Charcoal is the blackened, carbon-rich fuel left when wood or other biomass is heated in the near absence of oxygen. The U.S. Energy Information Administration names it among the fuels this process, pyrolysis, yields, alongside bio-oil, renewable diesel, methane and hydrogen. As a traditional biomass fuel it is grouped in this atlas beside firewood, the wood it is made from.
Facts
Source Class First Commercial YearCharcoal fueled smelting and hearths for millennia before any packaged commercial product existed. Henry Ford's Iron Mountain, Michigan operation, later renamed Kingsford in Edward G. Kingsford's honor, began selling charcoal briquettes as a consumer fuel in 1920, the first commercial charcoal product of this kind. Connections
Associated With
Open Questions
Source United States Energy Information Administration Official Site
Used By
Source Wikipedia: Wood gas generator
Sources
1. United States Energy Information Administration Official Site
US Energy Information AdministrationBiomass explained
[Pyrolysis] produces fuels such as charcoal, bio-oil, renewable diesel, methane, and hydrogen.
- Open Questions: When did commercial charcoal production and trade begin?
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: Kingsford (charcoal)
WikipediaKingsford (charcoal) infobox, Established fieldQuote, Kingsford (charcoal) infobox, Established field
Established in 1920
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Coal, Charcoal ironQuote, Associated With: Coal, Charcoal iron
All ironmaking blast furnaces were fueled by charcoal until Abraham Darby introduced coke as a fuel in 1709.
New World Encyclopedia: Charcoal
New World EncyclopediaIn Group: Wood and Dung Fuels, Opening paragraphQuote, In Group: Wood and Dung Fuels, Opening paragraph
Charcoal is the blackish material consisting mainly of carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from plant matter
Wikipedia: Wood gas generator
WikipediaUsed By: Biomass Gasification, Wikipedia article leadQuote, Used By: Biomass Gasification, Wikipedia article lead
A wood gas generator is a gasification unit which converts timber or charcoal into wood gas, a producer gas consisting of atmospheric nitrogen,
Open Questions (1 open question)
When did commercial charcoal production and trade begin?
Charcoal production for metal smelting and heating is documented from the Bronze Age onward across many independent cultures, with no single defensible date for the first commercial trade.
What would resolve this Archaeological dating of the earliest organized charcoal kilns and their trade networks would resolve this.
Archaeology, economic historyUnited States Energy Information Administration Official Site
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