The key difference between creosote and carbolineum is that the sources for creosote include various tars and plant-derived material such as wood whereas carbolineum is produced only from coal tar.
Both creosote and carbolineum are useful carbonaceous chemical compounds that can be used as preservatives due to their rot-resisting and disinfectant properties.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Creosote
3. What is Carbolineum
4. Side by Side Comparison – Creosote vs Carbolineum in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Creosote?
Creosote is a carbonaceous material derived from coal tar or plant derived-material which can be used as a preservative. The most useful properties of this material are its preservative and antiseptic properties. There are two major types of creosote as coal tar creosote and wood tar creosote.
Coal tar creosote is produced via distillation of various tars. It has strong toxic properties. This material is used mainly as a preservative for wood. Moreover, this type of creosote is useful as escharotic to burn malignant skin tissues before carcinogenic properties start to show up. This creosote type has a greenish-brown appearance; however, the appearance, fluidity and viscosity depend on the production method. In its pure form, this type of creosote appears as a yellow coloured oil.
Figure 01: Production of Coal-Tar Creosote
Wood tar creosote, on the other hand, is derived from pyrolysis of plant-derived material such as wood or fossil fuel. It is mainly used for the preservation of meat varieties. Further, it is useful for ship treatment and medical purposes such as anaesthetics, antiseptic, astringent, laxative, etc. However, most of these of wood tar creosote have been replaced with other formulations. Wood tar creosote appears as a yellowish, greasy liquid. It has a smoky odour. When burnt, this material forms soot. It also has a burned taste. When added to water, wood tar creosote is non-buoyant. In its purest form, this creosote type is completely transparent. The preservation properties of wood tar creosote arise due to its ability to coagulate albumin in meat.
What is Carbolineum?
Carbolineum is a preservative made from coal tar. It is an oily material that is flammable and insoluble in water. It has an odour that is similar to tar and has a dark brown appearance. The major contents of carbolineum are anthracene and phenol.
Figure 02: A Telephone Pole Painted with Carbolineum
There are two very important properties of carbolineum: rot-resisting properties and disinfecting properties. Due to these two properties, carbolineum is useful in the preservation of wooden structures, including railroad ties, telephone poles, cabins, etc.
What is the Difference Between Creosote and Carbolineum?
Both creosote and carbolineum are useful carbonaceous chemical compounds that we can use as preservatives due to their rot-resisting and disinfectant properties. The key difference between creosote and carbolineum is that the sources for creosote include various tars and plant-derived material such as wood, whereas carbolineum is produced only from coal tar.
Moreover, creosote is mainly used in preservation, and other applications, including anaesthetic uses, antiseptic, astringent, laxative, etc. Carbolineum, on the other hand, has uses as a preservative for wooden structures such as railroad ties, telephone poles, cabins, etc.
Below infographic summarizes the difference between creosote and carbolineum.
Summary – Creosote vs Carbolineum
Both creosote and carbolineum are useful carbonaceous chemical compounds that we can use as preservatives due to their rot-resisting and disinfectant properties. The key difference between creosote and carbolineum is that the sources for creosote include various tars and plant-derived material such as wood, whereas carbolineum is produced only from coal tar.
Reference:
1. “Creosote.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Feb. 2020, Available here.
2. “Carbolineum.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Aug. 2019, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Carbolineum treated Pole” By ElHeineken – Own work (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Derivation of coal-tar creosote” By Brian Shapiro – Adapted from source, p.12: Price, Overton W.; Kellogg, R.S.; Cox, W.T. (1909). Forests of the United States: Their Use. Government printing office (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia
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