Which process do green plants use to convert carbon dioxide and inorganic substances into oxygen?

The process that green plants use to convert carbon dioxide and inorganic substances into oxygen is photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through small openings on their leaves called stomata. Simultaneously, they absorb sunlight through chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants that captures light energy. This energy is utilized to transform carbon dioxide and water (another inorganic substance absorbed by the roots) into glucose (a form of sugar that serves as energy for the plant) and oxygen.

The oxygen is released as a byproduct, which is essential for the survival of most living organisms on Earth, as it contributes to the atmospheric oxygen levels that animals and humans breathe. This process not only facilitates energy production for the plants themselves but also plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle and ecological balance by helping reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

In contrast, respiration involves the breakdown of glucose to release energy, transpiration is primarily the process of water vapor loss from the plant to the atmosphere, and fermentation is an anaerobic process that occurs in the absence of oxygen, primarily in some microorganisms and in certain metabolic conditions. These processes do not focus on converting carbon dioxide into oxygen like photosynthesis does.