Watching these Primitive Technology videos on fire got me curious about all the different kinds of combustion we take advantage of. He has videos in that playlist where he makes a charcoal mound which is designed to burn wood only through the first stage so you end up with the leftover carbon, which can be burned all over again to produce much more intense heat. Charcoal is sort like refined wood (or refined organic tissue, in a broader and weirder-sounding way)
I2ichmond t1_iro50qc wrote
Reply to comment by taphead739 in Why, when you continue to burn ash, do the ashes eventually change from black to white? by genitalwaffles
Here to supplement with this: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGnWLXjIDnpBVRqu5lz5JGaQxjPs7q3CJ
Watching these Primitive Technology videos on fire got me curious about all the different kinds of combustion we take advantage of. He has videos in that playlist where he makes a charcoal mound which is designed to burn wood only through the first stage so you end up with the leftover carbon, which can be burned all over again to produce much more intense heat. Charcoal is sort like refined wood (or refined organic tissue, in a broader and weirder-sounding way)