GUT HEALTH ▶▶▶


Boosting gut integrity with a good source of charcoal


Gut integrity is a hot topic in animal production. With intensifying production and a reduction in permitted pharmaceutical solutions to control infections, other strategies must be applied. Pyrogenic carbonaceous materials (PCMs), otherwise known as charcoal, can bind harmful compounds and boost gut integrity.


BY MIEKE ZOON, PANCOSMA C


harcoal has been known and appreciated for thou- sands of years for its purifying effects. It was already used thousands of years ago by the Romans and Chinese to improve drinking water safety and for


general detoxification purposes. But it is only in more recent times that the specific qualities and characteristics of charcoal have been studied in more detail. The purifying effects of charcoal are used today on an industrial scale worldwide to improve drinking water safety and quality. These properties have also attracted interest in its use for many other applica- tions, ranging from skincare and teeth whitening, to improv- ing gut integrity in both humans and animals. The wide range of solutions offered by charcoal is an indicator of its non-spe- cific functionality. The differences in quality in the types of charcoal currently available explain both its widespread use and the varied levels of success with the use of charcoal in general.


Thermochemical conversion Charcoal, biochar and activated carbon can all be grouped together under the heading of pyrogenic carbonaceous ma- terials (PCMs), as they are produced by the thermochemical conversion of carbon-containing materials. The definitions of each are not specific, have changed over time and – with growing interest in their application – are increasingly starting to overlap. Thus, possibly causing confusion. Charcoal is often seen as a limited, processed and less stand- ardised product based on vegetable materials. It can be used


38 ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 4, 2021


for barbecuing, for example. However, the term ‘charcoal’ is also non-specific enough for it to be used to cover the whole group of carbonaceous materials, replacing the correct um- brella term of PCMs. Biochar is a term originating from soil science based on the positive effect that charred biomass af- ter forest fires has in significantly improving soil quality. An essential differentiator for biochar is that it must be produced from sustainably sourced biomass. The initial definition of activated carbon was: “any form of carbon capable of adsorption” and so was very unspecific. The activation of charcoal was later further defined as “any pro- cess which selectively removes the hydrogen or hydro- gen-rich fractions from a carbonaceous raw material in such a manner as to produce an open, porous residue”. The more re- cent definition includes not only opening existing pore struc- tures by removing organic material but also breaking open the materials to create new pores, hence increasing the sur- face area. Activation can be done by increasing the tempera- ture or amount of time, together with gases like oxygen or carbon dioxide, or by adding steam or chemicals during the process.


Functional properties Like many products, the quality of the raw materials influenc- es the quality of the final product and its properties. PCMs can be produced from many different sources, for example, bituminous coal, bones, coconut shells, lignite, peat, pecan shells, petroleum-based residues, pulp mill black ash, sugar, wastewater treatment sludge and wood. Of course, the spe- cific origin of the PCM will significantly affect its final proper- ties. The second important factor influencing the final prod- uct properties is the process applied. Firstly, the temperature used for the carbonisation process and secondly, the poten- tial ‘activators’ involved. Both aspects can help to enhance the open pore structure, increasing pore size and volume and thus the total surface area of the product. The purity of the starting material and the resulting final product will determine the definitive properties of any PCM.


PHOTO: SVETLANA KOLPAKOVA


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