>The compression of coal from plant matter requires the removal of most of the
>oxygen and hydrogen. To do this it is required that some Carbon go with
>them in the form of CO2 and CH4
Since carbohydrate has exactly one carbon for each oxygen, and one carbon
for each two hydrogens, this should precisely deplete the carbon (half to
get rid of the oxygens, half to get rid of the hydrogens). Since this would
use up all of the carbon, I suspect thr principal product of carbonization
would be water, which leaves the carbon reservoir intact.
Art
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