What is activated charcoal made of? Activated carbon production: starting material and manufacturing steps

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Activated (active) carbon is a porous substance that is obtained from various carbon-containing materials of organic origin.

1 gram of activated carbon, depending on the manufacturing technology, has a surface area of 500 to 1500 m² [the surface area of ordinary carbon is 50 m²].
The essence of the activation process is to open the pores that are in the closed state in the carbon material.

The starting materials for their production have a decisive influence on the pore structure. Activated carbons based on coconut shells are characterized by a higher proportion of micropores (up to 2 nm), based on hard coal- a greater proportion of mesopores (2-50 nm). Big share macropores are typical for activated carbons based on wood (more than 50 nm).

Micropores are particularly well suited for the adsorption of small molecules, while mesopores are particularly well suited for the adsorption of larger organic molecules.

* Coals must be treated with superheated steam 600 to 850 degrees. The design should consist of two flasks, one of which is filled with raw materials (birch firewood without bark, finely chopped, the less the better), water is poured into the other. Close the flask with raw materials as tightly as possible and put in a fire. Burn until all the raw materials turn into coals. Next, take the second flask and connect it to the first (with coals) flask by means of a metal coil. Pour water into the second flask. Light a fire under a flask with water and a coil. In the flask with water, the water will boil and the steam through the coil, which will crack in the fire, enters the flask with coals that have not yet cooled down, thereby still heating up. To produce 1 part of coal, you need ~ 5 parts of birch raw materials.

*Get a container the size of a coffee can with a sealed metal lid. Take a few birch twigs, put them in a coffee jar and put them in a fire. After the fire burns out, you need to wait for the coal to cool down. Pour the resulting charcoal onto gauze, tie it with a bag and hold it over water vapor for 5-10 minutes to activate the charcoal, as a result of this treatment it acquires a porous structure, and all pores are cleared of all liquid and not very liquid substances. It is necessary to store the resulting coal in an airtight container, otherwise it will lose its properties.

Using this technique, it is possible to obtain activated carbon, of course, for an ideal activated carbon, a superheated water vapor temperature of 300 to 600 degrees is needed. But it will be enough to filter the water.

*For the manufacture of activated carbon, trees of various species are used: beech, birch, pine, linden, oak, spruce, aspen, alder, poplar. In accordance with the listed order, the adsorbing capacity of coal made from these tree species. Tree trunks must not be older than 50 years.

Wood must be cleaned of bark, cychkov and core. The logs prepared in this way are burned on a fire until the fire disappears. Hot coals will be in the fire instead of wood.

Take the coals out of the fire and place them in a colander. After that, hot coals are steamed, for which you need to hold a colander over a bowl of boiling water. Do not put coals into water. When the coal has completely cooled down, you need to crush it and put it in storage. It should be stored in a closed container, placed in a dry place, away from substances that emit gases or vapours. In air or in a place with high humidity, the adsorbing properties of activated carbon are significantly reduced.

* We put small birch sticks in a frying pan, cover with a small layer of sand and keep on fire for two hours. You can do the same procedure at the stake in the bank.

This absorbent is often used to cleanse the body for foodborne intestinal infections and similar symptoms. What is activated charcoal made of? In its manufacture, the following components are used: charcoal / coal and peat, which are heated in specialized containers (up to 100 C). After that, they are subjected to further processing - shaping and packaging. Now everyone will know what activated carbon is made of.

What was it made from before?

First they burned birch and fruit trees. The resulting coals were treated with steam at high temperature regime. But since there was no special laboratory before, the whole process was carried out in a well-heated steam room. Thus, a small part of the birch charcoal was taken out of the furnace and left in the bath until the activation process began. Such coal had a fairly small weight, but due to the high porosity, absorbent, absorbing qualities increase. Coal in those days was used as a multifunctional tool. They were cleaning drinking water, poor quality alcoholic products treated livestock and poultry. In principle, the latter is hardly different from its modern use.

What is activated charcoal for?

To cleanse the gastrointestinal tract. It is allowed to drink in case of poisoning with various toxic agents. It reduces the absorption of harmful elements into the intestinal tract by more than 50%.
At home, it is used as a universal antidote. It neutralizes the harmful effects of alcohol, fatty foods, etc. By the way, experts advise drinking activated charcoal during a hangover, and not during a feast, in order to avoid the opposite effect - increased intoxication. It is also actively used as effective method for weight loss. To do this, you need to drink 1 tablet three times a day - in the morning, afternoon and evening. Consult with a nutritionist first.
Helps in the fight against gas formation. Therefore, in the event of flatulence and associated colic, it is necessary to take coal.
Stops diarrhea.
Assign when chronic diseases. It does not allow components that can activate allergic reactions to be absorbed into the blood. But first you need to consult with your doctor, it is possible that he will have something to add to this.

ATTENTION! Activated charcoal is forbidden to take long courses. It removes useful elements from the body that come with food. First of all, these are trace elements and vitamins. Also, when used together with it, the effect of the drug is neutralized. Therefore, be very careful when treating them.

How does activated charcoal work?

It removes all harmful substances accumulated in the body by adsorption and absorption. It is important to know that along with harmful elements, it also absorbs carbohydrates, proteins and fats, which the human body needs daily. In addition, it can, like a magnet, attract negative pollutant particles to its positively charged active oxygen. This process is called catalytic reduction. This means that during treatment they need to take a short break, which will be filled with vitamins through the use of fresh fruits, vegetables and meat, according to the instructions of a specialist.

This drug has the following benefits:

Firstly, these are detoxifying, adsorbing and antidiarrheal properties.
Secondly, it removes elements that can contribute to the development of an allergic reaction.
And, finally, thirdly, it does not irritate the mucous membranes.

You can buy it in the form of tablets, capsules, granules, powder and paste for the preparation of a suspension for oral administration.

Indications for use:

with impaired metabolism;
poisoning with salts of heavy metals, various drugs, chemical. substances. It is also used in case of poisoning with low-quality (expired) products;
hepatitis occurring in acute or chronic form;
withdrawal syndrome. Typically used in alcoholism.

With increased gas formation, intoxication caused by radiotherapy, this absorbent is also used.

Reception is contraindicated for bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract, colitis, stomach ulcers. It is not recommended to take activated charcoal along with anti-venom drugs, it can adsorb it.

Caution - side effects

As a rule, it can be hypothermia, dyspepsia, lowering blood pressure, constipation. With the simultaneous use of laxatives and activated charcoal, the appearance of loose stools is not excluded.

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 rural residents. 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 reception it is better to buy pharmacy black tablets that have passed the necessary purification steps. The price of the drug is 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 a tin can, which is calcined over an open fire until 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 high-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 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.

In order for activated carbon not to lose its useful qualities for a long time, it is necessary to follow a number of 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 this question occurs when it had to, 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 happened to (we recommend choosing a device with a distillation column of the brand or with a dry steamer of the brand) High Quality, cleaning may be required to save the situation in case of gross violations of the 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. The smaller the pore diameter, 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 good drink These are, by weight, 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 apparatus, there is a 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 a simple 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. The best choice is 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 plain 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 the harmful effects of 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.

It doesn’t matter what you use (jars, barrels, pots, pans, a gas burner or a fire), the principle of making activated carbon at home or camping is the 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 be used in literally use for making activated charcoal 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, this is how you can make coal only in the open air. 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 all the 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 complete. Activated charcoal is ready! By weight, such coals feel almost weightless, because all the pores are free.

Store activated charcoal in glass jar, closed with a lid or in a plastic hermetically sealed container, so the activity of the coal will remain for several years. But with the access of oxygen, the properties of coal are lost in a few months.