Subject: Please give more details on Activated Carbon.

My interest in activated carbon comes from the water 
purification aspect. I have used your search engine to
find what I could on your excellent site regarding 
this. What I wanted to know in more detail is the roasting 
process. How similar is it to distilling to retrieve wood 
alcohol or other wood byproducts? What temperatures and 
process methods are used to reduce the raw materials to 
Activated Carbon? I would expect a number of toxic byproducts
to escape as gasses and/or be left behind along with the desired 
product. How would these be safely handled and removed? Also what 
extra processes are required to make the product meet regulatory 
food grade standards?

Re: Please give more details on Activated Carbon.