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n	31	The last section of the film [[Le Quattro Volte]] (2010) gives a good and long, if poetic, documentation of the traditional method of making charcoal.<ref>{{Cite web \|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646975/ \|title= Le quattro volte (2010) \|accessdate=16 September 2012}}</ref> The [[Arthur Ransome]] children's series [[Swallows and Amazons]], (particular the second book [[Swallowdale]]), features carefully drawn vignettes of the lives and the techniques of charcoal burners at the start of the 20th century, in the Lake District of the UK.	n	31	The last section of the film [[Le Quattro Volte]] (2010) gives a good and long, if poetic, documentation of the traditional method of making charcoal.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646975/ \|title= Le quattro volte (2010) \|accessdate=16 September 2012}}</ref> The [[Arthur Ransome]] children's series [[Swallows and Amazons]], (particular the second book [[Swallowdale]]), features carefully drawn vignettes of the lives and the techniques of charcoal burners at the start of the 20th century, in the Lake District of the UK.
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t	33	[[File:Charcoal Burner, Bouth Woods.jpg\|thumb\|Charcoal Burner, Bouth Woods]]Modern methods use a sealed metal container, as this does not require watching lest fire break through the covering.<ref>[http://www.devoncharcoal.co.uk devoncharcoal.co.uk]</ref> However, on-site attendance is required. This is often carried out by the last forestry workers to live in working woodland in the western world. There has been a resurgence of this, particularly in the UK. A good example of this is Bulworthy Project where charcoal production supports an experiment in low-impact living and nature conservation.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.bulworthyproject.org.uk \|title=www.bulworthyproject.org.uk \|publisher=www.bulworthyproject.org.uk \|date= \|accessdate=2012-08-18}}</ref>	t	33	[[File:Charcoal Burner, Bouth Woods.jpg\|thumb\|Charcoal Burner, Bouth Woods]]Modern methods use a sealed metal container, as this does not require watching lest fire break through the covering.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.devoncharcoal.co.uk \|title=devoncharcoal.co.uk \|publisher=devoncharcoal.co.uk \|date= \|accessdate=2013-05-23}}</ref> However, on-site attendance is required. This is often carried out by the last forestry workers to live in working woodland in the western world. There has been a resurgence of this, particularly in the UK. A good example of this is Bulworthy Project where charcoal production supports an experiment in low-impact living and nature conservation.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.bulworthyproject.org.uk \|title=www.bulworthyproject.org.uk \|publisher=www.bulworthyproject.org.uk \|date= \|accessdate=2012-08-18}}</ref>
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{{Other uses|Charcoal (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{Refimprove|article|date=November 2010}}
[[File:Charcoal2.jpg|thumb|Dry charcoal]]
[[File:Charbon de bois rouge.jpg|thumb|Charcoal burning]]
[[File:Red charcoal.ogv|thumb|Mangrove Charcoal burning video]]
[[File:Charcoal pile 05.jpg|thumb|Wood pile before covering it by [[Sod|turf]] or soil, and firing it (around 1890)]]

'''Charcoal''' is a light black residue consisting of [[carbon]], and any remaining [[:wikt:ash|ash]], obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from [[animal]] and [[vegetation]] substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow [[pyrolysis]], the heating of [[wood]] or other substances in the absence of [[oxygen]] (see [[pyrolysis]], [[Charring|char]] and [[biochar]]). It is usually an impure form of [[carbon]] as it contains ash; however, [[sugar]] '''charcoal''' is among the purest forms of [[carbon]] readily available, particularly if it is not made by heating but by a [[dehydration reaction]] with [[sulfuric acid]] to minimise introducing new impurities, as impurities can be removed from the [[sugar]] in advance. The resulting soft, brittle, lightweight, black, porous material resembles [[coal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5328E/x5328e0b.htm|title=Using charcoal efficiently|accessdate=2010-02-01}}</ref>

==History==
{{Further|Fusain|Fossil record of fire}}
{{Refimprove section|date=November 2010}}

Historically, production of wood charcoal in districts where there is an abundance of wood dates back to a very ancient period, and generally consists of piling billets of wood on their ends so as to form a conical pile, openings being left at the bottom to admit [[air]], with a central shaft to serve as a [[flue]]. The whole pile is covered with turf or moistened [[clay]]. The firing is begun at the bottom of the flue, and gradually spreads outwards and upwards. The success of the operation depends upon the rate of the [[combustion]]. Under average conditions, 100 parts of wood yield about 60 parts by [[volume]], or 25 parts by [[weight]], of charcoal; small-scale production on the spot often yields only about 50%, large-scale was efficient to about 90% even by the seventeenth century. The operation is so delicate that it was generally left to colliers (professional charcoal burners). They often lived alone in small huts in order to tend their wood piles. For example, in the Harz Mountains of Germany, charcoal burners lived in conical huts called ''[[Köte]]n'' which are still much in evidence today.
[[File:Charcoal Kiln.JPG|thumb|left|180px|[[Walker Charcoal Kiln|An abandoned charcoal kiln]] near Walker, Arizona, USA.]]

The massive production of charcoal (at its height employing hundreds of thousands, mainly in Alpine and neighbouring forests) was a major cause of [[deforestation]], especially in [[Central Europe]]. In [[England]], many woods were managed as [[coppice]]s, which were cut and regrew cyclically, so that a steady supply of charcoal would be available (in principle) forever; complaints (as early as the [[Stuart period (England)|Stuart period]]) about shortages may relate to the results of temporary [[over-exploitation]] or the impossibility of increasing production to match growing demand. The increasing scarcity of easily harvested wood was a major factor for the switch to the [[fossil fuel]] equivalents, mainly [[coal]] and [[brown coal]] for industrial use.

The use of charcoal as a smelting fuel has been experiencing a resurgence in South America following Brazilian law changes in 2010 to reduce carbon emissions as part of President Lula da Silva's commitment to make a "green steel".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14328 |title= Brazil: Enslaved workers make charcoal used to make basic steel ingredient |author= Michael Smith and David Voreacos |publisher= Seattle Times |date= January 21, 2007 |accessdate=16 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://oem.bmj.com/content/62/2/128.full |title=World at work: Charcoal producing industries in northeastern Brazil |author= M. Kato1, D. M. DeMarini, A. B. Carvalho, M. A. V. Rego, A. V. Andrade1, A. S. V. Bonfim and D. Loomis |year=2004 |accessdate=16 September 2012}}</ref>

The modern process of carbonizing wood, either in small pieces or as [[sawdust]] in [[cast iron]] [[retort]]s, is extensively practiced where wood is scarce, and also for the recovery of valuable byproducts ([[wood spirit]], [[pyroligneous acid]], [[tar|wood tar]]), which the process permits. The question of the [[temperature]] of the [[carbonization]] is important; according to J. Percy, wood becomes brown at 220 °C (428 °F), a deep brown-black after some time at 280 °C (536 °F), and an easily powdered mass at 310 °C (590 °F).<ref name="Enc Brit 856">{{cite book|last=Chisolm|first=Hugh|title=Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, Volume V|year=1910|location=New York}}</ref> Charcoal made at 300°C (572 °F) is brown, soft and friable, and readily inflames at 380 °C (716 °F); made at higher temperatures it is hard and brittle, and does not fire until heated to about 700 °C (1,292 °F).

In [[Finland]] and [[Scandinavia]], the charcoal was considered the by-product of [[tar|wood tar]] production. The best tar came from [[pine]], thus pinewoods were cut down for tar [[pyrolysis]]. The residual charcoal was widely used as substitute for [[metallurgy|metallurgical]] [[coke (fuel)|coke]] in [[blast furnace]]s for [[smelting]]. Tar production led to rapid [[deforestation]]: it has been estimated all Finnish forests are younger than 300 years. The end of tar production at the end of the 19th century resulted in rapid re-forestation.

The charcoal [[briquette]] was first invented and patented by Ellsworth B. A. Zwoyer of Pennsylvania in 1897<ref>{{cite web|url=http://inventors.about.com/od/inventionsalphabet/a/barbecue.htm |title=Barbeque – History of Barbecue |publisher=Inventors.about.com |date=2010-06-15 |accessdate=2011-12-28}}</ref> and was produced by the Zwoyer Fuel Company. The process was further popularized by [[Henry Ford]], who used wood and sawdust byproducts from [[History of Ford Motor Company#Early developments|automobile fabrication]] as a feedstock. Ford Charcoal went on to become the [[Kingsford (charcoal)|Kingsford Company]].

== Production methods ==
Charcoal has been made by various methods. The traditional method in [[Great Britain|Britain]] used a [[Storage clamp|clamp]]. This is essentially a pile of wooden logs (e.g. seasoned oak) leaning against a chimney (logs are placed in a circle). The chimney consists of 4 wooden stakes held up by some rope. The logs are completely covered with soil and straw allowing no air to enter. It must be lit by introducing some burning fuel into the chimney; the logs burn very slowly (cold fire) and transform into charcoal in a period of 5 days' burning. If the soil covering gets torn (cracked) by the fire, additional soil is placed on the cracks. Once the burn is complete, the chimney is plugged to prevent air from entering.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geoarch.co.uk/experimental/charcoal.html |title=Geoarch |publisher=Geoarch |date=1999-05-31 |accessdate=2012-05-20}}</ref>

The last section of the film [[Le Quattro Volte]] (2010) gives a good and long, if poetic, documentation of the traditional method of making charcoal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646975/ |title= Le quattro volte (2010) |accessdate=16 September 2012}}</ref> The [[Arthur Ransome]] children's series [[Swallows and Amazons]], (particular the second book [[Swallowdale]]), features carefully drawn vignettes of the lives and the techniques of charcoal burners at the start of the 20th century, in the Lake District of the UK.

[[File:Charcoal Burner, Bouth Woods.jpg|thumb|Charcoal Burner, Bouth Woods]]Modern methods use a sealed metal container, as this does not require watching lest fire break through the covering.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.devoncharcoal.co.uk |title=devoncharcoal.co.uk |publisher=devoncharcoal.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2013-05-23}}</ref> However, on-site attendance is required. This is often carried out by the last forestry workers to live in working woodland in the western world. There has been a resurgence of this, particularly in the UK. A good example of this is Bulworthy Project where charcoal production supports an experiment in low-impact living and nature conservation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bulworthyproject.org.uk |title=www.bulworthyproject.org.uk |publisher=www.bulworthyproject.org.uk |date= |accessdate=2012-08-18}}</ref>

The properties of the charcoal produced depend on the material charred. The charring temperature is also important. Charcoal contains varying amounts of hydrogen and oxygen as well as [[Wood ash|ash]] and other impurities that, together with the structure, determine the properties. The approximate composition of charcoal for [[gunpowder]]s is sometimes empirically described as C7H4O. To obtain a coal with high purity, source material should be free of non-volatile compounds (sugar and a high charring temperature can be used). After charring, partial oxidation with oxygen or chlorine can reduce hydrogen levels. For activation of charcoal see [[activated carbon]].

==Types==
[[File:Japanese Binchōtan (Japanese high-grade charcoal produced from ubame oak).jpg|thumb|''[[Binchōtan]]'', Japanese high grade charcoal made from ''[[:ja:ウバメガシ|ubame oak]]'']]
[[File:Ogatan(JapaneseBriquetteCharcoal).jpg|thumb|''[[:ja:オガ炭|Ogatan]]'', Charcoal briquettes made from sawdust]]
[[File:BurningOgatan(JapaneseBriquetteCharcoal).theora.ogv|thumb|Burning ''Ogatan'']]

Commercial charcoal is found in either lump, [[briquette]], or extruded forms:

*'''Lump charcoal''' is made directly from [[hardwood]] material and usually produces far less ash than briquettes.

*'''[[Pillow Shaped Briquette]]s''' are made by compressing charcoal, typically made from sawdust and other wood by-products, with a binder and other additives. The binder is usually [[starch]]. Some briquettes may also include [[brown coal]] (heat source), mineral carbon (heat source), [[borax]], [[sodium nitrate]] (ignition aid), [[limestone]] (ash-whitening agent), raw [[sawdust]] (ignition aid), and other additives.
*'''[[Hexagonal Sawdust Briquette Charcoal]]''' are made by compressing sawdust without binders or additives, making it completely natural. Hexagonal Sawdust Briquette Charcoal is the preferred charcoal in countries like Taiwan, Korea, Middle East, Greece. It has a round hole through the center, with a hexagonal intersection. Mainly for BBQ uses as it does not emit odor, no smoke, little ash, high heat, and long burning hours (exceeding 4 hours). Just pure wood aroma for the BBQ meat.
*'''Extruded charcoal''' is made by extruding either raw ground wood or carbonized wood into logs without the use of a binder. The heat and pressure of the extruding process hold the charcoal together. If the extrusion is made from raw wood material, the extruded [[timber|logs]] are then subsequently carbonized.<ref>{{cite web|last=Charcoal Briquettes|title=Extruded Charcoal Briquettes|url=http://www.supremecarbon.com/briquettes.htm|accessdate=13 January 2013}}</ref>
*'''Japanese charcoal''' removes [[pyroligneous acid]] during the charcoal making. Therefore when burning, there are almost no stimulating smells or smoke. The charcoal of Japan is classified into three kinds.
**[[Binchōtan|White charcoal]] (''[[Binchōtan]]'') is very hard and has a metallic sound.
**[[:ja:黒炭|Black charcoal]]
**''[[Biomass briquettes#Japanese Ogalite|Ogatan]]'' is made from hardened sawdust. It is most often used in [[Izakaya]] or [[Yakiniku]] restaurants.

The characteristics of charcoal products (lump, [[briquette]], or extruded forms) vary widely from product to product. Thus it is a common misconception to stereotype any kind of charcoal, saying which burns hotter or longer etc.<ref>{{cite web|title=The quality of charcoal - FAO document|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5328e/x5328e0b.htm#10.1. the quality of charcoal}}</ref>

==Uses==
[[File:Japanese RoundStove Charcoal.JPG|thumb|''Quick Grill Briquette'' made from coconut shell]]

Charcoal has been used since the earliest times for a range of purposes including art and medicine, but by far its most important use has been as a metallurgical fuel. Charcoal is the traditional fuel of a blacksmith's forge and other applications where an intense heat is wanted. Charcoal was also used historically as a source of [[carbon black]] by grinding it up. In this form charcoal was important to early chemists and was a constituent of formulas for mixtures such as [[gunpowder]]. Due to its high [[surface area]] charcoal can be used as a filter, as a [[carbocatalysis|catalyst]] or as an adsorbent.

===Metallurgical fuel===

Charcoal burns at intense temperatures, up to 2700 degrees Celsius. By comparison the melting point of [[iron]] is approximately 1200 to 1550 degrees Celsius. Due to its porosity it is sensitive to the flow of air and the heat generated can be moderated by controlling the air flow to the fire. For this reason charcoal is an ideal fuel for a forge and is still widely used by blacksmiths. Charcoal is also an excellent reducing fuel for the production of iron and has been used that way since Roman times. In the 16th century England had to pass laws to prevent the country from becoming completely denuded of trees due to production of iron. In the 19th century charcoal was largely replaced by [[coke (fuel)|coke]], baked coal, in steel making due to cost. Charcoal is far superior fuel to coke, however, because it burns hotter and has no sulfur. Until World War II charcoal was still being used in Sweden to make ultra high-quality steel. In steel-making, charcoal is not only a fuel, but a source for the carbon in the steel according to some scholars such as Moronda, 2011.

After the [[2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference]] (COP15) in Copenhagen, Denmark, steel industry in Brazil proposed to replace coal and coke with charcoal in their high temperature furnaces. The program "Green Steel for the Brazilian Steel Industry" converted wood from Eucalyptus plantations into charcoal that will be used in steel making.<ref>{{cite web|last=Eucalyptus charcoal for Brazilian steel industry|title=http://www.forestry-invest.com/2010/eucalyptus-charcoal-brazils-choice-for-the-steel-industry/268|accessdate=20 January 2013}}</ref>

In 2010, Japan Consulting Institute took an action in search of a better, 'greener', and even cheaper alternative to replace fossil fuels like coke in steelmaking. The research revealed that Palm Kernel Shell charcoal (PKS charcoal) is proven to be a better fuel in [[Electric arc furnace]] (EAF) as coke replacement.<ref>{{cite web|title=Consulting Service Report for Improving the Efficiency of Carbonizing Plant for PKS Charcoal In Malaysia|url=http://www.jci-plant.or.jp/010jci/pdf/H21_PI-1-malaysia-B-Report.pdf}}</ref> As auxiliary energy in EAF, in many aspects, PKS charcoal outperforms coke.<ref>{{cite web|title=Palm Kernel Shell Charcoal in Steelmaking|url=http://www.supremecarbon.com/metalbriq.htm}}</ref>

===Cooking fuel===

Prior to the industrial revolution charcoal was occasionally used as a cooking fuel. Modern "charcoal [[briquette]]s", widely used for outdoor grilling and [[barbecue]]s in backyards and on [[camping]] trips, imitate this use, but are not pure charcoal.<ref>{{cite web|title=Grilling Smackdown: Lump Charcoal vs. Briquettes|url=http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/05/grilling-smackdown-lump-charcoal-vs-briquette.html|work=Serious Eats|publisher=SAY: Food|accessdate=27 May 2012}}</ref> They are usually compacted mixtures of sawdust with additives like [[coal]] or [[coke (fuel)|coke]] and various binders.

===Industrial fuel===
Historically, charcoal was used in great quantities for smelting [[iron]] in [[bloomery|bloomeries]] and later [[blast furnace]]s and [[finery forge]]s. This use was replaced by [[coke (fuel)|coke]] during the [[Industrial Revolution]]. For this purpose, charcoal in [[England]] was measured in dozens (or loads) consisting of 12 sacks or [[shem]]s or seams, each of 8 [[bushel]]s.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}

===Syngas production, automotive fuel===
Like many other sources of carbon, charcoal can be used for the production of various [[syngas]] compositions; i.e., various CO + H2 + CO2 + N2 mixtures. The syngas is typically used as fuel, including automotive propulsion, or as a chemical feedstock.

In times of scarce petroleum, automobiles and even buses have been converted to burn [[wood gas]] (a gas mixture consisting primarily of diluting [[atmospheric]] [[nitrogen]], but also containing combustible gasses, mostly [[carbon monoxide]]) released by burning charcoal or wood in a [[wood gas generator]]. In 1931 [[Tang Zhongming]] developed an automobile powered by charcoal, and these cars were popular in China until the 1950s. In [[occupied France]] during [[World War II]], wood and wood charcoal production for such vehicles (called ''gazogènes'') increased from pre-war figures of approximately fifty thousand tons a year to almost half a million tons in 1943.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/eh/11.4/pearson.html |title=Chris Pearson "'The age of wood': FUEL AND FIGHTING IN FRENCH FORESTS, 1940–1944" |publisher=Historycooperative.org |date=2012-04-02 |accessdate=2012-05-20}}</ref>

===Gunpowder===
Charcoal (mostly together with sulphur) is the fuel component of [[gunpowder]]s and blasting powders and is also used in other pyrotechnic mixtures.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gunpowder and Explosives|url=http://cavemanchemistry.com/oldcave/projects/gunpowder/index.html|work=Caveman to Chemist Projects|publisher=CavemanChemistry.com|accessdate=27 May 2012}}</ref> This coal is usually made from specific hardwoods charred at low temperature.

===Carbon source===
Charcoal may be used as a source of carbon in chemical reactions. One example of this is the production of [[carbon disulphide]] through the reaction of sulphur vapours with hot charcoal. In that case the wood should be charred at high temperature to reduce the residual amounts of hydrogen and oxygen that lead to side reactions.

===Purification and filtration===
[[File:Activated Carbon.jpg|thumb|right|Activated carbon]]

Charcoal may be ''activated'' to increase its effectiveness as a filter. [[Activated carbon|Activated charcoal]] readily [[Adsorption|adsorbs]] a wide range of organic compounds dissolved or suspended in gases and liquids. In certain industrial processes, such as the purification of sucrose from cane sugar, impurities cause an undesirable color, which can be removed with activated charcoal.
It is also used to absorb [[odor]]s and toxins in gases, such as air. Charcoal filters are also used in some types of [[gas mask]]s. The medical use of activated charcoal is mainly the [[Absorption (chemistry)|adsorption]] of [[toxin|poisons]], especially in the case of suicide attempts in which the patient has ingested a large amount of a drug.<ref>{{cite web|title=Activated Charcoal: Overview|url=http://www.emedicinehealth.com/activated_charcoal/article_em.htm|work=eMedicineHealth|publisher=WebMD, Inc|accessdate=27 May 2012|author=John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP}}</ref> Activated charcoal is available without a prescription, so it is used for a variety of health-related applications. For example, it is often used to reduce discomfort (and embarrassment) due to excessive gas (commonly known as a [[fart]] or [[flatulence]]) in the digestive tract.<ref>{{cite web|title=Treating flatulence|url=http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Flatulence/Pages/Treatment.aspx|work=NHS|publisher=NHS UK|accessdate=27 May 2012}}</ref>

Animal charcoal or bone black is the carbonaceous [[residue (chemistry)|residue]] obtained by the dry distillation of bones. It contains only about 10% carbon, the remainder being calcium and [[magnesium]] phosphates (80%) and other inorganic material originally present in the bones. It is generally manufactured from the residues obtained in the [[Animal glue|glue]] and [[gelatin]] industries. Its decolorizing power was applied in 1812 by Derosne to the clarification of the [[syrup]]s obtained in [[sugar]] refining; but its use in this direction has now greatly diminished, owing to the introduction of more active and easily managed reagents. It is still used to some extent in [[laboratory]] practice. The decolorizing power is not permanent, becoming lost after using for some time; it may be revived, however, by washing and reheating. Wood charcoal also to some extent removes coloring material from solutions, but animal charcoal is generally more effective.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}

===Art===
[[File:Charcoal sticks 051907.jpg|right|thumb|Four sticks of vine charcoal and four sticks of compressed charcoal]]
[[File:Charcoal pencils 051907.jpg|right|thumb|Two charcoal pencils in paper sheaths that are unwrapped as the pencil is used, and two charcoal pencils in wooden sheaths]]

Charcoal is used in art for [[drawing]], making rough [[Sketch (drawing)|sketches]] in [[painting]] and is one of the possible media for making a [[Surrealist techniques#Parsemage|parsemage]]. It must usually be preserved by the application of a [[Fixative (drawing)|fixative]]. Artists generally utilize charcoal in three forms:
* '''Vine charcoal''' is created by burning sticks of wood (usually [[willow]] or linden/[[Tilia]]) into soft, medium, and hard consistencies.<ref name=SBTCModule6>{{cite web|last=sbctc.edu (adapted)|title=Module 6: Media for 2-D Art|url=http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Module-6.pdf|publisher=Saylor.org|accessdate=2 April 2012}}</ref>
* '''Powdered charcoal''' is often used to "tone" or cover large sections of a drawing surface. Drawing over the toned areas darkens it further, but the artist can also lighten (or completely erase) within the toned area to create lighter tones.
* '''Compressed charcoal''' charcoal powder mixed with gum [[Binder (material)|binder]] compressed into round or square sticks. The amount of binder determines the hardness of the stick.<ref>{{cite web|title=charcoal: powdered, compressed, willow and vine|url=http://museartanddesign.com/2011/09/charcoal-powdered-compressed-willow-and-vine/|work=Muse Art and Design|publisher=Muse Art and Design|accessdate=27 May 2012|date=7|month=September|year=2011}}</ref> Compressed charcoal is used in charcoal [[pencil]]s.

===Horticulture===
{{main article|Biochar}}
One additional use of charcoal was rediscovered recently in [[horticulture]]. Although American gardeners have been using charcoal for a short while, [[research]] on [[Terra preta]] [[soil]]s in the Amazon has found the widespread use of [[biochar]] by [[pre-Columbian]] natives to turn otherwise unproductive soil into very rich soil. The technique may find modern application, both to improve soils and as a means of [[carbon sequestration]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}

===Medicine===
Charcoal was consumed in the past as dietary supplement for gastric problems in the form of [[charcoal biscuit]]s. Now it can be consumed in tablet, capsule or powder form, for digestive effects.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} Research regarding its effectiveness is controversial.<ref>Am J Gastroenterology 2005 Feb 100(2)397–400 and 1999 Jan 94(1) 208-12</ref>

[[Red colobus]] monkeys in Africa have been observed eating charcoal for the purposes of self-medication. Their leafy diets contain high levels of cyanide, which may lead to indigestion. So they learned to consume charcoal, which absorbs the cyanide and relieves indigestion. This knowledge about supplementing their diet is transmitted from mother to infant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/clever-monkeys/monkeys-and-medicinal-plants/3957/ |title=Clever Monkeys: Monkeys and Medicinal Plants |publisher=PBS |date= |accessdate=2012-05-20}}</ref>

Also, see [[:Activated charcoal#Medical applications|Activated charcoal, medicinal applications]].

===Smoking===
Special charcoals are used in smoking the [[hookah]]. Lit charcoals are placed on top of foil that is placed over the tobacco bowl. The charcoals "cook" the tobacco to a temperature that does not burn it but produces smoke. Normally, charcoal for hookah or shisha smoking must be hard, high density, easy to ignite, and burn longer with persistent heat.<ref>{{cite web|last=Charcoal for Hookah or Shisha|first=Best Characteristics of Charcoal for Hookah or Shisha|title=Best Characteristics of Charcoal for Hookah or Shisha|url=http://www.supremecarbon.com/hookah.htm|accessdate=13 January 2013}}</ref>

===Environmental implications===
Charcoal production at a sub-industrial level is one of the primary causes of deforestation in the Developing World. Charcoal production is usually illegal and nearly always unregulated as in [[Brazil]] where charcoal production is actually a huge illegal industry for making [[pig iron]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0514-hance-pig-iron-amazon.html# |title=U.S. car manufacturers linked to Amazon destruction, slave labor |publisher=News.mongabay.com |date= |accessdate=2012-05-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Publication - May 11, 2012 |url=http://www.greenpeace.org/international/driving-destruction/ |title=Driving Destruction in the Amazon &#124; Greenpeace International |publisher=Greenpeace.org |date=2012-05-11 |accessdate=2012-05-20}}</ref> Massive forest destruction has been documented in areas such as [[Virunga National Park]] in the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], where it is considered a primary threat to the survival of the mountain gorillas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gorilla.cd |title=Virunga National Park |publisher=Gorilla.cd |date= |accessdate=2012-05-20}}</ref> Similar threats are found in [[Zambia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=94-P13-00009&segmentID=3 |title=Living on Earth: Zambia's Vanishing Forests |publisher=Loe.org |date=1994-03-04 |accessdate=2011-12-28}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Binchōtan]]
* [[Biochar]]
* [[Biomass briquettes]]
* [[Char cloth]]
* [[Pyrolysis]]
* [[Shichirin]]
* [[Slash-and-char]]
* [[Terra preta]]
* [[Tortillon]]
* [[Kingsford (charcoal)|Kingsford]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
*[http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5328e/x5328e00.htm Simple technologies for charcoal making]
*[http://www.devoncharcoal.co.uk An illustrated description of how to make charcoal]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ_4tmfIFAc 紀州備長炭] —Making of ''Kishū Binchōtan'' by Wakayama Pref.
*[http://www.zen-nen.or.jp/index.html Japan Charcoal and Fuel Association]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u00ZRvQv7vY 炭琴] —''Tankin'' ("Binchōtan charcoal-xylophone")

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