Charcoal

thumb|Charcoal thumb|alt=workers packing charcoal in paper bags | Packaging of charcoal for export in Namibia

form of carbon processed to have small, low-volume pores that increase the surface area

form of dry art medium

alt=A large pile of biochar|thumb|A pile of biochar thumb|alt=Biochar mixture ready for soil application|Biochar mixture ready for soil application Biochar is a form of charcoal, sometimes modified, that is intended for organic use, as in soil. It is the lightweight black remnants remaining after the pyrolysis of biomass, consisting of carbon and ashes. Despite its name, biochar is sterile immediately after production and only gains biological life following assisted or incidental exposure to biota. Biochar is defined by the International Biochar Initiative as the "solid material obtained from

chemical compound

occupation of manufacturing charcoal

medication used to treat ingested poisonings

thumb|Binchō-tan, or white charcoal thumbnail|Burning binchō-tan Binchō-tan (, ), also called white charcoal or binchō-zumi, is a type of high-quality charcoal traditionally used in Japanese cooking. Its use dates back to the Edo period when during the Genroku era, a craftsman named Bichū-ya Chōzaemon () began to produce it in Tanabe, Wakayama. The typical raw material used to make binchō-tan in Japan is oak, specifically ubame oak, now the official tree of Wakayama Prefecture. Wakayama continues to be a major producer of high-quality charcoal, with the town of Minabe, Wakayama, producing more

thumb|right|Microscopic view of charcoal particles during an anthracological study. Anthracology (from anthrax (ἄνθραξ), the Greek word for coal) is the analysis and identification of charcoal which is preserved after carbonization, based on wood anatomy. The remains of carbonized wood come from archaeological sites and sediments, and may yield evidence of natural or anthropogenic paleo-fires. Anthracological studies are also applied to extant material, such as the inspection of charcoal of illegal provenance. The discipline was started in Brazil by Rita Scheel-Ybert in the late 1990s, but the

method of suicide using carbon monoxide from burning charcoal in a closed room

Firemaking device

thumb|An example of fusain, charcoal that has been fossilized, found at a spoil pile from an underground coal mine in Grundy County, Illinois, US