Bamboo charcoal
Encyclopedia
Bamboo charcoal is made up of pieces of bamboo
, which are taken from plants five years or older and burned inside an oven at temperatures over 1000° C. It not only provides a new way to utilize bamboo, but also benefits environmental protection
by reducing pollutant residue. Bamboo charcoal
is an environmentally functional material that has excellent absorption properties.
Bamboo charcoal has a long history in China
and has been documented as early as 1486 AD during the Ming Dynasty
in Chuzhou Fu Zhi. Later, it was also mentioned in the Qing Dynasty
during the rule of Kang Xi, Qian Long and Guang Xu.
is made of bamboo by means of a pyrolysis
process. According to the types of raw material, bamboo charcoal can be classified as raw bamboo charcoal and bamboo briquette charcoal. Raw bamboo charcoal is made of bamboo plant parts such as culms, branches, and roots. Bamboo briquette charcoal is made of bamboo residue, for example, bamboo dust, saw powder etc., by compressing the residue into sticks of a certain shape and carbonizing the sticks. There are two equipment processes used in carbonization
, one is a brick kiln
process, and the other is a mechanical
process.
. Most bamboo charcoal for fuel is bamboo briquette charcoal, and the rest is raw bamboo charcoal. Bamboo material has an extraordinary micro-structure: it has a high absorptive capacity after carbonization, and becomes even more effective after activation. Bamboo charcoal can be used to purify water and eliminate organic impurities and smells. Drinking water sterilized with chlorine can be treated with bamboo charcoal to remove residual chlorine and chlorides. In addition, a process involving bamboo charcoal has recently been developed in Taiwan using nanotechnology in combination with silver to produce a textile fibre.
. Various impurities or foreign matter will be absorbed over the wide surface area of the charcoal. When air passes over, if the humidity
is high, the charcoal will adsorb the moisture and the air will be converted to dry air. If the air is too dry, then the charcoal will discharge its own moisture, thus adjusting the humidity in the air.
Bamboo vinegar or pyroligneous acid
is extracted when making charcoal and is used for hundreds of treatments in almost all fields. This liquid contains 400 different chemical compounds and can be applied for many purposes including cosmetics
, insecticides, deodorants, food processing
, and agriculture
.
There is some evidence that adding Bamboo charcoal or Bamboo vinegar to the diets of fish or poultry may increase their growth rates.
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
, which are taken from plants five years or older and burned inside an oven at temperatures over 1000° C. It not only provides a new way to utilize bamboo, but also benefits environmental protection
Environmental protection
Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...
by reducing pollutant residue. Bamboo charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
is an environmentally functional material that has excellent absorption properties.
Bamboo charcoal has a long history in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and has been documented as early as 1486 AD during the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
in Chuzhou Fu Zhi. Later, it was also mentioned in the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
during the rule of Kang Xi, Qian Long and Guang Xu.
Production
Bamboo charcoalCharcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
is made of bamboo by means of a pyrolysis
Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is a thermochemical decomposition of organic material at elevated temperatures without the participation of oxygen. It involves the simultaneous change of chemical composition and physical phase, and is irreversible...
process. According to the types of raw material, bamboo charcoal can be classified as raw bamboo charcoal and bamboo briquette charcoal. Raw bamboo charcoal is made of bamboo plant parts such as culms, branches, and roots. Bamboo briquette charcoal is made of bamboo residue, for example, bamboo dust, saw powder etc., by compressing the residue into sticks of a certain shape and carbonizing the sticks. There are two equipment processes used in carbonization
Carbonization
Carbonization or carbonisation is the term for the conversion of an organic substance into carbon or a carbon-containing residue through pyrolysis or destructive distillation. It is often used in organic chemistry with reference to the generation of coal gas and coal tar from raw coal...
, one is a brick kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
process, and the other is a mechanical
Machine
A machine manages power to accomplish a task, examples include, a mechanical system, a computing system, an electronic system, and a molecular machine. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work...
process.
Uses
Bamboo charcoal is mainly used as fuel for cooking and drying tea in China and JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Most bamboo charcoal for fuel is bamboo briquette charcoal, and the rest is raw bamboo charcoal. Bamboo material has an extraordinary micro-structure: it has a high absorptive capacity after carbonization, and becomes even more effective after activation. Bamboo charcoal can be used to purify water and eliminate organic impurities and smells. Drinking water sterilized with chlorine can be treated with bamboo charcoal to remove residual chlorine and chlorides. In addition, a process involving bamboo charcoal has recently been developed in Taiwan using nanotechnology in combination with silver to produce a textile fibre.
Benefits
Bamboo charcoal is known to have high porosityPorosity
Porosity or void fraction is a measure of the void spaces in a material, and is a fraction of the volume of voids over the total volume, between 0–1, or as a percentage between 0–100%...
. Various impurities or foreign matter will be absorbed over the wide surface area of the charcoal. When air passes over, if the humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
is high, the charcoal will adsorb the moisture and the air will be converted to dry air. If the air is too dry, then the charcoal will discharge its own moisture, thus adjusting the humidity in the air.
Bamboo vinegar or pyroligneous acid
Pyroligneous acid
Pyroligneous acid, also called wood vinegar, is a dark liquid produced through the natural act of carbonization, which occurs when wood is heated in an airless container during charcoal production.-Chemical components:...
is extracted when making charcoal and is used for hundreds of treatments in almost all fields. This liquid contains 400 different chemical compounds and can be applied for many purposes including cosmetics
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
, insecticides, deodorants, food processing
Food processing
Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
, and agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
There is some evidence that adding Bamboo charcoal or Bamboo vinegar to the diets of fish or poultry may increase their growth rates.
Popular culture
Bamboo charcoal is focused on as an ingredient, with many of its properties elaborated on, in the 29th episode of the anime Yakitate Japan where it is mixed into breads.External links
- Bamboo Charcoal - Information and How-to guide on making bamboo charcoal
- Manual of Bamboo Charcoal Production and Utilization by Guan Mingjie of the Bamboo Engineering Research Center (BERC)