Distillate purification with charcoal.

Distillate purification with charcoal.

Proper distillation of the product, with the separation of "heads" and "tails," allows the removal of a significant amount of harmful impurities in the product. However, even with this process, the resulting product still contains some foreign substances that can affect the taste and aroma of the beverage, as well as potentially impact the consumer's health.

This is one of the most effective and accessible methods of purifying the product. Charcoal purification occurs through adsorption. The charcoal's porous structure allows its pores to adsorb molecules of a certain size.

There are various sources of charcoal for product purification. Let's try to classify them and discuss each option in more detail.

• Activated charcoal tablets

• Household water purification filters

• Homemade charcoal

Types of charcoal for purification. I want to caution against using charcoal for grills and barbecues. It may seem cheap, and the volume is significant, enough for several years, but this charcoal is treated with different chemicals, sometimes indicated on the label, and sometimes not.

Activated charcoal tablets, available in pharmacies, theoretically can be used for product purification. However, this charcoal contains additional impurities such as starch and talc, and the product filtered through crushed tablets may have a slightly bitter taste.

In recent years, after various household water filters became available, they have also been used for product purification. In principle, this purification method is justified, especially when repeated several times. However, unlike water, the filter resource for distillate purification is much smaller - about 10-15 liters of product - after which the cartridge needs to be replaced with a new one.

But the easiest way is to buy a disassembled filter, into which you pour activated charcoal and filter the product.

Now, with charcoal in hand, the process of product purification with charcoal begins. There are two main approaches to purifying the product with charcoal. The first involves filtering the product through charcoal, while the second involves directly immersing charcoal into the product. The first method is convenient because it takes minimal time. You need to make a special funnel, for example, take a plastic bottle, cut off the bottom, and place a cotton plug in the neck, on which a layer of charcoal is laid, calculated at 50 g per liter of product. The product can be passed through such a filter several times, but the best option is to replace the charcoal in the filter after each filtration. The process also involves filtration through water filters - no need to make any funnels. However, it is advisable to repeat the process several times.

When using the second method, charcoal is poured directly into the vessel with the product. For this, finely ground activated charcoal is poured into the product at a rate of 50 g of charcoal per 1 liter. Then, the product is infused for 1-2 weeks with daily shaking (twice a day). The last two or three days, shaking is stopped to allow the product to settle. The purified beverage is better poured off from the sediment through a tube, while filtering through cotton or fine river sand that has been heated.

Purifying distillate with charcoal is one of the most effective methods for removing the maximum amount of impurities remaining after distillation.