THANK YOU FOR TAKING AN INTEREST IN WANTING TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ACTIVATED CARBON

Filtering the alcohol is the next step after distilling to remove the strong odor that is prevalent after the distilling of the alcohol. Putting it through the process I am going to describe will adsorb that bad smelling odor from the moonwater leaving a clear odorless product very much like vodka. The difference between the word adsorb and absorb is that when you absorb some element then you change the molecular structure of the element you take something out and it is changed forever. When you adsorb an element you only in this case take the smell away but everything else remains the same.

In the early days of moonshining the moonshiners to filter this odor out would make their own charcoal from the local hardwood that was available. You can see from the device that I have designed using food grade activated carbon approved by the governments of the world that moonshining has come a long way.
Below are details of the tower I would suggest you build or purchase from me.
The tower has been designed in this manner in order that the alcohol as it passes through the food grade activated carbon, the carbon will adsorb the fusel oils out of the alcohol. This removal is very important because it removes the bad odor that comes in the distilling of alcohol. The tower consists of a piece of 1 1/2" ABS plastic drainage pipe 66" long. On the top a 3" x 1 1/2" reducer and on top of that is a 6" long piece of  3" ABS pipe. All of this when glued together forms the Tower. The 6" piece of ABS pipe acts a reservoir. At the bottom 3 coffee filters are clamped to hold the carbon in and allow the alcohol to pass through.
OPERATION:
The operation of this unit although being very simple it is necessary to follow the following instructions to the letter for any kind of quality results. The goal in doing this process is to filter the moonwater through the activated carbon without creating any channeling and in addition the tube must be free of any air. On the initial set up of the unit or whenever new carbon is being introduced the is the steps that is necessary to follow. One also must wash out the water-soluble substances that are in the pores of carbon (instead of drinking them) or the PH will rise from 7 to 10 at the beginning of the filtration, reducing the carbon's capacity to adsorb by as much as 50%.

To accomplish this do as follows: Put the carbon in a bucket or kitchen pot and completely cover with 2-3 times more boiling water. Mix for a minute then pour out the water. Repeat 4-5 times to wash out any soluble materials from the carbon. Place filter screening on the end of the end of the tube and completely fill the tube with warm water. Add another 4 to 5 quarts or more of warm water through the column to wash out any remnants of water-soluble substances that may still be present in the carbon. Start pouring the alcohol directly "onto" the water so that no air comes in contact with the carbon. It is very important during this final flushing that you keep track of the amount of water you are putting through. For example I put in 7 cups of water to run through the filter. I start with an empty container and I can tell when approximately 7 cups of water has come out. I then put a new empty container and I know that what is coming out is filtered moonwater. It is very important also to keep accurate track of the amount of moonwater you put through the filter. What happens, not necessarily on the first batch, when the carbon is new but in subsequent batches that are put through the filter the filter will "trap" the last three cups of moonwater and keep it in the filter. The carbon will overcome simple gravity. To overcome this it is necessary to put additional warm water into the filter and the 3 missing cups can be taken out without drop in alcohol content. Just remember that when you repeat this process the next time that there are an extra 3 cups of water you must account for.

REGENERATION OF ACTIVATED CARBON
Carbon is like a magnet, if one can take away the impurities it can be reused hundred's of times. What happens is that it gets smaller and smaller each time it is reactivated until there are no pores left in which to adsorb the impurities. This process however can take a long time . Fusel oils that cause the bad odors must be taken out of the carbon. Fusel oils have a boiling point of 140C or 300F. If one warms up the fusel oils so that the vaporize. This vapor will be explosive, as it is a flammable alcohol. To overcome this please do the following:
Put the used carbon in a strainer and run hot water over it to take away as much fusel oil as possible. Fusel is little soluble in water. You can rinse it using boiling water or you can boil it  for about 5 minutes on the stove.
Next spread the carbon out on a baker's plate until it is dried. When it is dry place it in the oven at 140C or 300F or more for 3 hours.
 
Tel: 705 252-4433

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