Definition
Heating wood with no oxygen or limited oxygen to obtain a solid fuel with a higher fixed-carbon content and better suitability for high-temperature combustion.
Charcoal production made the fuel itself a controllable process variable, allowing furnaces and kilns to reach higher temperatures and maintain a reducing atmosphere.
Principles and impact
Problems solved
- Increased the energy density and combustion stability of wood-based fuel.
- Provided fuel for furnaces and kilns requiring a reducing atmosphere and high temperatures.
Principles
- Restricting oxygen causes wood to undergo pyrolysis rather than complete combustion.
- The resulting charcoal can release heat continuously in a furnace and participate in ore reduction.
Improvements
- Better suited than raw wood to transport, storage and use in high-temperature furnaces and kilns.
Significance
- Connected the control of fire with metallurgy and later fuel systems based on coal carbonization.
History and applications
People
Metallurgical craftspeople
Organizations
Local metallurgical workshops
Events
Furnace and kiln fuel practices in the Bronze Age
Applications
Metal smelting、Forging and high-temperature firing
Limitations
- Consumes wood and is constrained by forest resources, kiln efficiency and transport distances.
Upstream and downstream relations
Upstream
Downstream
Sources: Ancient Chinese BronzesIron and Steel Industry Energy and Environmental Profile