How To Make Your Own Activated Charcoal

[fyo]

To make charcoal:

Use organic (carbon-rich) matter, such as wood (untreated), coconut husk, or bone.

Place the stuff in an environment of high heat and low oxygen, but with some capacity for the container to release gasses, so as to avoid an explosion.

For example, inside a loose tin container, or wraped in aluminium foil with some holes in it. Place those inside of a hot grill, or a hot smoker. I think inside a normal hot fire (or an underground fire pit/dakota fire pit) might also work, but I'm not sure.
The DIY "Everything nice stove" also seems to work. There are various other 'charcoal retorts' or 'biochar retorts' or 'top loading up draft retort' or 'rocket stoves' posted online, that can get very hot.
A handheld torch an adequate container could also work.

Hours later, the charcoal is done when smokey gas stops coming out from the container. The charcoal should be light, easy to break, and relatively tasteless. See youtube for examples if you want.

To 'activate' the charcoal:
50% NaCl (salt) solution. Crumble and soak in 500 gram (1.1 lb) salt per 1 liter (4.2 cup) water, for 24 hours.
Strain, rinse, dry in 100c oven/sun.
or 5.85 grams salt per 1 gram charcoal
As derived from these experiments:
http://library.queensu.ca/ojs/index.php ... /4244/4344
http://www.ajol.info/index.php/bcse/art ... 7872/68278
http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?pid=S07 ... ci_arttext

 

[fyo]

Should be:
"Charcoal is done when smoke or ignited gas (appearing as a flame jetting up/out) has ceased"

If the charcoal is too hard, i.e. not brittle, then it needs be cooked longer or hotter.

The simplest way is just get a tin can, stuff it with some sticks, cover it with aluminium foil and a small hole, and throw it in a hot fire like on a grill. Its done some hours later when nothing more is coming out the can.

I want to say the salted charcoal is actually very enjoyable and tastes much like salty pretzels. They satisfy that taste, for me.


A lot of people report craving a general crunchy taste, like crisp pretzels or chips. When I was anemic (with endotoxin problems too), I also had this, in craving to chew ice (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pica_%28disorder%29 ).

I've wondered, what is the purpose of this craving? In an evolutionary context, what is crunchy? All I can think of is either bones possibly, maybe eggshell, or else charcoal. I find charcoal the most satisfying of those 3. Interestingly enough, some animals do seek out and eat charcoal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFzVdfozISo , etc.

 

[ravster02]

It's nice of you to put effort into this but are you really advocating making your own activated charcoal?

I mean, really?

 

[SQu]

Very cool!

 

[sm1693]

How to make your own activated charcoal

Would you be so kind as to state whether there are differences in your intestinal health after consuming this homemade charcoal VS regular powdered charcoal? Less intestinal inflammation? Less slowing of peristalsis?

Specifically, do you think the issue of persorption is avoided by using homemade charcoal?

Many thanks

 

[fyo]

How to make your own activated charcoal

Would you be so kind as to state whether there are differences in your intestinal health after consuming this homemade charcoal VS regular powdered charcoal? Less intestinal inflammation? Less slowing of peristalsis?

Specifically, do you think the issue of persorption is avoided by using homemade charcoal?

Many thanks

I haven't tried other charcoal's beside what I made. Mostly because Ray warned against production contaminants, so I figured not to bother.

If I take a lot, like maybe 5 tbsp, I'll get a bit constipated.

When I first started taking it, sticky looking things that I imagine to be biofilm were coming out my stools. That stopped after about a week or two.

If I slack on bowel-aides (for example I also take bamboo shoots and sometimes ray's carrot salad recipe), and then take charcoal, like a day or two later I will feel brief pain in my gut, as if bacteria were being ripped off my intestine, so I imagine. After continued usage though, this pain goes away.

Generally bowel health (and thyroid) have been the most important factors for my overall wellbeing. Eating an inflammatory food (even berries with seeds can hurt) can seriously dampen my mood.

I'll also add that eating protein at lunch, ~4 hours later, turned out to be a constant gut stressor for me. The sulphur in meat can serve as nasty bacterial food. Gelatin helps in the sulphur transport process; not enough gelatine/glycine and the sulphur may be malabsorbed. A person with intestinal damage/inflammation is also going to be in need of extra gelatin for repair of gut tissue specifically.

Fasting after lunch for a bit also helps. Drinking fatty milk too soon contributes to the stress. I suppose this is 'persorption'.

I don't know if persorption is 'avoided' by charcoal. Either way charcoal helps a lot, for absorbing up all the bowel toxins, bacteria/biofilms themselves, and so on.

 

[jyb]

Fasting after lunch for a bit also helps. Drinking fatty milk too soon contributes to the stress. I suppose this is 'persorption'.

I don't know if persorption is 'avoided' by charcoal. Either way charcoal helps a lot, for absorbing up all the bowel toxins, bacteria/biofilms themselves, and so on.

Persoption could happen with charcoal not milk. I think that's why Peat advises regular carrot rather that charcoal. It is probably up to debate what is the risk, but charcoal is fine particles so it has the potential to go through as a study showed a case of that.

 

[fyo]

My charcoal is not that fine, I just crumble it up some.

I don't know for sure but I don't imagine charcoal is that dangerous. It is sometimes put on open wounds to promote healing. Therefore I imagine its not that bad. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20505594

 

[Benjamin Moore]

I would be careful about consuming homemade charcoal. Some sources say that without the proper preparation it can be carcinogenic.

"Remember it takes a specialized furnace that burns up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit without oxygen present. That process is needed destroy and remove the volatile organic compounds.

With the substantially lower temperatures people are doing in their kitchen ovens, grills, and other self-made contraptions, they’re just making plain ol’ chars, it’s not charcoal activated. What they end up creating is a highly oxidized matter which may contain high concentrations of carcinogenic substances."

Activated Charcoal Uses May Be Harmful. Possibly Cancerous?