Charcoal and coal are not the same. Charcoal has an immense surface area per unit volume (950 to 2000 m2/g) and is pure carbon. That surface area makes charco

Charcoal and coal are not the same. Charcoal has an immense surface area per unit volume (950 to 2000 m2/g) and is pure carbon. That surface area makes charcoal great at absorption. Populating charcoal with nutrients and life then adding it to soil permanently improves soil fertility by increasing the nutrient holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, and available microorganism living space. Gardeners call inoculated charcoal biochar. Historical examples of human created charcoal rich soils are terra preta and African dark earths. Terra preta and African dark earths have highly elevated levels of black carbon (up to 9%) and have remained fertile for at least 400 years. We don't know if these charcoal enriched soils were intentionally made or if they were just community middens. But, these charcoal enriched soils are undoubtedly more fertile than the surrounding soil. Skill Cult has a great playlist about charcoal and how it can be used in agriculture. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL60FnyEY-eJAfBgRAHKXjsNiUwqD1GTFK https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL60FnyEY-eJAfBgRAHKXj...