Glossary

Botany is a branch of biology and deals with the science of plants.

The buffering capacity describes the amount of acid that can be absorbed by the soil’s buffering function without causing a significant change in pH.

The soil’s buffering function describes its ability to neutralise acids in order to keep the pH constant.

Carbon monoxide is a chemical compound made up of carbon and oxygen. The molecular formula is CO. Carbon monoxide is odourless and colourless and very toxic. It is formed during the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing substances.

Cellulose and lignin are components of the cell walls of plants. At around 50 percent, cellulose is the main component and is therefore the most common organic compound. Lignin is deposited in the cell walls and leads to wood formation, also called “lignification”, of the cell wall.

Compost is a humus and nutrient-rich fertilizer and soil conditioner that is the end product of composting organic material.

In conventional farming it is permissible to use artificial fertilisers, pesticides* and herbicides* as well as artificial feed additives in the prescribed amounts in order to increase yield. Livestock may be treated with stronger drugs than in organic farming. This puts a strain on the environment and brings lower prices for the products compared to

This approach, invented by the German chemist Michael Braungart and the American architect William McDonough, puts product cycles in a holistic context. The goal is not to dispose of the substances and materials used in products as waste, but to reuse them. That means continuing to use it after using it for another purpose.

Cradle-to-Grave describes the path taken by a substance from manufacture to disposal.

See P – producer-consumer-decomposer cycle