Filter alcohol through activated carbon

Filtering alcohol through activated carbon is one of the traditional alcohol filtration methods. But now this method is rarely used. Because when we filter wine in this way, the wine often changes taste and flavor. Sometimes the wine is even bitter.

Why do you filter alcohol?

Wine after distillation still has a large amount of residue. We can also see it with the eye. Besides, freshly cooked wine will contain a large amount of toxins. Therefore, when the distillation is finished, the cooker often takes the wine to filter. Ensure the aesthetics and safety of alcohol before using or selling it on the market.

One of the traditional wine filtration methods still used by some households is filtering alcohol through activated carbon.

What is activated carbon?

Activated carbon is also known as activated carbon. This is a form of carbon with a very special structure. They have high porosity, a lot of cracks, small pores to molecular size.

Because of that special structure, the surface area of ​​activated carbon is very large. From there, it is easy to absorb and react with many different substances.

Activated carbon is created from burning carbon-rich fuels such as wood, coal, coconut shells, bamboo… at high temperatures from 600-900 degrees Celsius in anaerobic conditions.

Types of activated carbon

owder activated carbon powder

Activated carbon powder is crushed with size from 0.2-0.5mm. They are cheap because they are easy to manufacture. With a very large contact surface, it is used in applications that need to be mixed such as in cosmetics, toothpaste… and chemical processing.

Granular activated carbon

When in granules, they are randomly shaped with sizes ranging from 0.2-5 mm. Granular activated carbon is hard and durable.

Tablets activated carbon 

Activated carbon in this form is compressed and formed into a cylinder with a diameter of 0.8 to 5mm. With a cylindrical structure, it is stronger and more durable than other forms of coal.

Tubular activated carbon

Tubular activated carbon can be formed into large tubes with a diameter of 1-5cm. They are commonly used in industrial and large filtration systems.

Disadvantages of filtering  through activated carbon?

Activated carbon is used in alcohol filtration because of its special structure. With a porous structure, cracks and small holes will easily absorb impurities, dirt and harmful substances. These substances adhere to the surface of the carbon. The larger the activated carbon surface area, the stronger the attraction.

When alcohol is filtered through activated carbon, the charcoal will absorb less toxins as well as impurities. So the finished product after being obtained will be clearer.

However, the method of filtering alcohol through activated carbon still has huge disadvantages.

However, it reduces the aldehyde content in alcohol. But only a part can be reduced and the aldehyde and methanol indexes after filtering by activated carbon are still high.

Finished products, when filtered through charcoal, often change taste and flavor. When used, the drinker will feel a bitter taste on the tip of the tongue. Or many times when buying coal, it is not clean, the wine after filtering is not clear and the color is still cloudy.

Therefore, if you are intending to filter alcohol with activated carbon, you should learn and consider carefully.