How to make activated charcoal. Do-it-yourself activated carbon

Activated carbon has a solid history and a wide range of applications.

Many people are interested in two questions: what Activated carbon what is it for? This remedy is a drug that helps cleanse the body. Activated charcoal has been known to man for more than three thousand years. More residents ancient rome used this product to purify water and wine. Hippocrates also recommended using it to cleanse the human body. A large number of recipes of that time for the preparation of activated charcoal for treatment have survived to this day. different kind diseases and poisonings. In the history of medicine, there are cases when this drug saved people from severe poisoning. It turns out even a few millennia ago people knew what is activated charcoal for?.

Properties of activated carbon

The properties of activated carbon are simply amazing in their versatility.. Firstly, this remedy relieves the human body of intoxication caused not only by food, but also by poisons. Secondly, it is used for heaviness in the stomach and for digestive problems. Thirdly, this drug helps the body to cleanse itself of toxins and other harmful substances that enter the body with food. Fourth, activated charcoal is excellent. Fifthly, this drug helps to get rid of allergies, dermatitis, psoriasis and edema. Sixth, activated charcoal is used to treat various joint diseases, in particular gout. Seventh, activated charcoal is a good adsorbent that relieves hangovers. Eighth, the drug is able to cure otitis media and external ear. Ninth, this remedy is used in the treatment of epilepsy. And finally tenth property of activated carbon- getting rid of impotence.

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Activated carbon. Compound

Activated carbon composition has the following finely porous amorphous carbon activated by special treatment. This component has adsorbing and catholic properties. The porosity of coal by volume ranges from 15 to 97.5%. In this way, the composition of activated carbon is quite simple.

Activated carbon. What are they made of?

As noted earlier, Activated charcoal has been very popular for many years. What is this drug made from?? In its production, charcoal and coal, as well as peat, are used. The components are heated in special vacuum containers and then subjected to special processing. Now you know, what is activated charcoal made of.

Activated carbon. How to apply?

Activated carbon is well known to everyone, not everyone knows how to apply it correctly. Domestic doctors recommend apply activated charcoal inside a few hours before a meal. The average daily dosage can be from 100 to 200 milligrams per kilogram. The daily dose is divided into three doses. The duration of treatment should be from 3 to 14 days. After two weeks, the course of treatment can be repeated again.

Even ancient people noticed that if the wood does not come into contact with fire during the firing process, then the resulting coal absorbs all extraneous odors better. Initially, in order to achieve the desired "activity", the coal was placed in a closed clay pot and thus subjected to heat treatment. Such activated carbon was called only when they learned how to produce it in industrial scale. The name follows from the process of activation of the absorbent properties of such coal, when it becomes able to absorb foreign molecules and compounds into itself.

Activated charcoal has long been removed from charcoal. A more adapted material is used for this product: coconut shell, fruit pits, charcoal, silicone gels and organic polymers. Through special processing, a very high percent microcracks on specific gravity finished product. Thus, in production with special technologies achieve content of more than 1000 pores per gram of coal. In comparison, at home you can get activated charcoal with only a few dozen pores per gram of product.

Varieties of activated carbon

AT ready-made activated carbon looks like granules about 1 mm in size. After production, finer dust is also left, which, however, is no less valuable, since it has the same absorbency. Granulated coal is often briquetted and pressed for ease of use. Powdered charcoal is often used for water purification filters.. But the most popular form of activated charcoal is charcoal tablets. The granules are pressed into tablets - they can also be crushed into powder for use in different purposes.

The meaning of the action of this medicine lies in the fact that the initial raw materials processed at high temperature turn into porous coal with many micro-slits, seeking to fill their empty space with any materials. right size. The enormous sorption (absorbent) capacity of a product such as activated carbon determines its effectiveness.

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However, will activated carbon be able to cope with all the toxins and dangerous substances that have entered the body or water filter? What activated carbon is made of determines the size of cracks and pores on its surface. If the cracks are smaller than the substance that the coal particle collided with, it will not be able to absorb it.. For example, some heavy metals, minerals and trace elements.

Composition of activated charcoal tablets

The "activation" of activated carbon, thanks to which it got its name, is that during the heat treatment of raw materials at high temperatures, it does not come into contact with fire. The raw material is isolated directly from the flame or electrical heating methods are used.

The composition of the tablets includes:

Activated carbon;
starch;
"black salt"

This form of release is used for some food intoxications.. It should be remembered that the properties of activated carbon are not only in the absorption of toxins, but it also absorbs beneficial trace elements to the same extent. In this case, potassium, magnesium and calcium are “washed out” first of all. Therefore, the presence of black salt in the composition is a very useful additional source of these trace elements for the body. Not all tablet forms come in the same composition, and the presence of black salt must be checked in the information on the composition on the package. There is another type of tablet, which consists of activated charcoal, starch and sugar.

Activated charcoal acts on substances by binding their active properties. It binds alkaloids, barbiturates and many other active substances, absorbing them and removing them from the body through natural cleansing. It does not have a sufficient adsorbing effect on acids and alkalis, as well as on iron salts, cyanides, malathion, methanol, ethylene glycol.

The drug is most effective when taken either before or immediately after poisoning. Can be taken topically - on ulcers and other lesions to speed up healing.

How activated carbon works

In this article, we found out that coal tends to fill many of its voids that have arisen in its structure after processing. high temperatures. Once in contaminated water or other liquid (for example, among the contents of the stomach or intestines), coal absorbs everything that can linger in its cracked pores. At the same time, it is worth remembering that if there was not enough coal, then its adsorbing effect may be ineffective when the amount of sorbed substances exceeds the ability to absorb them.

Food can also interfere with this process and its presence in the stomach should be accompanied by an increase in dose, which averages 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight - with a slight disorder. The main effect of coal, leading to its "activity", is the number of pores, which reaches its maximum size with the correct processing of raw materials. Thanks to such porosity, coal becomes weightless and one gram of coal is able to contain a thousand or more pores and microcracks, which is achieved using ultra-high temperatures.

Activated carbon is a universal drug that has been successfully used for many years in medicine, chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries. Filters containing activated carbon are used in many modern models cleaning devices drinking water, as they are able to clean even from chlorine.

You can make activated charcoal at home using carbon-containing organic components. To obtain a sorbent, you need to carefully follow the steps technological process. Such material is allowed to be used in cleaning filters. It is enough to replace the product contained in the cartridges with a do-it-yourself product.

Raw materials for the manufacture of activated carbon

In pharmacological production, they are created from burnt animal bones, petroleum and coal coke. If you want to get the drug yourself at home, take wood, which does not contain a large amount of resinous substances, coconut shells, hazelnuts and walnuts.

It is easy to make charcoal with your own hands from birch, which grows in almost every corner of the country.

Charcoal Activated Carbon

People often purchase the product by going to nature, preparing barbecues and barbecues. This material almost does not differ in qualities from the pharmacological one, has absorbent properties and cleans the liquid from dirt. But use better material, produced by a reliable manufacturer from breeds with a low percentage of resin. If there is no confidence in the quality, it is preferable to do it yourself at home.

Activating such a "drug" is easy. It is possible to increase the absorbing and binding abilities by leaving the water with activated carbon for several hours in a well-lit area. In this case, the sorbent will eliminate mechanical debris and chemical compounds, bacteria that are present in the raw liquid.

coconut shell

To make activated charcoal, fruit peels are used. The pulp and milk are removed, and then its hard shell is burned in a special way.

How to make activated charcoal?

There are ways that are easy to reproduce at home, especially for residents countryside. No financial costs are required, the technology of each process is easy, there is no need to search for any chemical components in advance.

Methods

To prepare activated charcoal yourself, strictly follow the instructions. I would like to note that such a product should not be used as a medicine. For internal use, it is better to buy pharmacy black tablets that have passed necessary steps cleaning. Price medicinal product low.

Produce and apply at home material is shown to improve the performance of water filters.

physical method

The recipe for this method involves the presence of coconut shells:

Raw materials are slowly burnt at a low temperature.
When the hard shell turns black, transfer to a liquid medium.
The solution is prepared from 1 part water and 1/4 food salt. This method activates the charcoal at home, causing the pores to open.
After a day, the material is washed several times to remove residual sodium chloride.
Dry the charcoal in the oven or in the sunlight.

Instead of coconut, sometimes walnut or hazelnut shells are used. In this case, cooking will take less time and cost less. The shell of an exotic fruit is dense, it is more difficult to burn at home.

Trees of various species

You can make activated charcoal by resorting to the following scheme:

Broken birch branches are placed at the bottom of a frying pan that is already unnecessary in the household.
Fall asleep with sand.
The mixture is heated for 1.5–2 hours until black coals are obtained.
The finished material is transferred to a sieve or colander, and then kept in a water bath.
The cooled pieces are crushed and transferred to a glass container.

If this method seems complicated, it's easy to resort to a simplified one:

Pieces of wood are placed in tin can, which is calcined on an open fire to complete removal resins.
The cooled coal is tied in gauze and kept over boiling water for several minutes.

In addition to birch branches, an activated preparation can be made from linden, alder, aspen, beech, pine, poplar, and spruce. The age of the tree should not exceed 50 years.

Action algorithm

To obtain quality material, it is necessary to observe several nuances of the production cycle.

Dry distillation of raw materials

At home, the operation is performed using:

open fire;
blowtorch;
bake;
gas stove.

Take dry wood, which is pre-crushed.

The following conditions facilitate the procedure:

Raw materials are placed in a small tin container. It needs to make several holes in the lower part so that the smoke comes out. At the same time, the gas generated in the process is burned by a flame, which reduces risks.
The container itself is tightly closed. If this is not possible, it is advisable to make a sand cushion over the treated wood. In addition, you need to burn the branches in the absence of access fresh air. In this case, uniform charring is ensured.

Stop the process when the pieces are completely burned out.

Charcoal activation

Usually at home they resort to a steam bath to open the pores, or to placing the product in boiling water. But the second method has several disadvantages:

The duration of the procedure is 20-25 minutes.
Coal soot is washed out, which provokes a decrease in the absorbent surface.

In order for the activated product to turn out to be of high quality, it is necessary to remove the remaining moisture.

Drying

The stage depends on the conditions in which the process is performed. At home for final preparation apply:

Fresh air;
sunlight;
oven.

So that activated carbon does not lose for a long time useful qualities you need to follow some simple rules.

Storage

If you make a cleansing product yourself, you need to keep it, adhering to the following conditions:

Pre-crushed.
Pour into a glass container with a tight lid.
Placed in a cool and unlit place, for example, a refrigerator, a cellar.

In this case, the activated product retains its quality for several years. With absence optimal conditions the term of use is limited to months, and sometimes weeks.

Cases when it is necessary to clean moonshine happen quite often. As a rule, sugar, starch and some grain distillates are subjected to purification. Often the question of this question arises when it was necessary, and the distillate is not quite of decent quality. Distillers also practice the purification of raw alcohol before re-distilling it. And even if you had a chance (we recommend choosing a device with a distillation column of the brand or with a dry steamer of the brand) of high quality, cleaning may be required to save the situation when gross violations distillation technology.

The practice of cleaning moonshine with activated charcoal is widely known. Natural charcoal is an excellent sorbent: it captures and retains a variety of molecules that are in solution. You can prepare coal for cleaning moonshine right in your kitchen. More precisely, charcoal can be activated. To understand why activation is needed, consider the essence of the process of purifying moonshine with coal.

What is charcoal activation for?

Fragments of coal have pores and cracks. They, in turn, have a tree-like structure: wide pores-“tunnels” branch into narrower ones, and those into even narrower ones, and so on. How smaller diameter pores, the smaller molecules get stuck in it, held by the charges of carbon molecules emerging into the lumen of the pore.

Molecules of "fusel oils" - the main enemy of a good drink - are for the most part large molecules of alcohols. They are well adsorbed by carbon, while small molecules ethyl alcohol freely leave his pores.

Of course, it would be better to know that it would allow to cut off impurities as much as possible, and additional purification was simply not required. But when working with any device, there is a place human factor so always be careful when distilling. And if you are thinking about purchasing a reliable distiller, then visit the websites of official manufacturers, you can guarantee it in just one click.

Activated charcoal is different from the usual topics, which has many more branched pores, it is literally riddled with them. The more pores, the greater the absorbent capacity, the more impurities coal can absorb. Below we will talk about how to make activated carbon for cleaning moonshine from plain charcoal.

The choice of coal and the procedure for its activation

Coal is taken charcoal, for barbecues. However, it is important that it does not smell of smoke, otherwise it will inevitably be transferred to the drink. Optimal choice- natural birch charcoal for barbecues.
The process of activation (manufacturing) of coal for cleaning moonshine is reduced to the expansion and even greater cracking of the pores in its particles. This is done using physical properties ordinary water. Due to the heating of the water impregnating the coal, its molecules begin to “pound” into the walls of the pores with great force, contributing to their cracking.

Thus, to make coal for cleaning moonshine, you will need:

Put the charcoal for the barbecue in a bag of sugar and grind it with a hard blunt object. For these purposes, a hammer is well suited if applied flat. It is best to do this outdoors, as the dust will still fly.
Place a colander or sieve on a bowl (pan) and pour crushed coal into it. Dust and very fine particles will pass through the filter, you will need the ones left on the sieve.
Place coal in a saucepan, cover with water and boil for 60 minutes.
By the way. Coal can be crushed after boiling, then there will be less dust. However, coal “dust” itself can also be used to clean moonshine.
After boiling, drain the water from the coal, spread the coal on a baking sheet and send it to the oven for 60-90 minutes, preheated to the maximum temperature. The charcoal will begin to crackle. Heating can be stopped when the characteristic smell of coal appears.

Checking the resulting coal is very simple: put a few pieces in water. The hissing and release of bubbles indicates that the coal is ready to fight harmful impurities to guard the purification of moonshine. Activated carbon is one of the safest substances for purifying not only distillates, but also liquids and air. And you can learn more about it in our articles.

>how to make activated charcoal

What is activated carbon?

First of all, you need to understand what is activated carbon?
Activated carbon is a porous substance, an absorbent, obtained from various carbon-containing materials of organic origin, that is, charcoal, walnut, hazelnut, coconut shells, coal coke, petroleum coke. Of course, we are interested in the simplest, most affordable and pure product. Therefore, further we will only talk about activated carbon, which can be obtained from wood.

What is activated charcoal used for?

Activated carbon is used in medicine and manufacturing. In medicine, it is used for various intestinal disorders, it helps to cope with many types of poisoning, or at least significantly reduce harmful effect toxins on the body (including alcohol, chemical and radioactive).
In production, activated carbon is used in purification systems. Most of all air filters for gas masks, protective masks are made using activated carbon. Industrial and domestic water filters are also made with activated carbon.

activated charcoal at home

Making activated charcoal yourself is quite simple, but for internal use, this is certainly not the best idea, since charcoal can be bought at every pharmacy. But to make coal, for example, for filtering water or in the absence of industrial designs, to make a filter for a gas mask yourself, this knowledge can come in handy. Moreover, the prices for coal in the pharmacy are not small and it will be expensive to make a large water filter from "pharmacy" coal.

No matter what you use (jars, barrels, pots, pans, gas burner or bonfire), the principle of making activated carbon at home or field conditions same. It consists of three stages: the first is the production of coal, the second is its "activation" and finally drying.

So, let's start making activated carbon.
First stage:
We take a container, for example a wide tin can. The jar should be tightly closed with something. It is desirable that the jar be flat, that is, that its width (diameter) be greater than its height. In the bottom of the jar, you need to make several small holes 1-2 mm. Next, put small dry, wooden chocks in a jar, tightly close the lid and put on fire. Wooden chocks are best made from wood that does not contain a large number resin, birch is well suited for this, but spruce and pine will give a lot of smoke and there is a high probability of igniting the resin inside the can, then the process of making activated carbon will be ruined.
This stage can be called dry distillation of wood. In this case, all combustible gases (provided that the lid is tightly closed) will go out into the holes made in the bottom of the can and immediately burn in the fire. Thus, there will be practically no smoke and smell, which means that this method can literally be used to make activated carbon at home. But if instead of holes in the bottom you use the absence of a lid or distill the wood in a pot or pan, there will be a lot of smoke, so you can only make coal on outdoors. Using the "without a lid" method, it is better to sprinkle the chocks with dry sand so that the haul runs evenly and the wood does not ignite.
Further, when the evolution of gases and steam stops, you should remove the jar from the heat and let it cool. We open the lid and see black coal there, but this is not activated carbon yet.
We pass to the second stage.
We take out the coal from the jar and put it in a saucepan or other jar and completely fill it with water. We put on fire and boil for 20-30 minutes. This is the activation process, boiling water washes the pores of the charcoal, washing away everything minerals.
Third final stage.
We spread still raw, but already activated carbon again in a jar with holes in the bottom and put on fire. We dry the coals in this way, now instead of combustible gas, pure water vapor comes out of the pores. After all the moisture has evaporated and the coals have cooled, the whole action can be considered completed. Activated charcoal is ready! By weight, such coals feel almost weightless, because all the pores are free.

You need to store activated carbon in a glass jar, closed with a lid or in a plastic hermetically sealed container, so the activity of the coal will last for several years. But with the access of oxygen, the properties of coal are lost in a few months.