Editing Bone char (section)

===Sugar refining===
[[File:Sucre blanc cassonade complet rapadura.jpg|thumb|Sugars (clockwise from top-left): white refined, unrefined, unprocessed cane, brown]]

Historically, bone char was often used in [[White refined sugar#Refining|sugar refining]] as a decolorizing and deashing agent, particularly in cane sugar as this contains more colored impurities.

Bone char possesses a low decoloration capacity and must be used in large quantities,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Asadi|first1=Mosen|title=Beet-Sugar Handbook.|date=2006|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|location=Hoboken|isbn=9780471790983|pages=333}}</ref> however, it is also able to remove various inorganic impurities, most importantly [[sulfate]]s and the ions of magnesium and calcium. The removal of these is beneficial, as it reduces the level of [[Fouling|scaling]] later in the refining process, when the sugar solution is concentrated.<ref>{{cite book|editor=Chung Chi Chou|title=Handbook of sugar refining: a manual for the design and operation of sugar refining facilities|date=2000|publisher=Wiley|location=New York|isbn=9780471183570|pages=368–369}}</ref> Modern alternatives to bone char include [[activated carbon]] and [[ion-exchange resin]]s. However, a small number of companies remain completely or partially dependent on bone char for sugar refinement.