Natural Charcoal Suppliers
Beacon Commodities now take on the distribution of Natural Charcoal (Jeret Media) to the UK and across the globe.
An introduction
Natural Charcoal is a truly remarkable product.
It is believed that the properties of Natural Charcoal were first discovered in the late 1700s when a chemist accidently mixed some “burnt” crushed bone with honey and noticed that the colour from the honey was removed. To date it is still used to decolourise raw sugar liquor to make white refined sugar.
How it is made
Natural Charcoal is made by the dry distillation of sun-dried cattle bone in the absence of air. Cattle bones are dried in the sun to remove all the flesh and then sorted to remove any specified risk material (SRM). The bones are crushed and heated in a kiln, in the absence of air, to almost 1000C for a minimum of 6 hours. All the organic material is driven off in the form of bone gas and bone oil leaving an inorganic material, Natural Charcoal, consisting of 90% Calcium Phosphate complex (Calcium hydroxyapatite) and 10% elemental carbon.
After kilning the Natural Charcoal is cooled and sieved to give different sized material for different applications.
There are many uses for Natural Charcoal
Potable Water
In remote areas, Natural Charcoal is an ideal media for cleaning up brown waters to produce a clear wholesome potable water as its macro pores can adsorb the large organic compounds that cause the colour in water.
Effluent Water
Throughout the world, the need to protect our environment from pollution is an overriding priority. In the UK, under the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Act, each organisation is compelled to make sure that their spent water complies with certain standards.
Natural Charcoal is unique in that not only does it adsorb organic molecules, but it also has the unique ability of adsorbing dissolved ash. In the case of effluent waters, this same property is used to reduce heavy metal ions. Metals such as copper, lead, zinc and cadmium are readily adsorbed by Natural charcoal reducing levels to below those required by regulatory authorities.
Remediation Water
Where there are contaminated waters or where water is used to extract impurities from contaminated land Natural Charcoal can be used as part of an overall solution. Natural Charcoal has been used to remove radioactive contaminants from water on Nuclear Sites.
Sugar Industry
Natural Charcoal is used to remove organic colourants and dissolved ash.
Other
The uses for this product seem endless with it being used worldwide for:
- Special effects in films
- Pigments for colouring paint
- Heat insulation for circuit boards
- and more
Beacon Commodities and Jeret
Up to 2018, the sale of Natural Charcoal in the UK was almost exclusively handled by Jeret. Jeret distributed Natural Charcoal to both UK and worldwide users from their Warehouse in the UK.
Beacon Commodities have enjoyed an excellent relationship with Jeret and in October 2018 agreed to take on the distribution of Natural Charcoal (Jeret Media) to the UK and across the globe.
Beacon Commodities, like Jeret, now store the material in their UK Warehouse and continue to supply Jeret customers following a smooth transition of supply.
Jerry Elvin of Jeret still works closely with Beacon Commodities on a weekly basis and is available for advice and technical expertise through Beacon Commodities if required.
Please contact Tommy or Michael if you would like to discuss the supply of Natural Charcoal from Beacon – +44 1473 810 107 or or