Charcoal

Charcoal is a black, carbon-rich solid made by heating wood or other organic matter with limited oxygen. Its porous structure makes it useful as a fuel, pigment, and adsorbent.

Pyrolysis: The thermal decomposition of material in the absence or near-absence of oxygen. Charcoal forms when heat decomposes biomass without enough oxygen for complete combustion.
Charcoal briquette: A compact fuel block made from charcoal particles, often combined with a binder. Briquettes turn loose charcoal into a uniform, convenient cooking fuel.
Charcoal burning: The craft of converting wood into charcoal through controlled heating with limited oxygen. This traditional practice produces the material through managed, incomplete combustion.
Deforestation: The large-scale removal of forests, often through conversion to other land uses. Demand for wood charcoal can contribute to forest loss when harvesting exceeds regrowth.
Carbonization: The conversion of carbon-containing material into a carbon-rich solid through heating or chemical treatment. This process removes volatile compounds and leaves the solid carbon-rich residue.
Barbecue: A method of cooking food over heat or smoke, commonly using charcoal or wood. Charcoal supplies radiant heat and smoke in many barbecue traditions.
Neolithic period: The later part of the Stone Age, marked in many regions by farming and settled communities. Archaeological charcoal provides evidence of human fire use and fuel choices in early settlements.
Indoor air pollution: The contamination of indoor air by harmful gases and particles from sources such as cooking fuels. Burning charcoal indoors can release carbon monoxide and fine particles.
Wood distillation: The heating of wood without air to produce charcoal, gases, and condensable chemical products. Traditional charcoal making recovers charcoal alongside vapors and gases from heated wood.
Water purification: The removal of unwanted substances from water to make it suitable for a particular use. Porous charcoal can adsorb some contaminants, although untreated charcoal is not a complete purifier.

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