Is it possible to recharge carbon at home?

[fish-eyed-fool]

I used to intern at a large food additives plant (ADM), and one of the long-term projects was to use carbon filtration. Part of the project was to find out how long the carbon would last before it needed to be recharged. I wasn't involved in the recharging process, but I know part of it the process involved really hot water.

Does anyone know what other factors are required to recharge carbon?

I realize that carbon is cheap and it's much easier to just buy new carbon. However, I'm a geek, and it gives me a warm feeling all over to do geeky things (like recharge cheap carbon pellets).

[Raymond John]

[b:1652dec92d][color=blue:1652dec92d][/color:1652dec92d] 8)
I read recently where carbon is made with a very high heat source and re-charging it at home would be impossible.....before I read that, I used to put mine on a cookie sheet with aluminum foil(you could cover the carbon--something I didn't think of at the time), and put it on a high flame out on the grill.....I would let it sit until there was absolutely no moisture at all on the cookie sheet and then let it sit for maybe 15 minutes longer......somethimes I would let it sit until it actually started popping like pop-corn.
I don't know if it actually re-charged though....., how do you tell? Fish and aquarium seemed o.k.,.......there was no foul smelling of aquarium water......I just stopped after I read that article......I'm curious again, so I'll do another search and post what I find.
Talk to You Soon,
Raymond John[/b:1652dec92d]

[fish-eyed-fool]

[quote:1e0508c966="Raymond John"][b:1e0508c966][color=blue:1e0508c966][/color:1e0508c966] 8)
I read recently where carbon is made with a very high heat source and re-charging it at home would be impossible[/b:1e0508c966][/quote:1e0508c966]

Yeah, I saw that also about a week after I posted this thread. It's not that carbon is expensive, it's just that I like DIY stuff even if it doesn't save a lot of money. Oh well, there are plenty of other things that I can do without recharging carbon.

[Raymond John]

8)
Oh, me too!! No matter where I go...., I always see something that may be a good alternative to something sold at pet shops. I think I get lots of satisfaction knowing that I built it.
I think when the warmer months roll around, I'm going to try and do the fiber-glass/epoxy background thing.....although I have a differant approach to what others have done.....I'll make sure and post and let everyone know how things went......"Tested and Tried", thing you know before I post.....
Talk to You Soon,
Raymond John

[FishoPhile J]

i tried recharging it in a pottery kiln (4/6,000 *f) and i don't think it worked... it made the sizzling noise when i ran it underwater, but i'm not sure if it "activated" it or not.

[Raymond John]

[b:adcb011aff][color=blue:adcb011aff][/color:adcb011aff] 8)
At 4-6000 degree's...., I would think you re-activated it! WOW!!
I wish I had a kiln to even try......
Did you put it into your filters yet?
I guess the simplest way to tell if it is re-activated is that their is no odor from your aquarium after about a week or two of running it.......not sure though.....
I hope it works! Especially after all that effort.
Talk to You Soon,
Raymond John[/b:adcb011aff]

[FishoPhile J]

-i didn't try it in the tank 'cause i didn't think it could be reactivated... mabey i'll give it another shot though. my girlfriend is the fireing girl at a paint-your-own-pottery store, so i'll try talking her into taking some with her to work (she doesn't like to play with the kiln too much, she says if anything's even [i:e5f1fe7461]slightly[/i:e5f1fe7461] damp it will cause an explosion... :sgypsy: cool huh)

[Raymond John]

[color=blue:698b3fd0c8][/color:698b3fd0c8] 8)
Hey Cool!!
Lets get the video camera's rolling for that one.....LOL
What happen to the first batch? If you still have it, use it.....
You said before that it made a sizzling noise when you ran water over it.....was it all the way cooled down?
Oh, I just thought of something......if you have any dry carbon left that has never been used or 're-activated', compare it to what your re-activated stuff looks like.....crush both too.....if everything is similar, maybe a congratulations is in store.....
I may be wrong, but if I had a kiln to at least try re-activating my carbon, I would do it and use it with out a doubt......at least until I figured out by using it that it was doing nothing for my aquarium......that's just my way though and I wouldn't force that on anyone else......
Talk to You Soon,
Raymond John

[fish-eyed-fool]

[quote:b45af7ea19]You said before that it made a sizzling noise when you ran water over it.....was it all the way cooled down?[/quote:b45af7ea19]

Good carbon sizzles and fizzles when you immerse it in water. I think that's a good sign for our friend with the kiln. At least we know it's really dry.

[FishoPhile J]

hey it's a no go on the kiln idea... my girlfriend say's it'll turn the glazes colors (by releasing gasses?) and ruin everyone's pottery if we try to fire alot of it.. :cry: but, i'm thinking mabey a big bonfire on the beach might do it (in a 50 gal drum, it'll easily melt glass, metal, etc.) mabey that'll do it.

[Raymond John]

[color=blue:9cb775ae7b][/color:9cb775ae7b] 8)
Bummer......I really liked the kiln idea......

[FishoPhile J]

-question.... do you think the carbon has to sustain[/i:c03c5be104] a high temp to reactivate, or is it just a matter of reaching the right temp? i've got a good home recipe for hydrogen production (i'm from GA), and i'm thinking that a controlled explosion under the right amount of pressure would definatly take care of it:idea: :!:

[fish-eyed-fool]

[quote:902bdc3a95="FishoPhile J"]but, i'm thinking mabey a big bonfire on the beach might do it (in a 50 gal drum, it'll easily melt glass, metal, etc.) mabey that'll do it.[/quote:902bdc3a95]

Yeah, but I heard that process only works if you also have a nearby keg (or 2) and a bunch of drunk friends with a boom box. :twisted:

[FishoPhile J]

[quote:76dee89d31]Yeah, but I heard that process only works if you also have a nearby keg (or 2) and a bunch of drunk friends with a boom box. [/quote:76dee89d31]

----Carbon Party @ Ocean Beach!!! we can get real drunk & then blow up some big bags of spent carbon :!: It'll be Great! :sgypsy:

- hey, is there anything else we can recharge by blowing it up, if so, we should bring it along.

[Cichlid Jeans]

I have this idea I got from reading I don't know what or where that activated carbon filters out organic compounds mechanically -- its microporous surface functions as a mechanical filter on the nano level. So it seems to me that you should be able restore its functionality simply by heating the organic contaminants to the point of ignition -- i.e. carbonizing them.

That doesn't take much heat. I do it with dinner regularly.

[Chazzman31]

I used to microwave my spent carbon to reactivate it. I have since stopped using any carbon in my tanks, only keeping some on hand for removal of treatment chemicals if required.

If you want to find out if carbon is activated or not following a particular process, all you have to do is;

1. set aside some spent carbon as your "before" sample
2. perform whatever heating method on the carbon that you desire (warning: sometimes can stink something fierce)
3. fill two identical glass containers with water, each equally dyed with whatever organic colouring you have on hand (food colouring works great, don't need to use much though)
4. place equal amounts of your "before" carbon sample and your processed carbon sample into the bowls at the same time and start mixing
5. observe whether there is any improvement in the clearing of the water in the processed carbon

You can also run a third bowl with brand new carbon at the same time just to get an idea of how well the processed carbon works compared to new.

I have worked in water treatment for years, have a degree in Env.Science, and can assure you that the above test will definitively determine the effectiveness of your "reclaiming" attempts.