make your own activated charcoal.doc

8/11/2019 make your own activated charcoal.doc

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make your own activated charcoal"The very best activated charcoal (Iodine number 1200) is made by passing steam or C2 over coconut shellcharcoal at about !00C That is probably beyone your capability #owever$ you could make a tall verticlal kiln %roma &0 gal drum$ %ill it with chacoal and light it at the bottom through a one inch diameter hole Control %iring rate bypartly plugging this hole'ut in a grate o% epanded steel about 1 inch %rom the bottom The combustion o% the bottom layer would createheat and C2 which might make a good activated charcoal et the charcoal mass get to about !00 C

(bright red heat) %or about 1*2 hour Then plug up the bottom air hole and cool "

#arry+s suggestions are good too,

"-y addition to your &0 gallon steel drum kiln would be internalinsulation .n inch or three o% /wool in an industrial situation "

with his suggestion o% water

#ere are my suggestions

Take a &0 gal drum and put the holes like Tom suggested$ make a hole on the side right near the bottom o% the

drum so that a 1" metal pipe will snugly slid through Then take a gal drum and make a hole about the samesie but a &*3" higher %rom the bottom than you did with the &0 gal drum I% you put the &0 gal drum down insidethe $ the two holes would line up 4ust %or %un$ go ahead and make sure that is the case I% &*3" is not right then

%igure the right amount necessary

5ou are going to need two peices o% steel screen approimately 1! 1*2" inches in diameter 6ind or 7 rocks$ 1"to 2" in diameter 8pace them e9ually around in the bottom o% the &0 gal drum ay one o% your screens down inthe bottom It will be supported by the rocks The hole you made in the side o% the drum will now be below the

screen :ow put charcoal on top o% the screen %illing it up about 10 inches %rom the screen .s this burns$ it will beyour heat source %or activation :et you need about 20 %eet o% &*! copper tubing .t the top o% the char directlyabove the hole near the bottom o% the drum$ punch a hole in the &0 gal drum so that the copper tube will slidthrough$ yes you guessed it$ snugly :ow you will also need to punch a hole in the gal drum the same number o%inches above its hole

.gain$ i% you put the &0 gal drum inside the $ the holes would line up ets go ahead and punch all the rest o%these matching holes we need .bout &" above that hole punch (or drill) a hole in the &0 gal drum that a 1*2" steelpipe will %it through snugly 4ust like be%ore$ make a matching hole in the gal drum

:et get two pieces o% 1*3 steel rod 20" long$ i% you can+t %ind steel rod you can use coat hangers$ it will ;ust take

more o% them end the coat hangers down on the outside o% the drum so they can+t be pulledback through They will likely have to be replaced every time you activated but they are cheap

:ow go ahead and put the &0 gal drum down inside the Insert a 1011" long piece o% 1" pipe with a valve onone end and the other end open into the bottom holes lined up in the drums :et take the copper tubing leavingboth ends open and roll the tubing into a spiral I% you bought it new then it came in a coil I% so$ take the centerand tighten up the center o% the coil so it %orms a spiral like the eye on an electric stove :ow lay spiral down %laton top o% the char and push the outside end o% the tubing out throught the hole and through the hole that lines up

on the gal drum 'ush out about 3 %eet o% tubing outside the gal drum Inside the drum bend the end o% the

tube at the center o% the spiral up so that it points toward the top o% the drum This will be your steam coil Thechar shrinks down as it burns and the copper coil will %all down with it so don+t try to support it ;ust let the coil haveplenty o% %ree movement

:ow you need a water vessel This can be any container that you canstick a tube in the bottom and seal around it with bathroom caulk Itneeds to hold about & gallons . gallon container will be %ine Takea ! %oot piece o% rubber tubing$ punch a hole in the bottom o% the watervessel and seal the tube in place with silicone caulk(or any goodsealant like a9uarium sealer) Take the other end and hook it to avalve (needle valve are best but even a old %aucet valve will work)


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.%ter the sealant has dried$ %ill the vessel with & gallons and it upabout 7 %eet o%% the ground :ow open the valve slowly and ad;ustuntil it takes about minutes %or a 9uart to %low out eave the valvein this position$ it has now been set Take a clamp or a pair o% vicegrips and pinch o%% the rubber hose above the valve and %ill the vessellback to & gallons o% water eave the top o%% otherwise you will createa vacumn and the water will not %low I% you don+t have a valve you canuse another clamp as your metering valve #ook the open end o% the

valve to the copper tube coming out the side o% the gal drum

:ow you might want to sprinkle a little kerosene or diesel %uel down onthe char net to the hole you made This will help you light it?on+t use gasoline Its vapors could make a nasty eplosion in acon%ined space Take the other screen and lay it down on your upper

screen support

:ow take a metal gal container (see i% you can get a stainless steelone Coconut oil "popcorn butter" %or theaters$ %ood contaoiners$ usestainless steel -ake sure you get the top so it will seal) and make ahole on the side near the bottom so 1*2" pipe will slid through snugly

Take a 10 penny nail and make 1*!" holes e9ually spaced about every 2inches around the bottom o% the gal container -ake another row twoinches up o%% set so that the holes are still the same distance apart

Continue this process until your last set o% holes are 2" inches %romtop-ake sure the top is on the container and set it down in the drum onthe middle o% the screen 5ou need a 1213" 1*2" pipe with a valve onone end and open on the other 'ush the open end o% the pipe through thehole in the gal drum and on through the &0 gal drum$ and into the

gal container as they should line up Take some damp clay and pusharound the pipe openings to seal it o%% 5ou are almost %inished6ill around the gal container with char but do not go above the top:ow put the top on the &0 gal drum The top needs to be sealed as tightas you can make it 6or a worse case$ put some paper strips over theedges and weight the top down with heavy rocks The top should have a

2&" opening eave this open :ow you need a stack This can be anpiece o% pipe & to 3 inches in diameter$ &3 %eet long that you can setover the plug opening -ake sure it %its down %lush on the top

6inally $ %ill around between the &0 and gal drums with char %rom

with one o% your previous carboniation runs$ as it makes a %airly goodinsulator The &0 gal drum may not last very long but it should giveyou several batches

6irst close the top valve ighting the unit re9uires pushing a smallpiece o% kerosene soaked cloth through the 1" pipe out inside the drumunder the screen and net pushing a hot coal through the pipe :ow usea piece o% tubing to blow air into the bottom chamber .s the charbegins to burn and produce smoke$ give it a %ew minutes until the

ehaust is very hot :et open the air valve mid way up the drums


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shake gently I% the temperature rises two or three degrees youprobably have a &00@00 m2*g 3$degrees$ @001000m2*g 5ou willprobably get about 10 pounds o% low to medium 9uality activated carbon

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make your own activated charcoal.doc

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