Diatomaceous
Earth Australia
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What is Diatomaceous Earth ?

Diatomaceous Earth is made from the fossilized remains of tiny, aquatic organisms called diatoms.

Their skeletons are made of a natural substance called silica.

Over a long period of time, diatoms accumulated in the sediment of rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans.

Today, silica deposits are predominantly mined from ancient lakes.

Silica is very common in nature and makes up an estimated 26% of the earth's crust by weight.

Various forms of silica include sand, emerald, quartz, feldspar, mica, clay etc.

Silicon, a component of silica, does not exist naturally in its pure form.

It usually reacts with oxygen and water to form silicon dioxide.

How silica is produced?

The crystalline structure of quartz is based on four oxygen atoms linked together to form a three-dimensional shape called a tetrahedron with one silicon atom at its centre.

Depending on how the silica deposit was formed, quartz grains may be sharp and angular, sub-angular, sub-rounded or rounded.

Silicon dioxide has two naturally occurring forms: crystalline and amorphous.

Most Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth is made of amorphous silicon dioxide.

However, it may contain very low levels of crystalline silicon dioxide which should not contain more that 1%.

The first pesticide products containing silicon dioxide (Diatomaceous Earth ) were registered in 1960 to kill insects and mites.

It was then medically discovered that Diatomaceous Earth was very beneficial for People and animals.

As science progressed and after more experiments, it was found that Diatomaceous Earth was also extremely useful for farming and gardening as the silicon is vital for healthy plant growth.