Coconut is an amazing product of nature, as it is able to give us various kinds of uses and can give us multiple health benefits. Starting from the fruit flesh and coconut water that can be consumed, coconut leaves for leaf wrapping, to coconut shells that can be turned into handicrafts.
Coconut Charcoal: A Superior Substitute to Regular Charcoal
Interestingly, the majority of people barely know about the fact that coconut shells have another valuable use to it, instead of being a merely handicraft item. More often than not, coconut shells are being thrown away as a waste instead of being cultivated into something else. What a lot of people don’t know is that coconut shell waste can be used as a raw material to be processed into charcoal.
Fairly speaking, charcoal made from coconut shells isn’t a brand-new, groundbreaking invention in which none out there knows about. There are multiple companies that have been investing their time in producing and exporting charcoal to a lot of places in the world.
However, coconut shell charcoal has yet to be the norm, when it should have been something that dominates the market. How so? Well, dive down to see more on why this type of charcoal is superior than the regular charcoal.
Why Coconut Briquettes?
Coconut shell briquettes have multiple advantages when compared to the typical ordinary charcoal mainly used these days. A regular charcoal can quickly become hot, and right after the peak, the temperature drops again. Not only that, it also burns quite fast, so it can be wasteful when used for grilling and barbecue. On top of that, burning the coal can cause ash particles, which can contaminate the food and can be a hassle to clean up.
Thankfully, coconut shell charcoal does not share similarities with the regular charcoal. Here are several reasons on what advantages it has compared to ordinary charcoal.
Burns Better And Lasts Longer
Compared to traditional lump charcoal, coconut shell briquettes are able to burn over two times longer. Burning longer means cost-efficient and less effort needed, as users will not need to constantly replace the used ones with new sets of briquettes. This happens because coconut shell briquettes are compacted blocks, making it denser and more concentrated.
Because coconut shell briquettes are more concentrated, it is hotter, slow-burning, and lost-lasting compared to coal or firewood. More compact, more thermal value. Generally, it is considered to be more efficient than firewood, as this type of briquettes contain less moisture thanks to its compact characteristic.
Coconut shell charcoal can reach up to 3 hours non-stop of burning time. This is why more people are starting to get interested in it, because of its ability to generate maximum heat with a long time of durability. This is very ideal for cooking, grilling, and other kinds of uses.
Generates Minimal Ash
One of the unique characteristics of this type of charcoal is the ability of being smokeless and having 5% ash content. It does not generate smoke, and amazingly, there are also no virtual carbon deposits. It can make cleaning up easier for cooks, and highly help in keeping the cooking area cleaner.
Using the typical charcoal can lead to a smell and ash that lingers once it’s being used, and coconut shell briquettes are able to tackle this problem. That is why a lot of people have been interested in coconut charcoal BBQ, as its smokeless nature does not ‘taint’ clothes with the usual charcoal smell.
Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable
The biggest downside of regular charcoal briquettes is that when burned, it releases tons of carbon dioxide into the air. Undeniably, carbon dioxide is a contributor to climate change, as this greenhouse gas traps heat in the atmosphere. Meanwhile, this case barely happens with the coconut shell briquettes. It has a non-smoking nature, which means it will not pollute the air once it’s burned.
Regular charcoal briquettes are also formed as a by-product of wood. That, along with saw dust and a whole lot of other particles that help them light and burn quickly, are being compressed using harmful additives. These are absolutely unsafe, both for humans and the environment..
The process of producing coconut shell briquettes is also considered to be natural, since it does not involve any harmful and toxic substances. Mainly because it is made from coconut shells, and it will only need to be added with tapioca flour mixture in order to turn it into briquettes. Hence why coconut shell charcoal briquettes are environmentally friendly.
Since there is no toxic substance involved in the making of coconut shell briquettes, it is able to keep the natural flavors of the food without leaving any unwanted smell. This is the main reason why a lot of shisha or hookah smokers switch to coconut shell briquettes, as it will not disturb the smoking session with scent nor charcoal smoke.
Coconut shell briquettes are also being used to manufacture soaps and toothpaste, thanks to its natural way of making. An activated coconut shell charcoal, if taken orally can bind toxins and gas to escort them out of the body. It even can help lessen body odor from within.
On top of that, it can be considered to be an alternative option for fuel. Coconut shell briquettes can be processed continuously without fear of exhaustion, as it has an abundant resource. Coconut shells are an organic and renewable raw material, which means this product can be a source of sustainable energy.
High Accessibility
Since briquettes are made of organic, easy to be found materials, they can be easily accessed anytime and anywhere. What’s even better about it is that briquettes can be made at home. It is, however, a tedious process as it might take several days for burning the shells and cooling down, and require several heavy-duty pieces of equipment.
If making it at home seems to be a lot of work to do, coconut shell briquettes are now available in some stores. Online shopping can also be a huge help in obtaining ready-to-use coconut shell briquettes.
Final Words
So, when compared to regular charcoal, there are multiple reasons on why coconut shell briquettes are considered to be superior. From its efficiency, practicality, safety of use, and accessibility; there should be no more reason not to switch to coconut shell briquettes.
