Chapter 8: Alcoholic Beverage Purification Applications of Activated Carbon

Activated carbon (AC) is frequently employed in the manufacturing and purification of alcoholic beverages (ABs) to dechlorinate the treated water employed in bottling plants, clean the water, eliminate undesired elements and pollutants, and modify aroma and color. Based on the grade of the raw materials, there are more undesirable secondary constituents in ABs. Consequently, high-grade ACs are frequently chosen for specific tasks, such as chemically activated carbon types for decolorization and steam-activated carbon types for flavors and odorants flavor and odorant control, to enhance the production of alcohol and suppress the production of such undesirable secondary components. A common example is the decolorization of red wine using powdered AC while using dark grapes to produce white wine or vermouth. The objective of this chapter is to evaluate the integrity and use of ACs as chemical and physical markers for preparing ABs and demonstrating their ability to remove contaminants from alcohol blends.