Activated natural mineral products — including acid-activated clays, bleaching earths, and diatomites — and animal black (bone char, including spent grades) occupy a distinct trade niche from synthetic activated carbon, functioning primarily as decolorizing, clarifying, and catalytic agents in edible-oil refining, sugar processing, and petroleum applications. The spent animal black variant, recovered after use in sugar decolorization, is also traded internationally for regeneration or disposal. Classification hinges on whether the material is a mineral product or an animal-derived carbon, as the two categories carry different tariff treatment.

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