Wizard: I crush legends with martial arts.

Chapter 95 Making Activated Carbon

Upon returning to the castle, Alphonse summoned the guards and had them gather mud and stones to build three simple stoves, two high and one low.

This is where Midio's fire ring spell came in handy.

It quickly dries and hardens the damp soil.

Then I got some charcoal, smashed it into pieces, gave it a quick wash, and stuffed it into the jar.

The simplest way to make activated carbon is to inject superheated steam into heated charcoal to activate it.

Ordinary water vapor is composed of condensed water droplets and water vapor. Under standard atmospheric pressure, the temperature does not exceed 100 degrees Celsius, which is relatively mild, so it is called saturated steam.

However, if the steam is heated further in the steam pipe, the steam inside will completely vaporize, and the temperature will exceed 100 degrees Celsius. The higher the steam pressure, the higher the temperature.

At this point, the steam becomes extremely destructive.

That is, superheated steam.

Although it is essentially water, it can be easily ignited.

If there is a source of fire, it will ignite as soon as it is sprayed.

With everything ready, Alphonse filled the large kettle, which was half his height, with water and placed it on the lower stove.

The large iron pot filled with charcoal was placed on the higher stove at the other end and secured with iron rods.

Iron rods are readily available; they were originally made by blacksmiths in Taixi for use in roasting meat, so there's no need to look for them elsewhere.

Only after confirming that the spout of the large kettle was securely connected to the iron can did Alphonse allow Midio to light the stove for boiling water.

His fireball spell isn't high-level, but if you control its power, it's quite convenient to use it to start a fire.

Hilde watched with great interest, showing no intention of going into the castle to receive hospitality.

With him already here, his two guardian knights and Poseidon's servants could only obediently wait by his side.

Hilde was covered in sweat, but she didn't need to take a shower.

He casually cast a cleansing spell, and his clothes and body were restored to cleanliness.

This made Alphonse quite envious.

This magic is really convenient; it keeps you clean even in harsh environments where you can't shower.

Otherwise, how could being a clerk be considered an elegant profession?

According to him, the mage who created this magic was so engrossed in his research that he didn't want to waste time bathing, which is why he created the Cleansing Spell.

Advanced cleaning techniques can not only clean clothes and the body, but also purify abnormal conditions.

Illnesses, however, are a different matter; that requires the Disease Aversion spell, which is a mid-level spell, and neither Hilde nor Midio knows it yet.

When the water in the large kettle was about to boil, Alphonse immediately had Midio light the other two stoves, adding firewood to make the flames burn brightly.

Three stoves are used for heating at the same time.

Soon, scorching steam billowed out from the holes at the bottom of the large iron can.

According to videos I've seen on Bilibili, the entire heating process should take at least an hour.

All we can do is wait patiently.

"What's the point of doing this?" Hilde couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked in confusion.

"This is to turn charcoal into activated carbon. Charcoal actually has many pores that are invisible to the naked eye. When hot water vapor blows over it, it can produce an activation effect, effectively adsorbing various substances and pigments, and can also be used to purify water sources," Alphonse replied casually.

"Purifying water? Activated charcoal?" Hilde, as an alchemist, knew that charcoal could filter impurities to some extent, but she had never heard of a method that used steam to spray charcoal and then refine it again.

Activated carbon was a term he had never heard of before.

"You'll see the results soon," Alphonse smiled.

In modern times, even a piece of knowledge that a high school student could easily understand is being revealed for the first time in this world.

In modern times, making activated carbon doesn't require such trouble. Simply put charcoal into a pressure cooker containing a sodium carbonate solution, boil it at a high temperature, rinse it several times with 80-degree hot water, and let it dry to obtain activated carbon.

Of course, there's an even simpler way: buy two kilograms on Taobao or Pinduoduo.

"How did you know this method?" Hilde couldn't contain her curiosity, determined to get to the bottom of it.

"That brings us to a magical bard named Edson," Alphonse began his charade again.

In any case, anything that's hard to explain can be blamed on Edson, who doesn't even exist in this other world.

I don't think Teacher Chen would mind.

Hilde believed it completely, without a shred of doubt.

An hour isn't a long time; it passed quickly.

The activated carbon production is complete.

Hilde ignored the scorching hot metal can and used her Mage's Hand technique.

A semi-transparent giant hand appeared out of thin air, took the tin can off, and opened the lid.

But no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't see any difference between the charcoal dust in the tin can and the original one.

Alphonse then discovered a problem: there simply weren't enough sugar cubes in the castle to use for the experiment.

In this world, sugar cubes are considered an expensive item.

The general stores in Coldwind Territory don't sell this kind of thing, and commoners can't afford sugar cubes.

We can only buy things in the city.

This matter can be handled by sending a few soldiers, which will also allow them to purchase another batch of Higram grass.

It's always good to have more of this wonderful stuff, like Refining Divine Incense.

The soldiers in the barracks are using it for training now, and it consumes a lot of energy.

Hilde no longer needs to be involved in making white sugar.

This saves us from worrying about the production method being leaked.

Alphonse was just making up an excuse; he claimed that he made activated carbon to filter out impurities from the solution.

Of course, we still need to demonstrate the effects of activated carbon to Hilde and dispel his doubts.

The experiment was simple: I found a water glass, scooped up a handful of soil, threw it in, stirred it, and that was it.

I added activated charcoal and let it settle for a while.

I found another cup and slowly poured the water out.

Hilde was shocked to see that the originally murky muddy water had become clear again after being filtered by activated carbon.

Not only is it free of any impurities, but it is also exactly the same as the original, without any other colors. The effect is surprisingly good.

"Although it's been filtered, the water still needs to be boiled before drinking," Alphonse casually remarked.

Alphonse didn't care, but it was a great discovery for Hilde. When his teacher made potions, he had to filter the herbs and minerals repeatedly to remove impurities. With activated charcoal, it should save a lot of trouble.

"Would you mind if I told other people how to make activated charcoal? This activated charcoal is very important to me!" Hilde stared at Alphonse and asked sincerely.

"It doesn't matter, you saw the whole process," Alphonse replied with a smile, now just wanting to get Hilde back as soon as possible.

Hilde nodded. "The value of this activated charcoal is immeasurable. It greatly enhances alchemy; consider it a favor I owe you!"

(End of this chapter)