What is in the charcoal that you grill your steak with?
Charcoal is impure porous carbon, usually made from vegetable sources like wood. In the U.S., the majority of charcoal is made into fuel for barbeques. The ingredients in charcoal ash are not only carbon. This ash also contains traces of other substances, such as oxides and carbonates of metals, derived from the original material used to make the charcoal.
Calcium Carbonate
Charcoal ash contains approximately 25 percent calcium carbonate, or CaCO3. It's a salt which occurs naturally in chalk or limestone and is also found in the shells of sea creatures, eggshells and snail shells. Medicinally, calcium carbonate is used as an antacid. This substance is also used as an agricultural liming agent, or one which increases the alkalinity of soil. It's often used to amend soil which is too acidic. Charcoal ashes derived from spent barbeque fuel containing no chemical accelerators can benefit soil in small to medium sized doses, depending on the soil's original acid or alkaline state.
Potash
Potash is the common name given to K2 CO3, or potassium carbonate. Potash makes up less than 10 percent of wood ash. Deposits of potash are mined in Canada, Russia and Belarus. It's found in the coats of sheep and in plants such as wormwood, sage brush and fumitory. This substance is used in soap-making and as agricultural fertilizer. Charcoal ash containing potash is used to enrich soil, it provides a boost to photosynthesis and aids the movement of nutrients and seed formation.
Phosphate
Phosphate is a salt of phosphoric acid found in small amounts in charcoal ash. Phosphates are vital minerals for and essential to human health. Fertilizers containing phosphates increases the pH of soil, making it more acidic, in order to temporarily boost plant growth by speeding up the absorption of nutrients. For commercial use, phosphates are made from phosphorous, a naturally occurring mineral. An estimated 90 percent of mined phosphorus is used for agricultural fertilizers, the remainder goes into the production of supplements for livestock and products such as soft drinks and toothpaste.
Borax
Small amounts of the mineral borax are present in charcoal ash. Borax is a salt used in the commercial production of cosmetics and medicines. It's also frequently added to charcoal briquettes and not a natural occurring substance from the wood used to make the charcoal. This additive aids fuel briquettes retain their shape as they emerge from the molds. Borax is a non-toxic mineral containing the substances sodium and boron. Small amounts of borax are essential for healthy plant growth.
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