What is Activated Charcoal
Need to clean impurities from air or water, or poison from an overdose
victim? Chances are, activated charcoal will do the job.
Activated charcoal, also known as activated carbon, goes through a process using oxygen that gives it a very large surface area, and makes it perfect for absorption of chemicals. Like regular charcoal, activated charcoal can be made from wood or coal, but unlike regular charcoal it has very large spaces between the carbon atoms. Because of those large spaces, when certain chemicals are filtered through the activated charcoal they bond with the carbon atoms. In this way, activated charcoal absorbs odors and colors from both gasses and liquids.
Because activated charcoal traps carbon based (organic) chemicals, as well as chlorine, it makes an excellent water filter. This feature is also why it works well in filtering distilled liquors in order to remove organic compounds that can have an adverse effect on taste, smell and color.
Regular Activated charcoal is also used extensively in filtering compressed air, as well in gas masks and other air purification applications.
In the industrial world, activated charcoal is crucial to the purification of electroplating solutions, where organic impurities must be removed in order for the plating process to be carried out correctly.
From a medical point of view, activated charcoal has proven to be so effective in removing poisons from the human body that other methods such as stomach pumping are now required less frequently than they were in the past. Activated charcoal tablets are also taken for diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome and other stomach conditions as it is proven to remove gasses from the bowels.
So, if a liquid doesn't taste right, air doesn't smell the way it should, or if someone has orally ingested a poison, chances are activated charcoal can remove what shouldn't be there.
Activated charcoal, also known as activated carbon, goes through a process using oxygen that gives it a very large surface area, and makes it perfect for absorption of chemicals. Like regular charcoal, activated charcoal can be made from wood or coal, but unlike regular charcoal it has very large spaces between the carbon atoms. Because of those large spaces, when certain chemicals are filtered through the activated charcoal they bond with the carbon atoms. In this way, activated charcoal absorbs odors and colors from both gasses and liquids.
Because activated charcoal traps carbon based (organic) chemicals, as well as chlorine, it makes an excellent water filter. This feature is also why it works well in filtering distilled liquors in order to remove organic compounds that can have an adverse effect on taste, smell and color.
Regular Activated charcoal is also used extensively in filtering compressed air, as well in gas masks and other air purification applications.
In the industrial world, activated charcoal is crucial to the purification of electroplating solutions, where organic impurities must be removed in order for the plating process to be carried out correctly.
From a medical point of view, activated charcoal has proven to be so effective in removing poisons from the human body that other methods such as stomach pumping are now required less frequently than they were in the past. Activated charcoal tablets are also taken for diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome and other stomach conditions as it is proven to remove gasses from the bowels.
So, if a liquid doesn't taste right, air doesn't smell the way it should, or if someone has orally ingested a poison, chances are activated charcoal can remove what shouldn't be there.