Active coals as an important factor in improving the efficiency of the production of alcoholic beverages

Abstract

Active and activated carbons are adsorbents, which are used to solve a wide range of tasks to improve the quality of drinking water, alcoholic beverages, including vodka. The traditional active coal used in distilleries in Russia is BAU-A coal, which has recently been obtained of poor quality due to the fact that not only dense wood species (birch, oak, beech) are used in the production, but also soft tree species. The study of new adsorbents showed that the best indicators for abrasion strength, micropore volume and adsorption activity are activated carbon MEX and crushed anthracite sorbent (CAS). MEX activated carbon and pine nut shell activated carbon contain less ash impurities. After filtering through the studied adsorbents in water-alcohol solutions, the mass concentration of acetic aldehyde increased (which confirms their catalytic activity); the hardness determined by calcium and magnesium cations increased to acceptable limits, which allowed to soften the taste; the optical density decreased, the oxidability increased, and the organoleptic parameters improved, which indicates the effectiveness of cleaning with the studied adsorbents. The best results were noted for water-alcohol solutions treated with activated carbon MEX and CAS.