Question

Give two uses for the following: Wood charcoal.

Answer 1

Hint : To answer this question, we first need to understand what charcoal is. Charcoal is a light black carbon residue made by burning wood (or other animal and plant sources) in a low-oxygen environment to eliminate all water and volatile components.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
Wood charcoal – Although charcoal may appear to be a simple substance, its special characteristics have long been prized by humans. It was first utilized to create some of the earliest cave drawings more than 30,000 years ago. Later on, as a technological substance, charcoal played a significant role. Now, charcoal is of particular importance because, for the first time, we are gaining a precise image of its atomic structure.
Two uses of wood charcoal
(1) Wood charcoal as a fuel –
When most people think of wood charcoal, they think of it as a cooking fuel. Wood charcoal is recognized to be superior to wood charcoal for the following reasons: its calorific value is higher, its ignition temperature is lower, it produces less air pollution, and it smells better. As a result, it's popular for backyard cooking and barbecues, as well as camping vacations.
Its usage as a source of energy was critical to the advancement of metallurgy. As a result, charcoal is an excellent forge fuel and is still commonly utilized by blacksmiths today. It's also a great reducing fuel for making iron, and it's been used that way since Roman times.
(2) Adsorption properties of wood charcoal –
Wood charcoal has a porous surface that can absorb liquids and gases. As a result, it's found in water filters, gas masks, and anti gastric tablets, capsules, or powder for indigestion sufferers. Because of its ability to absorb color, wood charcoal is also employed as a decolorizing agent. Sugar solutions, organic preparations, alcohol, and petroleum compounds are all decourized using it. Furthermore, because wood charcoal is a mixture of charcoal, potassium nitrate, and Sulphur, it is used to make gunpowder.

Note :
So, though charcoal has been used for a variety of reasons from ancient times, including art and healing, its most important usage has been as a metallurgical fuel. Chemists, gardeners, and homes all benefit from wood charcoal. The science of charcoal has been researched for almost 200 years, as may be seen, but there is still more to discover.