BS: Charcoal as a bleach?

30 Oct 15 - 07:43 AM (#3747469)
Subject: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: Mr Red

I make elderberry jelly and the potato masher I use to crush the berries had to be put down immediately as I filled the muslin bag. It stayed there over-night and when it was removed it stained the sink. This is a heavy-duty plastic material which stains brown if I get steel wool bits siting in it for long, cue phosphoric acid for several days/applications.

Now as luck would have it I burned the toast and scraped the black into the sink. Over night (you can tell I am not that house proud) I flushed the sink and was certain the blue stain had diminished. So, the next time I burnt the toast I decided to investigate and - you know - the stain is decidedly weaker. I made sure the burnt bread had a little moisture to replicate the conditions.

Charcoal filters for smells and flavour are well known, but this is the first time I have registered it can act as a bleach/digester of organic stains.

Anyone else had this experience?

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30 Oct 15 - 08:43 AM (#3747476)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: Les in Chorlton

Intrestin. Charcoal is not a bleach in the chemical sense but it has good propertied for picking up intrestin little molecules that also happen to be coloured, I think.

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30 Oct 15 - 09:47 AM (#3747488)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: GUEST,leeneia

You may be on to something new, Mr. Red, because my stain removal chart only lists charcoal as something good for absorbing odors.

I'm glad to hear you are making elderberry jelly. My dad loved it, and my sister and I buy it, trying to keep elderberry jelly in production.

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30 Oct 15 - 10:29 AM (#3747502)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: Rapparee

Charcoal may be absorbing the color (or colour, if you must). Try hydrogen peroxide solution (the drugstore or pharmacy or chemist strenth) to see if it can remove the stains. I know for a fact that it will remove blood from carpet. No, I didn't kill anyone to find out -- I leaked after a surgery.

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30 Oct 15 - 10:37 AM (#3747503)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: Mr Red

I make elderberry jelly to put into yoghurt. It is a flavour that is very difficult to obtain commercially, and rather a nice flavour IMNSHO.
I also make Medlar Jelly though in recent years is is easier to make it into a syrup because once in yoghurt the texture is relatively unimportant, though can produce flavour concentrations, which is tasty.

I do think the enzyme digest theory is not really on, because the burnt toast has been sterilised - but who knows what is lurking in the not polished surface of the plastic. It is what they would call micro featured I think.
Maybe the charcoal is a bit like coke used as a catalyst in ammonia production because it has a large surface area of very sharp micro points, rather than any chemical reaction.

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30 Oct 15 - 10:45 AM (#3747505)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: GUEST

Bone char (charcoal made from animal bones) was once quite popular in the sugar industry both as a filter medium and "decolorant." Not sure what the difference is/was from bleaching for the latter.

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30 Oct 15 - 11:57 AM (#3747524)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: bubblyrat

We now live in a house (on Dartmoor ) with two wood-burning stoves ; I read somewhere that wood ash , moistened, can be used as a mild abrasive to clean their glass doors . Well, it certainly seems to work, especially if the glass in the doors has been lightly sprayed with "Dettol" disinfectant first . One lives and one learns ! Slainte !

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30 Oct 15 - 01:15 PM (#3747540)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: Mr Red

Bone char interesting!
Animal bones (Bone Ash) particularly sheep was used in the pottery industry to make bone china. Basically all the collagen is burnt out and the bone ground to a white powder. It has a lot of calcium oxide at that stage and it fluxes the clay body which become translucent. It is where the "Bones" from Rag & Bone Men went in the Victorian/Edwardian/etc eras.


So burnt bone must be, basically charred collagen. But a "de-colourant". Amazing what you find by being observantly lazy!

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30 Oct 15 - 02:13 PM (#3747543)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: Rapparee

Wood ash was used to create lye for soap making. Water was poured through a hopper...oh, you can look it up. But wood ash and water could easily create a very mild lye solution.

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30 Oct 15 - 07:45 PM (#3747580)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: Stilly River Sage

Wood ash was added to the soil dug in caves (such as Mammoth Cave, in Kentucky), to create saltpetre. I don't know if toast ash could contribute to anything so useful. You are in charge of this research.

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31 Oct 15 - 04:10 AM (#3747610)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: Mr Red

research complete. Stain nearly gone!

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31 Oct 15 - 01:41 PM (#3747725)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: GUEST

Charcoal is certainly good for removing bad tasting by products from a stll. A couple of passes and you can have a passable vodka. I used to do it with my distilled grape residues after crushing and fermenting.I now live where such passtimes are frowned upon by TPTB.

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01 Nov 15 - 11:41 AM (#3747933)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: Sooz

You seem to have made "activated charcoal" which can adsorb molecules of the pigment. This is not like absorption although the end result may look the same.

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01 Nov 15 - 01:22 PM (#3747962)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: Gurney

Then there is Coca-Cola as a verdigris remover, and molasses as a de-rusting agent. Any more?

I have wondered how charcoal is 'activated.' Would the same process be operative on children?

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01 Nov 15 - 01:58 PM (#3747976)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: GUEST,#

"Activated charcoal is a fine black odorless and tasteless powder made from wood or other materials that have been exposed to very high temperatures in an airless environment. It is then treated, or activated, to increase its ability to adsorb various substances by reheating with oxidizing gas or other chemicals to break it into a very fine powder. Activated charcoal is pure carbon specially processed to make it highly adsorbent of particles and gases in the body's digestive system."

from the www.

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01 Nov 15 - 03:07 PM (#3747994)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: Gurney

Might not work with the kids, then?

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02 Nov 15 - 02:26 PM (#3748161)
Subject: RE: BS: Charcoal as a bleach?
From: Sooz

Some children might be better deactivated.

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