Making Charcoal
This is a fun activity, resulting in charcoal that the children can use to draw on stones or even on sheets of paper. Charcoal, though, can be used for many things. The two videos below show how to make charcoal, and what we might use it for.
5 uses for charcoal.
Pyrolysis - The science behind the Charcoal.
At the heart of charcoaling lies the principle of carbonization. It’s a thermochemical process that transforms wood, or any organic material for that matter, into a carbon-rich residue by applying heat. However, it’s not just the heat but the controlled absence of oxygen that is essential to the process. Here’s why:
If wood is heated in the presence of ample oxygen, it simply combusts or burns, producing ashes and various gases, with very little carbon residue.
But, when heated in an environment where oxygen is restricted, instead of burning outright, the wood undergoes pyrolysis. This is the thermal decomposition of organic material at elevated temperatures.
Driving Off Volatiles: Purifying Carbon
As the wood heats up, several things happen almost simultaneously:
The initial, thick white smoke one sees during the early stages of charcoaling is mainly water vapor. All wood, even if it appears dry, contains moisture. As it heats up, this moisture is driven off.
Apart from water, wood contains various organic compounds. Under the influence of heat, these break down and evaporate. These compounds can include tars, resins, and oils, which are released as a mixture of gases. This is responsible for the secondary smoke, which is often bluish or clearer than the initial white smoke.
Once the volatile compounds and water are driven out, what remains is primarily carbon, the primary component of charcoal. Additionally, any inorganic minerals that were present in the wood, often referred to as ash content in the context of charcoal, remain behind.
To learn more about the process behind carbonization, visit ...
How to Make Wood Charcoal 2024 - Forestry.com
Environmental Issues
Trees as "Carbon Sinks" or "Carbon Sources"
Carbon sinks are like nature's vacuum cleaners for carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Imagine trees, oceans, and soils as big sponges that soak up carbon dioxide from the air, just like how a sponge soaks up water. These places, like forests, where carbon gets stored for a long time are called carbon sinks. They help balance the levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, making sure there's not too much of it causing trouble. Just like you clean up a mess with a vacuum, these natural carbon sinks help clean up our planet's carbon mess by storing away the extra carbon dioxide.
When we burn wood, the carbon trapped in it combines with oxygen from the air in a process called combustion. This chemical reaction releases energy in the form of heat and light, and the result is primarily carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, along with some water vapor and other by-products. So, the carbon that was originally stored in the wood as part of its structure is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide when the wood is burned. This carbon dioxide then contributes to the greenhouse effect and can have an impact on the Earth's climate by trapping heat and causing the planet to warm up. This is why burning wood, and other fossil fuels, is a significant factor in the increase of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and the related issues of climate change.
For every 1000g (1 Kg) of wood that is fully burnt, about 1900g of CO2 is released back into our atmosphere. (What is the Gas Emitted When Burning Wood? | Sciencing)
1900 g of CO2 is equivalent to approximately 980 litres of CO2 !
Think about those 4 pint cartons of milk we all have in our fridges. Now imagine you had 426 of those bottles of milk in your fridge. You would need a VERY large fridge. If you burn a 1Kg lump of wood, the amount of Carbon Dioxide released would fill ALL of those bottles ! (Because 4 pints is equal to almost 2.3 litres, and 980 litres divided by 2.3 litres is almost 426.)
Word of warning
On your campfire, some woods are better than others for burning ...
