By Lindsay Sheehan Derived from wood, coconut shells, peat, or other natural sources, activated charcoal has numerous applications in medicine, health, beauty, and beyond. It differs vastly from the kind of charcoal used as fuel for barbeques. Common charcoal – a known carcinogen – is created through heating in the absence of oxygen. Activated charcoal, on the other hand, is slowly dried, heated, and then oxidized with carbon dioxide or steam. This process causes the formation of millions of small pores across its surface that are able to trap organic compounds and foreign toxins within. This phenomenon, known as adsorption,
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