East Asian coal briquettes

{{Short description|Japanese invention used for heating}}{{Expand language|langcode=ja|langcode2=zh}}{{Infobox Chinese

|pic=Japanese_Rentan.JPG

|ibox-order=ja,zh,ko1,ko3

|t={{linktext|蜂窩煤}}

|s={{linktext|蜂窝煤}}

|p=Fēngwōméi

|w=Feng-Wo-Mei

|l=Beehive coal

|poj=

|suz=

|j=

|y=

| hangul = 연탄

| hanja = 練炭

| rr = yeontan

| mr = yŏnt'an

| nkhangul = 련탄

| lk = Kneaded coal

| kanji = {{linktext|煉炭}}/{{linktext|練炭}}

| kana = れんたん

| romaji = Rentan

}}

{{Nihongo|East Asian coal briquettes|練炭|rentan|lead=yes}}, also known by the names {{Transliteration|ko|rr|yeontan}} ({{Korean|hangul=연탄}}) or fēngwōméi ({{Lang-zh|t=蜂窩煤|s=蜂窝煤}}, literally "beehive coal"), are coal briquettes used across East Asia for home cooking and residential home heating purposes. They were first invented in Japan, then propagated through the rest of East Asia in the early 20th century, although their usage is now uncommon in contemporary Japan and South Korea.

Made from a mixture of lignite coal dust and a gluing agent that keeps the dust particles together,{{cite news |last1=Lankov |first1=Andrei |title=(455) At Coalface of Heating |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/04/165_5149.html |work=The Korea Times |date=21 June 2007 }} they became a popular alternative to firewood and natural coal because they come in a consistent size and stack easily. There are 5 standard sizes for the briquettes, and the 2nd standard is widely used in households.

The 2nd standard briquette is cylindrical in shape, weighs {{Convert|3.5|kg|lb}}, and is about {{Convert|20|cm|in|abbr=on}} in height and {{Convert|15|cm|in|abbr=on}} in diameter. The standard briquette has 22 holes drilled into its top to facilitate steady, efficient burning, and a household typically uses one to three briquettes per day in the winter. A new briquette can be placed on one that has been burned halfway to extend the burn time.

In older South Korean homes, the same fire used for cooking also serves to heat the house, through a radiant underfloor heating system called ondol.

History by region

= Korea =

Introduced to Korea from Japan in the 1920s, {{Transliteration|ko|rr|yeontan}} rose in popularity following the Korean War. By 1988, 78% of South Korean households used {{Transliteration|ko|rr|yeontan}}, but this fell to 33% by 1993 as people switched to oil and gas boilers, and was estimated to be used by just 2% of households by 2001. The boilers reduced the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, which was a major cause of death in coal-heated houses.{{cite news |last1=VanVolkenburg |first1=Matt |title=[Korea Encounters] Yeontan briquettes opened windows while warming homes |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/08/177_265143.html |work=The Korea Times |date=12 March 2019 }}

A number of suicides in south Korea have seen the use of {{Transliteration|ko|rr|yeontan}} for carbon monoxide poisoning.{{cite news |title=Jonghyun, K-pop star and SHINee singer, dies in possible suicide |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2017/12/18/jonghyun-south-korean-boy-band-member-dies-possible-suicide-shinee/108714930/ |work=USA TODAY |agency=The Associated Press |date=18 December 2017 }}{{cite journal |last1=Choi |first1=Young-Rim |last2=Cha |first2=Eun Shil |last3=Chang |first3=Shu-Sen |last4=Khang |first4=Young-Ho |last5=Lee |first5=Won Jin |title=Suicide from carbon monoxide poisoning in South Korea: 2006–2012 |journal=Journal of Affective Disorders |date=October 2014 |volume=167 |pages=322–325 |doi=10.1016/j.jad.2014.06.026 |pmid=25016488 }}{{cite journal |last1=Chang |first1=Shu-Sen |last2=Chen |first2=Ying-Yeh |last3=Yip |first3=Paul S. F. |last4=Lee |first4=Won Jin |last5=Hagihara |first5=Akihito |last6=Gunnell |first6=David |title=Regional Changes in Charcoal-Burning Suicide Rates in East/Southeast Asia from 1995 to 2011: A Time Trend Analysis |journal=PLOS Medicine |date=1 April 2014 |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=e1001622 |doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001622 |doi-access=free |pmid=24691071 |pmc=3972087 }}

East Asian coal briquettes

History by region

= Korea =

References

Further reading