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Vineyard |
Wine-making filter aid

End use application

Our Diatomaceous earth is:

  • naturally higher amorphous silica content  (fossil shell flour)

  • high silica content

  • high cation-exchange capacity

  • high micro-nutrient holding capacity

  • raw and untreated

  • fossil shell flour

 

End use application as:

  • narrow pore spacing enables it to retain water and nutrients

  • its honeycomb-like structure also serves as a highly porous matrix that abets drainage

  • prevents grapes from getting moldy or too vigorous

  • high pH, promotes acidity in grapes 

  • soil amender

  • micro-nutrient absorption 

  • natural insecticide | pesticide

  • wetting agents

  • spent diatomaceous earth (DE) cake potential to produce quality compost product

Vineyard
Vineyard_edited.jpg

How does it work?

For wine filtration, the pores of diatomaceous earth within and between the cell walls are so small, they trap proteins, tartrate crystals, yeast and bacteria, and other suspended solids from liquids. This leaves your wine

cleaner and clearer with drastically reduced solids and contaminant levels.

Diatomaceous earth (fossil shell flour) benefits as a plant fertiliser due to its natural mineral composition, including essential minerals like silica, calcium, and magnesium. This provides a nutrient-rich boost that promotes healthy plant growth. Diatomaceous earth also improves soil structure by increasing porosity, enhancing water retention, and making essential nutrients more accessible to plant roots.

Diatomaceous earth (DE) (fossil shell flour) is a highly effective organic pesticide, insecticide and fungicide. DE (fossil shell flour) offers protection against disease, fungi, nematode and insect attack but without the negative and often toxic effects sometimes associated with manufactured chemical products. 

Diatomaceous earth (DE) (fossil shell flour) is a 100% natural and safe organic powder suitable for the control of insect pests around the farm, home, office, factory or warehouse. Any insect that comes in contact with DE (fossil shell flour) will die in 2 days or less. The actual Diatoms formation themselves that are fatal to insect pests rather that it’s chemical composition (as DE is totally nontoxic). The sharp edges of the Diatoms cut the insects exoskeleton and draws moisture from inside the insects – this is call Desiccation (dehydration). DE (fossil shell flour) is not a knockdown because it is not a poison but it does achieve the desired results and is used extensively in the USA and Europe as a method of pest control for many years, and is now readily available in Australia.

 

Care should be taken when using Diatomaceous earth (DE) (fossil shell flour).  Wear a dust mask, eye protection and gloves.  While it is non toxic the tiny particles can be drying to skin and hands, and harmful if inhaled.  Always wash hands after use.

Our Diatomaceous earth is utilised in horticulture and potting mixes in Australia and Asia Pacific: excellent soil amender, improving silicon and cation concentrations, which are necessary for plant growth amorphous silicon dioxide, which has micro nutrients that can be absorbed in the root system and trans-locate into the cell wallthe silica content is absorbed into plant tissue and helps improve the plant structure increases water holding capacity and aids nutrient retention in soils encourages beneficial microbial soil activity boosts plant tissue strength, meaning more pest and disease resistance converts locked up phosphorous into a plant available form decreases soil salinity by diluting sodium content assists in controlling odours in compost heaps, and will not harm earth worms if sprinkled over the surface

​Note that our Diatomaceous earth (fossil shell flour) is not pool filtered Diatomaceous earth (DE), which is chemically treated and poisonous.

The vineyards' challenges:
    Environmental regulations
    Cost of landfill
    Disposal logistics
    Recycling operations wary of new waste streams


The benefits to recycling the wine filtration "spent cake" were that the vineyards could produce a quality compost product, lower costs, achieve regulatory compliance and most importantly, recycle rather than landfill. 

 

The results?
    Cost reduction on the landfill gate fee
    Processed accredited compost available 
    Environmental recycling route achieved

 

Quality compost has the potential for:
    Higher nitrate content and lower ammonia content
    Waste diverted from landfill
    Reduction in GHG Emissions

Spent Cake is a RESOURCE not a waste

 

Spent Filter Cake should be incorporated into the whole site waste management strategy and should be viewed as a sustainable value and benefit to the filtration process. Planning for Spent Cake recycling allows the local community to benefit from the products and revenues produced, while being environmentally friendly

 

Residual diatomaceous earth:
A circular economy

abstract and full article link to Diatomaceous earth wine-making & vineyards

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