Re: Releasing oxygen
Taking the example of 2CO2 -> 2CO + O2 the CO (carbon monoxide) could be vented to atmosphere (where upon it might make the Martians sleepy, poorly, or dead) or more responsibly it could be bottled up for use as a reagent in another chemical caper. You could even burn CO with O2 as a rocket fuel, if you really wanted to
Back on Earth green plants have other means of splitting CO2, including:
3 CO2 + 9 ATP + 6 NADPH + 6 H+ → C3H6O3-phosphate + 9 ADP + 8 Pi + 6 NADP+ + 3 H2O
But then they have the luxury of abundant water and sunlight to make that H+ ion.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
