How do I activate charcoal? I can’t find an on switch, and my Universal AC adapter isn’t helping. 
Activated charcoal is thoroughly rinsed in distilled water to remove soluble impurities then baked in an oven at around 400-500 degrees F. This drives off the water and volatile impurities adsorbed on its surface. After about 30-40 minutes, it’s ready for use.
Did you try looking for a sticker on the front of it with a 1-800 number to call?
Would Aquafina (purest widely available water) be sufficient?
What about water that was merely filtered through an activated charcoal filter?
Would baking it in my own oven (natural gas) add impurities from the combustion products?
Take it to a political rally.
My earlier reply was partly tongue-in-cheek. Commercially, activated charcoal is prepared in ovens with an oxygen-free atmosphere, and usually at a higher temperature than you get get from a home oven. Sometimes a vacuum is used instead of an inert atmosphere. Baking it at home may partially reactivate it, but it will never be of the quality of commercially-available products.
Bake some cookies instead. They’re much easier to make!
Whatever you do, do not use LOX with charcoal and then attempt to light it.
There used to be be web site at Purdue University describing this technique, complete with photos and movies. The site, sponsored by George Gobel, has since been removed at the request of the university.
A
government web site still has the details posted.
Assuming you’ve got a licensed copy, can’t you just hook it up to the Internet and have it contact the producer?
Well to activate your charcoal, first you gotta be sure that you have activated interlocks, got your dynatherms connected, your infracells up, and be sure that your megathrusters are go!
Blindfold it, then force it to crab-walk naked across the room with a pickled onion crammed up its ass. That was just the ticket for my Pledge Class!
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“How do I activate charcoal?”
Where is the charcoal?
“I can’t find an on switch.” What are you looking at to find an “on switch?”
“and my Universal AC adapter isn’t helping,”
Do/did you have it plugged into the power outlet?
Is the adapter plugged into the charcoal"
Do you think dopers are dumber than you are?
RUASA?