July 7, 2007: Rain forest to charcoal

[CharlieG]

Originally Posted by Elspode

Next time you pick up that bag of Kingsford, make sure you thank the gods for it.

Actually "Briquette" charcoal, like the classic Kingsford IS made from waste products - to whit - sawdust! The take sawdust and clay (and some other stuff) and mould it into the briquettes, and then make it into charcoal

True "lump" charcoal burns a LOT (and I mean a LOT) hotter, with much less ash (no clay)

As for "waste" vs burning wood - not all that much. Almost all of the energy is in the carbon, which is retained in the charcoal. You drive of the volates (water, oils etc) and then it's quenched - what's left burns a LOT hotter. It's done for the same reason that steel mills take coal, and turn it into coke. BTW you "village blacksmith" who burned coal - he would put the coal in on one side of the forge, and banked the fire in such a way that it would turn to coke. He did his actual forging in the coke, and would keep adding coal at one side , constantly making coke