About 2 months ago someone posted that you could make activated charcoal in the field to filter water. The user did not post any technical references proving his point so I disagreed, assuming making activated charcoal (as opposed to normal charcoal) was a highly technical undertaking.
I was wrong and I apologize.
Yesterday I saw vol 2 of "Rough Science" where 6 scientists go into the wilderness (ok they were in cabins) and have to purify water. This was their only water supply in the desert near Death Valley. And yes they made activated charcoal. To test it they make 2 foot water columns out of 1 inch clear plastic hose. They put crushed activated charcoal in it, and put dyed water in the top end. Out the bottom of the hose came clear, pure water.
For making the charcoal they put wood in a sealed metal container with a small hole, and cooked it, thus denying the charcoal oxygen. When the charcoal was "almost done" they opened the bucket to let oxygen in. This exposure to oxygen at the last minute created many more holes and pockets in the charcoal, thus drastically increasing the surface area of the charcoal and making it "activated". They did not give any more details on how to tell when you should open the bucket while making charcoal.
I would be highly interested in learning exactly when to expose the charcoal to oxygen, to make sure it becomes activated. I would also be very interested as to the effectiveness of the AC in filtering out pathogens, dissolved heavy metals (lead, arsenic, zinc, other bad stuff), pesticides, herbicides, and other industrial chemicals which are highly prevalent in my area (the 2 most polluted streams in Michigan are within 3 miles of my house).
Can anyone provide requested information?
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