[Michaelangelica]

I mentioned white coal on the blog but this is even stranger
Anyone out there with any ideas /experience of this?

Binchotan, the name given to white charcoal in Japan (which by many accounts is the country which first popularized its usage), is made by steadily steam-activating oak wood over a long period of time finally to temperatures up to and beyond 1,000 degrees Celsius.
. . .
"I have about 60 kilos in my house," laughs Fung.

"It's all around my studio. I even stick a charcoal stick in my vegetable compartment to make them last longer."
. . .

Back in black: Could charcoal be the new green? - CNN.com

[freeztar]

Interesting. I wasn't familiar with it until now.
There's lots of links for it on google, including the wiki page:
Binch�tan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia