6 Survival Uses for Charcoal

6 Survival Uses for Charcoal

Survival Uses for Charcoal

There is charcoal and then there is activated charcoal or activated carbon. Both are the byproduct of removing water and other constituents from animal and vegetation substances. This articles’ focus, however, will be on charcoal made from hardwoods and its uses in a survival situation.

Activated charcoal can be made from various materials that are combined together then heated at high temperatures. Then the substance is further processed using chemicals to make the substance more porous.

Activated charcoal can be made in your own backyard but the process is laborious and typically requires calcium chloride at 25 percent and the ability to heat the carbon beyond 900ᵒF/482ᵒC. Commercial producers oftentimes inject steam into the heating chambers to remove oxygen to help create activated charcoal.

In a survival situation, you would allow hardwood pieces to char well on all sides and then remove from the heat. To stop the burning process you can smother the pieces with sand, soil or wood ash. Once cooled you would break the charcoal into small pieces and then grind into a fine powder. Use a pestle and mortar to process the charcoal. You can use a small stick or stone as a pestle and any type of bowl as a mortar to grind the charcoal.

Uses for Charcoal in a Survival Situation

1.) Fire for Cooking and Heat- Continue Reading