Do-it-yourself coal column for cleaning moonshine. Coal column for cleaning moonshine

Coal column for cleaning moonshine

One of the generally accepted methods among home distillers. If, regarding the purification of either, or there are certain differences of opinion not only among amateurs, but also among the luminaries of the genre, then the authority of wood ash materials is indisputable. A charcoal column for cleaning moonshine is the best way to capture volatile compounds and give the drink purity and softness. Similar devices are used in the factory production of alcoholic beverages.

Theory

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Coal is a fairly effective absorbent - it captures gas molecules with its "pores". This is due to the fact that when exposed high temperatures on wood, its fibers, which have a complex structure, burn out unevenly. A kind of natural "sieve" is formed, which is able to retain high-molecular organic compounds. It should be borne in mind that such a filter is natural, absolutely harmless, and, moreover, very effective.

You can just throw coal tablets into moonshine - this also gives a certain effect. But you have to constantly shake the container, and then filter the drink again. And even after that, the effectiveness of such purification will be less than during forced filtration. If you have a carbon column for preliminary or final cleaning of moonshine, you can be sure that all (!) Drink will pass through the filter.

DIY

Despite the fact that in our country every second man, if not a turner, then at least a locksmith, but welding machine everyone owns and you can literally borrow it in a neighboring hut, assembling a coal column for household purification of moonshine is not difficult. There are a few things to take into account:

• the fill in the column should be changed from time to time, so that the filter material should be easily accessible;
• it is desirable that when alcohol enters the filter, the loss of volatile fractions is minimized;
• as a material it is optimal to use food grade stainless steel.

Read also: What is required temperature mash distillation?

So, as a basis, you can safely take the designs of the columns that are on sale, and make analogues at home.

Important: many people use purchased barbecue charcoal as a filter material. Be careful: manufacturers often add combustible materials to it. Such a coal is absolutely impossible to use.

What is offered in stores

Coal in a column

A typical coal column for cleaning moonshine is a stainless steel pipe with a lid on top, in which there is a tube (fitting) for connection. Unrefined moonshine is fed through it. In the lower part there is also a tube (fitting) for removing the purified product. Models equipped with support legs can be considered reasonable: thanks to them, you can install a filter, for example, on a three-liter jar.

With a certain performance moonshine still such columns can be included in the system. That is, moonshine will enter the tank with the final product only after carbon filtration.

Summarizing

Charcoal cleaning is a widely recognized effective and harmless method. It is optimal to use carbon columns for filtration for this purpose. You can make them yourself or purchase a finished design in the store.

Homemade moonshine, made from good raw materials on a good moonshine still, is a wonderful drink. good moonshine easily many factory-made strong drinks. In order for the moonshine to finally part with the fusel spirit and unpleasant aftertaste, it must be properly cleaned. There are many methods and devices, such as, for example, a coal column for cleaning moonshine, that can change the product beyond recognition.

Folk methods for cleaning moonshine

There are many ways to explain at home: from the usual traditional to completely exotic. Some of them are effective, others not so much.

Purification of moonshine with milk has been carried out in Russian villages since the time of Tsar Pea. A glass of cow's milk is poured into a three-liter jar of moonshine. After about a day, an unsightly appearance gathers and settles to the bottom of the vessel. Next, you need to drain the purified moonshine as carefully as possible without stirring up the sediment. The method is good only from the point of view of love for antiquity, in fact it is ineffective. The fusel smell of moonshine is practically not removed.

Similarly, potassium permanganate precipitates, it works more efficiently, but also not ideal. After it, the drink acquires an unpleasant aftertaste, and when cleaning the “advanced” moonshine from good raw materials (apricots, prunes, cereal malt, grapes), the aroma that we would like not to lose completely disappears.

Carbon filters

And yet, most "specialists" tend to believe that a carbon filter should be used for moonshine, and not unreasonably. Activated carbon successfully adsorbs most fusel oils on its surface. On the Internet, you can sometimes find a description of how to clean moonshine at home by pouring an N-th amount of activated or charcoal into a container with a drink and then shaking it. This is absolute nonsense.

In order to qualitatively clean moonshine from impurities, it must be driven through the thickness of the adsorbent. This is how a coal column works to clean moonshine. There are a lot of folk, but effective ways purify the product on coal, but without a column. The simplest of them: several layers of flannel fabric are laid on the bottom of the funnel, activated or finely crushed charcoal (from hardwood) is poured on top, moonshine is poured in a thin stream or a drop from above, and a purified drink flows out of the funnel.

In fairness, let's say that an ordinary household jug filter with a simple cartridge based on activated carbon copes with cleaning moonshine perfectly.

Coal column device

The filter device is shown in the figure below. In fact, for cleaning moonshine, it is a pipe filled with an adsorbent (activated carbon). Pipe bottom - wall with big amount small holes. A filter made of blotting paper, white flannel or, if the dimensions are suitable, cosmetic is placed on it. cotton pad. The edges of the fabric filter must fit snugly against the pipe walls. This is necessary so that small particles of activated carbon do not get into the moonshine.

Then comes the filler (adsorbent). It would be more correct to use Activated carbon for moonshine - birch or coconut. But it is quite possible to replace it with ordinary wood, finely crushed and lightly rammed. For efficiency, you can add medical, tableted. As can be seen from the figure, a coal column for cleaning moonshine may well be made by hand. Moreover, the material can be the most diverse: metal, glass or even wood.

The ideal way to clean moonshine

The algorithm for obtaining perfectly purified moonshine using a coal column looks like this:

• The first sublimation with the classic cutting off of "heads", "tails". It turns out a product with a strength of about 50 ... 60%.
• Dilution of the resulting moonshine with settled boiled water to a strength of 20 ... 30%.
• Filtration on a coal column (preliminary dilution is carried out because the stronger the drink, the more reluctantly it gives harmful impurities to coal).

• Secondary sublimation (again "heads" and "tails"). The resulting product is perfectly purified, has a strength of about 70%.
• In this form, moonshine is ennobled by insisting on herbs, berries, aging in oak, etc.
• If necessary, the drink is brought with boiled water to a condition of 40%.

Used in the manufacture of moonshine various ways cleaners that remove harmful impurities and odors. It often happens that even a perfect distillation leaves a strong odor that cannot be eliminated by repeated filtration. This is due to various fusel oils, which are strong toxic substances that can cause significant harm to health and cause a hangover.

Carbon-based filters help get rid of the unpleasant smell of moonshine and impurities. They are sold in many hardware stores, but they are easy to make yourself. Self-manufacturing in case of installation for moonshine is rewarded with the quality and purity of the resulting product.

Which coal is better

If there is enough knowledge in the manufacture of high-quality and safe moonshine, you should proceed to the study of filters that help increase the purity of the drink and improve its taste. A carbon filter is the best option for removing various impurities from fusel oil.

Why activated carbon? Coal differs from other cleaning materials in low cost and good porosity, which absorbs all objectionable microelements and unpleasant odors. It is important to remember that it is made from various materials and not all of them are suitable as the basis for a filter for a moonshine still.

Initially, activated carbon was made from animal bones, but this was disadvantageous because it required detailed processing of the source material. It had low absorption and was not able to remove fusel oils or harmful substances. The modern version is made of wood, has good absorption qualities and is actively used in medicine. Charcoal perfectly removes harmful substances and toxins, but even here the moonshiners were not lucky, since it itself contains impurities such as:

• starch;
• talc.

Accordingly, the use of this cleaning material as the basis for filters leads to a bitter and unpleasant taste in moonshine, but do not despair. The desired species is often used as a raw material for gas masks, water filters or aquarium cleaning equipment.

We should not forget about the production of specialized coal based on birch, which is used in distillation. It includes brands such as:

• OU-A.

It is best to opt for BAU, which is notable for its low cost, good cleaning qualities and does not create a taste of bitterness.

Water filter raw materials include ionic resins, and coal from gas masks during use could already absorb a lot of toxic and harmful substances, so it is better to refuse these options and not risk your health.

Application features

Unlike other absorbents, activated carbon is the undisputed leader, which removes almost completely all harmful trace elements. Based on it, you can easily make a simple coal column for cleaning moonshine with your own hands. Correct Assembly filter and its use allows you to achieve the following qualities:

charcoal column cleaning

Professional moonshiners, unlike amateurs, are well aware of the methods of using activated charcoal in order to purify alcohol from all kinds of harmful substances. At the same time, it is necessary to make filters with your own hands, and it's not just about saving money. The main reason is the simple inability of industrial filters to interact and purify moonshine, which has a completely different structure, unlike water.

Industrial filters are complex in design, and replacing cleaning cartridges can sometimes take several hours. . The distillation of the mash requires constant replacement of the cleaning layers to remove already absorbed harmful particles.

Ways to use activated carbon several as a cleaning agent:

In the distillation of moonshine, both filtration options are often used, but each has its pros and cons.

Assembly of the filtration device

Do-it-yourself charcoal filters for moonshine are easy to make. In advance, you need to prepare all the necessary materials and cleansing coal. It is better to choose absorbent analogues that are used in water filters or gas masks, but if you want to save cash, you can do it yourself.

The basis for the filters is prepared from ordinary birch branches, which are laid out in a fireproof container and tightly sealed. The supply of oxygen and water must be is minimized at the time the container is placed on the fire. Thus, coal is obtained, which is excellent as a cleaning agent. If you managed to make a sufficient amount of coal based on birch branches, you should move on to the rest of the materials for assembling the filter.

It is necessary to prepare:

• plastic bottle;
• cotton wool;
• gauze.

Before distilling moonshine, it is important to remember that absorption is a slow process that can be easily accelerated by diluting alcohol. Usually two hauls are carried out and for the second moonshine they are made thinner for better penetration. If only one filtration is laid, moonshine is pre-diluted. This greatly speeds up the cleaning process and allows the cleansing base to absorb more toxic substances. After the moonshine has been diluted, proceed to the assembly of a disposable filter.

The process is divided into several stages:

It is important to find a middle ground when assembling a layered filter, because too much coal or cotton wool will only let the moonshine pass longer. This rule also applies to cases where too little coal is used in order to speed up the alcohol purification process, but this does not make much sense if you want to get a quality product without impurities and an unpleasant odor. Fusel oil is absorbed only with a slow flow, and if you want to speed up the process, it is better to add to moonshine required amount ground coal and then filter it.

Patience is the main thing in this process, because you have to not only wait until all the liquid has passed through the cleaning materials, but also constantly replace them. If you miss the moment of filling the filter with harmful impurities, they will begin to be released back into alcohol, while their dose doubles. Several bottles will turn out with pure moonshine, but the next batch, in addition to its own harmful microelements, will also receive dirt absorbed by charcoal from previous purifications.

This filtration method is not the only one and is only suitable for the final stage of alcohol preparation. Moonshiners use many ways while driving at the same time. For example, a coagulation variant that requires the use of egg yolk or milk for cleaning is popular. This method is effective, but moonshine acquires a cloudy appearance, which is almost impossible to get rid of.

The coal column is made from readily available and cheap materials, but it conforms to industrial design if properly assembled. This also applies to the quality of alcohol purification. Many people cannot understand how moonshine becomes safe, devoid of harmful impurities and smell, while coal does not stain the liquid in a dark color.

It is the multi-layered filter that allows moonshine to remain transparent, passing through coal. For details, the whole procedure is divided into several stages:

The question of which filter is better to use on a moonshine still at home remains relevant. Industrial models get the job done faster, increasing productivity. In addition, they do not require frequent replacement of cartridges, unlike the homemade form.

Assembling a carbon filter with your own hands helps to save a lot money that is better spent on the purchase of a pump or other consumables, but low throughput, poor cleaning quality compared to industrial models, constant replacement of filter layers make moonshiners refuse this option.

The choice is easy to make. It all depends on the specific tasks and the quality of moonshine. At home, moonshiners distill a small amount of mash, and therefore it makes no sense to buy expensive filters. They are more suitable in cases where the distillation of moonshine is a continuous flow, constant work that requires high productivity.

In any case, the charcoal column is a great way to jump over the barrier between a low-quality product and pure alcohol without odor and dangerous impurities. The main thing is to remember the recommendations when using coal material, which is able not only to absorb liquid, but also to give harmful elements back.

Attention, only TODAY!

Many people today are engaged in distillation at home, so each person practicing this activity has a certain algorithm for making homemade alcohol. Nevertheless, there are stages in distilling, which it is simply impossible to do without if a person intends to get a quality product. One of the essential steps in the preparation of moonshine is its purification, thanks to which the liquid can be cleaned of volatile compounds and fusel oils, which allows you to give the finished drink a clean and mild taste. For this purpose, many craftsmen use a coal column for cleaning moonshine, and this practice has existed for many decades. Do-it-yourself coal column for cleaning moonshine - is it real?

coal column

Why coal?

Everyone knows that charcoal is an effective absorbent of natural origin. Thanks to this, charcoal can be used without any doubt in home cooking. alcoholic beverages. Coal has a large number of unique pores that can trap gas molecules, so coal plays the role of a kind of sieve that traps high-molecular organic compounds. Do-it-yourself coal purification of moonshine has an important advantage - coal does not harm human health.

The essence of the most primitive way to purify moonshine from impurities is that a certain amount of activated charcoal tablets, sold in a pharmacy, is added to the liquid. Indeed, such coal guarantees high quality cleaning moonshine, but this method has many disadvantages. For example, a container with a drink and coal tablets will have to be constantly shaken, because of which the liquid will again have to be filtered in order to clean it from tablet particles. In addition, such cleaning cannot guarantee that every drop of moonshine will be freed from unnecessary impurities. But making a coal column with your own hands and its proper use will greatly simplify the purification of moonshine, as well as increase the efficiency of such a procedure as a whole.

How to do?

The coal column for cleaning moonshine has a clear design, and such a device can be purchased at the store. However, if you understand the features of such a device, then you can make it yourself. The simplest design has a column made of a plastic bottle, but the plastic should not be in contact with alcohol for a long time, since the liquid will begin to be saturated with toxic substances when reacting with plastic.

Do-it-yourself coal column

How to make a charcoal column:

1. You will need a 2-3 liter plastic bottle. The bottom of the bottle should be cut off, and several holes should be punched in the bottle cap, put a cotton pad in the cap and screw it tightly.
2. Part of the filter bottle is placed neck down in a three-liter jar. Then the filter should be filled with activated carbon, crushed into small particles, but so that the height of the coal is one third of the height of the can. If there is not enough coal, then the purification of moonshine will turn out to be of poor quality, but too much coal can lead to a decrease in the strength of the drink.

Cleaning moonshine with a coal column is quite simple. First of all, you should gradually pour moonshine into the filter and wait until it passes through the filter of coal and cotton wool. Two or three product filtration procedures will help to enhance the cleaning efficiency.

Do not forget that after cleaning the moonshine with coal, fractions of the coal itself remain in it, which can lead to cloudiness of the liquid. To clean moonshine from coal, you can use a filter from a plastic bottle, but instead of coal, put several layers of cotton wool on the lid. The use of a filter cartridge will help to increase the procedure for cleaning moonshine from coal.

Important: in no case should charcoal for barbecue be used to clean moonshine, as it may contain combustible substances that are toxic to the human body!

If you try, you can make a more reliable and wear-resistant coal filter for cleaning moonshine. Such a coal column for cleaning moonshine with your own hands does not require the use of plastic.

The location of the coal column in the moonshine cycle

First of all, you will need a stainless steel pipe (diameter 2-3 centimeters), or a drawer from a moonshine still, a fitting, a cork, a food grade silicone gasket (2 pieces). First, a silicone gasket is inserted into the fitting, and then the fitting itself is inserted into the pipe. To protect the silicone and fitting from falling out, they should be tied to the pipe with electrical tape. You should also take a cork from the wine and use a pipe of a smaller diameter to make a hole in it. A second silicone gasket is put on the cork, and then the cork is inserted into a rubber hose, which is then inserted into the pipe, but so that the cork fits snugly against the hose.

Insert several layers of cotton wool into the second edge of the pipe and fill the pipe with coal one third. In this case, the alcohol in need of purification will be supplied through a rubber hose, which is attached to the pipe with a wine cork and a silicone gasket. The advantage of this design for cleaning moonshine is that the liquid does not come into contact with plastic, since elements from it are not used in the production of such a filter.

Cleaning moonshine with charcoal is a reliable and proven method of removing impurities and neutralizing the characteristic odor of home-made alcohol.

If conditions allow, coal for moonshine can be made with your own hands . It is enough to cook fruit or birch firewood, build a fire, let it burn well. When the firewood turns into pieces of red heat, they are closed in a metal container with a lid and left to cool completely. After that, the ash is removed, and the remaining pieces of coal are ground to a fraction of 4-6 mm, sifted, and placed in a filter housing or a self-made coal column.

You can buy beverage cleaning material online. Ideally this is:

• Birch activated carbon brand BAU-A;
• Coconut activated carbon BAU-LV.

The latter is used and specially designed for the industrial purification of alcohol.

The history of cleaning moonshine

At all times in our country, moonshine has been a popular drink. And even now, well and lovingly expelled, purified, infused with herbs, coffee beans, red pepper, the drink will give odds to factory products.

Even during the time of King Peas, people were looking for ways to improve the quality and taste of moonshine. For this we used:

• Cow's milk (1 cup per 3 liters of product);
• Potassium permanganate, which precipitates harmful oils.

They knew then about the ability of charcoal to ennoble the drink. And at the end of the VIII century, the Russian scientist-chemist T.E. Lovits, the successor of M.V. Lomonosov, made an important discovery for science - the adsorption of dissolved substances by charcoal.

Thus, cleaning moonshine with charcoal has a scientific basis, and the effectiveness of the method has been tested by time.

Strong drink cleaner

Some "experienced" distillers are aware of the properties of coal, but purify the product by pouring a certain amount of adsorbent into the container and shaking it. The effect is negligible, and it also takes time for subsequent filtration.

To clean moonshine well from harmful substances, it must be driven through a thick layer of adsorbent. The coal column works according to this principle.

Equipment for cleaning the product is sold in stores, but their cost is high. In our country, where every second man is Kulibin or left-handed, you can make a reliable filter from improvised means. To do this, you will need a plastic bottle, a cotton pad (tampon) or coffee filters, a 3-5 liter glass jar.

If you are seriously engaged in the manufacture of moonshine, it is better to buy, find, get a piece of stainless steel pipe for the column body. Weld legs to it, the inner filling is similar to the option with a plastic bottle.

"bottle" design

A do-it-yourself coal column is made for cleaning moonshine as follows: a bottom part 2-3 centimeters high is cut off from plastic 2 or 3 liter dishes. Several holes are drilled in the screw cap.

A cotton pad is inserted into the neck and the lid is twisted. The bottle is turned over and inserted into a three-liter jar and 1/3 filled with charcoal. The coal column is filled with moonshine, almost to the very top.

Some pressure is created, the moonshine passes through the coal, and harmful oils are retained by its grains. Over time, the dust washed out of the coal clogs the cotton wool. In this case, the coal is removed from the column, the cotton wool is replaced, and the coal is returned to the column.

In this way, moonshine can be filtered several times. At the same time, the replacement of cotton wool, coal before each run is not out of place, and the final product only benefits from this.

Water filter option

If a small batch of product is intended for filtering and cleaning oils, cleaning moonshine through a home-made coal column can be simplified.

For a conventional household water filter with a jug, the upper part of the cartridge is cut off with a hacksaw. The contents are thrown away, since this coal contains water softening additives in the form of small granules, alcohol will dissolve them and they will fall into the final drink.

A cotton pad is placed on the bottom, new coal is covered in layers of 2-3 cm high to the top of the cartridge and carefully compacted. From above, so that coal does not float, another cotton pad is placed, after which the filter is inserted into the jug, and the process of cleaning the drink can begin.

metal column

You can make a metal coal column with your own hands, having welding skills. The principle of operation of a stainless steel column is the same as that of a plastic column.

Only the drink, according to experts, is cleaned better in such a device. This is motivated by the fact that moonshine is still an aggressive substance, and polyethylene, no matter how durable it is, still emits harmful substances.

Redistillation

It is necessary to filter "raw" moonshine 10-15 days before use or before re-distillation, if such is planned.

Before re-distillation, the degree of the product is lowered - diluted with rain, melt or spring water to the desired degree. The diluted alcohol is then passed through a makeshift column twice.

Conclusion

Using charcoal is a recognized, harmless, time-tested, highly effective method. The best option for this is coal filtration columns, which you can buy in a store or do it yourself.