ABSTRACT
Several estimations have been made by various authors to assess global biomass annually synthesized by autotrophic plant cells, sun, and water .1,2 Frequently, yearly biomasses are figured close to 170 to 200 × 109 t, containing approximately 75% carbohydrates (primarily glucose), 20% lignin, and 5% protein and lipids, besides traces of terpenes, alkaloids, hormones, nucleic acids, enzymes, and chlorophyll, tailor-made to support various functions of living cells. The corresponding energy content for a 200 × 109 t biomass is 100 × 109coal units, which is tenfold the annual global energy consumption. The cited biomass nourishes ca. 6 billion people consuming ca. 6 billion tonnes (bt) (3.5%), out of which only 300 mio (million) tonnes are channeled to the industry. It is perhaps fair to assume that ca. 2 bt each are provided as wood, cereals grown on arable land, and vegetables. Added to this, meat is bred either in stables or by stock raising on pastures covering 4.5% of the globe surface; arable land accounts for 4.8%. Fisheries provide only an insignificant quantity of proteins compared with ca. 5 billion cattle and even more pigs and sheep raised preferably on permanent grasslands.
