I’m trying to see if I can make my own activated charcoal diy, from bonfire charcoal and if it is equally as good as the purchased activated charcoal.
In: 817
Activated charcoal, sometimes referred to as activated carbon, is a special form of charcoal that has been processed to have very small, low-volume pores. These pores increase the surface area of the charcoal, allowing it to “trap” or adsorb more substances, such as chemicals or toxins. This is why activated charcoal is often used in water and air filters, in medical treatments for poisoning, and in various other applications where it’s important to remove or reduce certain substances.
So how do we make charcoal “activated”? The process generally involves two main steps:
Burning: First, you need to make regular charcoal. This is done by burning a source of carbon, like wood or coconut shells, in a low-oxygen environment. This process removes water, gases, and other substances, leaving mostly pure carbon behind in the form of charcoal.
Activation: The next step is to “activate” the charcoal. This is typically done by heating the charcoal to a very high temperature in the presence of a gas like steam or carbon dioxide. This process erodes the internal structure of the charcoal, creating lots of tiny pores. These pores greatly increase the surface area of the charcoal, making it more effective at trapping other substances.
To give you a sense of how much the surface area increases, one gram of activated charcoal can have a surface area of 3,000 square meters or more. That’s about the same area as two FIFA-standard football fields!
In contrast, regular charcoal hasn’t gone through the activation process, so it doesn’t have as many pores and can’t absorb as much. Regular charcoal is still useful for things like cooking and heating, where its ability to burn for a long time and produce steady heat is more important than its adsorption capacity.
Latest Answers