs in the top 200 meters of the ocean, recent research suggests that oxygen is also produced in the deep sea by organisms living on the seafloor.
How is oxygen built industrially?
Oxygen can also be produced industrially through fractional distillation of air. This process involves cooling and compressing air until it liquefies. The different gases in the air then boil off at different temperatures, allowing oxygen to be extracted. This process is used to produce oxygen for medical, industrial, and other applications.
Other methods for producing oxygen include:
- Electrolysis of water: Using electricity to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.
- Chemical reactions: Certain chemical reactions, such as the decomposition of potassium chlorate, can produce oxygen.
