Charcoal

Charcoal is an odorless, tasteless, fine black powder, or black porous solid consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal has been used since the earliest times for a range of purposes, including art, medicine, and fuel. It is a gastrointestinal decontaminant and is used to treat people who have ingested dangerous substances.

Types Of Charcoal

Activated Charcoal - Activated charcoal is a fine powder black in colour, made from bone char, coconut shells, peat, petroleum coke, and coal. Charcoal gets activated when heated at a high temperature. The heating process for the formation of activated charcoal increases the surface area by reducing the pore size. In this form of charcoal, the number of pores is higher than the other forms of charcoal.

Use of Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal traps toxins and harmful chemicals in the gut. It is, therefore, responsible for the prevention of absorption. Due to the negative charge in the charcoal, it attracts the positive charged harmful molecules.

Uses Of Charcoal

Restaurant charcoal is used in restaurants for cooking, heating, and adding flavours to the food.Charcoal is used as an absorbent for removing several harmful toxins. It is used in emergency medical conditions like the treatment of overdoses and poisoning

What is activated charcoal?

Activated charcoal is not the same substance as that found in charcoal bricks or burned pieces of food. The manufacture of activated charcoal makes it extremely absorbent, allowing it to bind to molecules, ions, or atoms and remove them from dissolved substances. Making activated charcoal involves heating carbon-rich materials, such as wood, peat, coconut shells, or sawdust, to very high temperatures. This “activation” process strips the charcoal of previously absorbed molecules and frees up bonding sites again. This process also reduces the size of the pores in the charcoal and makes more holes in each molecule, increasing its overall surface area.