Material science: Charcoal; fuel of the loss.

Charcoal one of the most important historical fuel sources. It burns relatively cleanly, meaning it is a good cooking and heating sources. It also burns at temperatures which make it suitable for blacksmithing and other metallurgical uses (such as the production of steel from iron). 

It also has medicinal uses and makes a decent filter. On top of this it can be used for drawing and writing. 

In the Loss, it is reasonable to assume that their is a very high demand for charcoal.

It is also a renewable resources, made relatively easily, even at the lower technological level found in the loss, which means that it makes sense that charcoal is a significant industry in the Loss

How is charcoal made?

Charcoal is made by a process called Pyrolysis, which involved slowly heating wood in the absence of Oxygen. This process remove water and other volatiles from the wood, leaving behind almost completely pure carbon.

Traditionally, charcoal is produced by Clamping a large amount of wood(effectively burying wood under a mound of earth), and then introducing burning., and once a small fire is established, shutting of the oxygen. Over a period of about five day, the remaining heat causes the volatiles to boil off, leaving behind the Carbon, in the form of charcoal.

This approach has huge advantages in the loss, as the process requires no equipment more specialised than an axe and a spade.

However, the addition of a well designed chimney can increase the profitability further,as it allows for the distillation of Creosote from the smoke.

More modern techniques involve specialist charcoal burners with built in Creosote stills.