The chemical process of converting organic material into carbon or carbon-containing compounds, usually through heating or oxidation.
From carbonize + -ation (Latin suffix forming nouns from verbs). The -ation suffix became productive in English for naming processes and results, especially in scientific terminology.
Carbonization is how nature makes coal—dead plants compressed for millions of years—and how medieval craftspeople made charcoal; the same process fueled human civilization before fossil fuels, making this ancient chemistry still our secret energy source.
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