Material and function
Kishu Binchotan: vegetal and beneficial japanese charcoal
Binchotan, the product of centuries of craftsmanship and know how, was long used as a domestic source of heat. Numerous other applications have been discovered since and made it a valuable and highly prized material.
General characteristics
Binchotan is the result of the slow burning of ubamegashi wood (Holm oak), over two weeks, slowly reaching temperatures of up to 1300°C, making it almost as hard as stainless steel. When cut, the section shows a pleasing metallic aspect and hit two sticks together and you get a metallic and crystalline sound. It also an excellent conductor of electricity and contains many minerals.
A very porous nanostructure
All trees have a very porous structure to enable the distrubution of nutrients from the soil. Since charcoal keeps the original structure of the wood, in a piece of Binchotan charcoal measuring one cubic centimetre, if one added the surface area of all the pores, it would come to 250 m2. The pores being open at both ends allow humidity and air to pass through.
Absoption of humidity and odors, termite repellent, absorption and decomposition of toxic substances in air and water.
An innumerable quantity of totally inoffensive micro-organisms live inside the pores of Binchotan, capable of trapping any toxic or chemical substance coming into its pores, such as chlorine or trihalomethanes…
Water filter and a source of many minerals
The chemicals contained in tap water will attach themselves to the walls of the micro-pores in the Binchotan charcoal and be destroyed by the micro-organismes living there, thereby cleansing the water. Moreover, during this process many of the minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium) contained in the pores of the Bonchotan charcoal are released into the water.
N.B. To use a piece of Binchotan to filter water, first rinse under the tap, boil 15 minutes in water, then dry in the sun for 2 to 3 hours before placing in the water to be filtered. Wait at least 5 hours for the water to be cleansed and to absorb the minerals contained in the Binchotan. The piece of wood can be used daily for 3 months as long as it is boiled ebrey two weeks.