oldguy Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 The other day I was at a warehouse sale. Amongst the odds & ends was a blue screw on lid type 24 gallon plastic drum with handles. The label said “activated charcoal ¼ inch minus”. The drum was full & sealed. I asked the guy what he wanted for it. He wasn’t sure, being frugal minded I offered $10, he frowned & said $20. We settled on $15. I have used small amounts of activated charcoal to filter medication out of tropical fish aquarium tank water in the past. But, the question here is: Can “activated” charcoal be used in comps calling for charcoal?
WSM Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 (edited) Can "activated" charcoal be used in comps calling for charcoal? Yes, but don't expect anything special from it. Usually, activated charcoal is "overcooked" and will barely make a decent firedust if ground to the right size. Sometimes activated charcoal will heat up when mixed with water. Do be careful when mixing compositions with activated charcoal (unless it's "activated" with potassium nitrate and sulfur !). WSM Edited January 17, 2011 by WSM
Arthur Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 Usually the charcoal cooked for pyro still contains a lot of semi-volatiles from the destructive distillation of the wood, and activated carbon is usually cooked to far beyond that so it makes poor BP. HOWEVER a UK friend made some really hot BP from activated charcoal. SO the answer seems to be "It Depends!" But at that price if it's useful then it's very good value
Algenco Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 The majority of "Activated charcoal" is made from bituminous coal, there are a few more expensice varieties made from coconut and bone.I'll bet what you have is made from coal Cargill makes most of it
oldguy Posted February 1, 2011 Author Posted February 1, 2011 After running some Kingsford lump charcoal through a garden shedder/mulcher, then a Waring stainless steel lab blender & screening the fines. I tested it against this activated charcoal in a small amount of comp in a paper tube ignited with visco in my backyard firepit. This particular activated charcoal is stone dead, compared to the same comp containing the charcoal I made myself. LOL, I guess I will just Craig-list it & get rid of it. Oh well, that’s the way it goes.
Recommended Posts