Bone char is sometimes spelled as two separate words, "bone" and "char," but its proper spelling is as a compound word, "bone char." The phonetic transcription for "bone char" is [boʊn tʃɑːr], with the stress on the first syllable of "bone" and on the second syllable of "char." This substance is used in various industries, such as sugar refining and the production of animal feed, and it is derived from animal bones that are heated in high temperatures until charred.
Bone char is a finely powdered or granulated material that is derived from the charring or calcination of animal bones, typically cattle bones. It is widely used in various industries for its high carbon content and exceptional absorption properties. Primarily, bone char finds application in the sugar industry as a decolorizing and filtering agent during the refining process.
The production of bone char involves subjecting the bones to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen, which results in the formation of a porous, black, and brittle substance. Due to its high surface area, bone char possesses an exceptional ability to remove impurities, particularly colorants and impurities found in the sugar liquid. It effectively acts as a decolorizer, enabling the production of white sugar while removing yellow pigments that may be present.
Apart from its extensive use in sugar refining, bone char is also employed in various other domains and industries. It serves as a valuable ingredient in the production of activated carbon, which is widely utilized for water and air purification purposes. Additionally, bone char plays a role in the production of bone china, a type of porcelain that contains bone ash as a component.
Bone char offers excellent adsorption capacity due to its unique physical and chemical properties, making it an indispensable material in many industrial applications.
The word "bone char" is derived from the Old English word "ban" (meaning bone) and the Old French word "char" (meaning charcoal). "Ban" can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic word *bainam, while "char" comes from the Latin word "carbo", meaning carbon or coal. Over time, these two words merged to form "bone char", referring to a type of charcoal made from bones.