The significant difference between charcoal and coal is that coal is a naturally occurring fossil fuel, while charcoal is not. Charcoal is made from the element carbon, and carbonic compounds are plentiful in plants, animals, and other living organisms. When water and other hazardous substances are eliminated from carbonic compounds, the end product is charcoal.
A few charcoal types include lump charcoal, extruded charcoal, Japanese charcoal, and briquettes. It can produce high heat energy since charcoal burns at high temperatures. Charcoal production is not favorable for the environment, as it damages the forests, and deforestation is getting to be out of hand where charcoal is produced. Charcoal is also used in medicine for intestinal upset.
On the other hand, coal is a fossil fuel like natural gas and oil, which comes in a solid rock form. The process takes thousands of years; this is because the degrading process moves rather slowly. Coal is considered a non-renewable resource because it cannot be replenished when the coal mine is empty. There are different types of coal, including peat, lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous, and anthracite. Peat is the lowest type of coal on the list, and it is formed more recently than the other kinds. The primary use of coal is to produce electricity; although, coal is also utilized to produce coke, synthetic rubber, insecticides, and paint products. Coal can also be used to power trains, and coal is a mineral, but charcoal is not.