Column coal: how to make your own hands

Practically all the traditional methods of making the most widespread alcoholic beverage - vodka - originate from the research of the Russian chemist TE Lovits, who studied the interaction of alcohol with coals. Thanks to his works, the coal column is today considered to be the most effective means for high-quality cleaning of alcohol. Only after careful release of impurities, the alcoholic beverage becomes quality. It concerns itself and the moonshine of own manufacture.

Choice of coal

Most craftsmen think that the best coal for cleaning strong alcohol is birch. In fact, it is easier and cheaper to make a coal pillar by hand from birch, so this type of coal is so common. By its cheapness, it justifies and frequent use for purifying alcohol for industrial purposes, as well as in the manufacture of chemically activated charcoal.

Despite the fact that the use of birch charcoal is common, pharmacy tablets should not be used to clean alcohol. The fact is that for the bunch of ingredients in them, in addition to coal, there are other components that will give the end product an unpleasant aftertaste and smell. Also, the chemical reaction of the additional component, for example, talc or starch, can negatively affect the body and cause a severe hangover syndrome, the appearance of which, as is known, directly depends on the quality of the drink.

The need for filtration

The coal column is necessary for clearing strong alcohol not only from visible opacity, but also from the toxic chemical compounds contained in the composition.

Among the most common are:

• methyl alcohol;
• Fusel oils;
• Ethers;
• Aldehydes (acetic, oily, crotonic, etc.).

For each element there are permissible values, which the coal column helps to reach. In the past centuries, the best coals were oak, alder, lime, beech or poplar, but today it is difficult to find them on sale.

The first filters

Initially, the process of purifying vodka occurred through conventional raw coal. Since it is rich in various resins, this method of filtration markedly changed the taste of the drink. The first coal column for cleaning a strong alcoholic beverage was a copper cylinder several meters high. Such dimensions of the device are used to this day, but already on a production scale. Also, the alcoholic beverage was kept in the column for almost a day, which greatly influenced not only the purification, but also all the organoleptic properties of the final product. In addition, vodka was enriched with food acids and acetaldehydes, which adversely affect the human body.

Choosing the right filter

Since the molecules of various harmful impurities have different sizes, and to select a grade of coal for cleaning is necessary on the basis of certain rules.

Thus, a coal column filled with charcoal from an animal bone will release alcohol only from small molecules, leaving a large amount of fusel oil in the final product. Coal of wood origin shows the best quality of filtration, therefore it is considered an ideal option for private use. You can buy specialized coal for cleaning alcohol, which is produced under the brands BAU-A and OU-A. This product is produced by the decomposition of fruit or birch wood.

Also, a coal column, made by its own hands, will function perfectly with the help of:

• Coals for barbecue;
• Filters for water purification;
• Charcoal of own manufacture.

Manufacture of coal for columns

To ensure that the coal column for cleaning the moonshine with its own hands produced a quality final product, it is sufficient to prepare firewood for fruit trees or birch. After they are completely burned, it is necessary to collect the coals in a still hot state and close tightly in the refractory container. After cooling, all the ash is carefully removed, the coals can even be washed for this. The remaining coals must be crushed and sieved through a sieve.

Activation of coal

Any coal column for cleaning the moonshine with their own hands should use only activated carbon, which ensures complete safety against chemical contamination of the product. The coal is activated by treating it with hot water vapor. At the time of treatment, coal is released from resins and other chemical compounds.

Column manufacturing

Modern tools for cleaning alcohol occupy minimum space and time. Typically, to clean 1 liter of liquid enough 1 hour, or even less, which allows a qualitative release of alcohol from harmful impurities, without giving it any extra flavor or smell. At home, the carbon filter works under the pressure of the weight of liquid poured into it.

The coal column for moonshine, made by hand, is a vertical copper pipe half a meter in height and 5-10 cm in diameter. You can also use stainless steel pipes. The upper part of the pipe remains open, and a branch pipe is attached to the lower part, which moves the liquid into the prepared container. To the column stood firmly in a vertical position, its walls or the bottom are attached legs.

If there is no possibility to use a metal pipe, a glass funnel, which can be purchased in the places of trade in laboratory glassware, is also suitable. In this case, the main thing is to use the volume of the funnel at least three liters and to install a strainer from the stainless steel in its lower part.

Filter Operation

Before the start of filtration, the coal column with its own hands is filled with activated carbon up to half the height. After that, the alcoholic product is poured into the column, and the cylinder is loosely closed with a lid. This is necessary in order to avoid evaporation of alcohols, but at the same time to ensure that air gets inside to move the alcohol. Use the column for more than two hours is undesirable, because the pores of the coal are clogged and restore their functions only after at least 8 hours. That's why the volume of the column is best done no more than two liters. On one backfill, the filter is able to pass about 30 liters of high-quality product, after which the cleaning becomes ineffective.

Prohibitions and caveats

So, how to make a coal column, it is clear, but what if there is not a metal cylinder or a glass bulb? Use for the manufacture of a quality filter other materials, especially plastic bottles, is prohibited. The fact that alcohol enters into a chemical reaction with plastic and throws a large number of toxic substances in the final product.

Use for the column coal from respiratory or industrial filters is strictly prohibited for the same reasons.

Filter on the column is recommended only "body" of moonshine, since other parts of it will strongly clog coal and make it useless.

Also, to get a really high-quality product, you need to pass the moonshine through the cleaning device twice.

Ready filters

If there is no possibility to make a filter with one's own hand or if there is no desire to clean strong alcohol, ready-made devices can be used. For this purpose, special installations for filtration of alcoholic beverages are produced, but filters for drinking water purification are also suitable. Their coal also perfectly collects harmful impurities from the liquid and further disinfects it.

Carrying out the filtration with activated carbon of the primary distillation product allows us to rid the strong alcohol of all available harmful impurities and practically bring it closer to the vodka by qualitative characteristics.

The very manufacture of a coal column does not take much time and effort, so it can be implemented by anyone. The main thing is to follow a certain instruction, and then everything will turn out.

But be that as it may, do not forget that excessive drinking harms health.