A key factor is the impact limestone applications on farm fields will have on the carbon economy. Limestone is up to 44% CO2, and by 2030, applying lime will come with an expensive fee to cover the carbon emitted as a result of the mining and application of the limestone (calcium carbonate). Luckily we […]
Improvement of the physiological response of barley plants to both Zinc deficiency and toxicity by the application of calcium silicate Abstract: An adequate availability of Zinc (Zn) is crucial for plant growth and development given the essentiality of this element. Thus, both Zn deficiency and Zn toxicity can limit crop yields. In plants, the […]
Wollastonite is the lime of the future. In the near future, lime applications will become unprofitable due to the carbon dioxide released from calcium carbonate. Wollastonite is a calcium silicate which quickly releases calcium, magnesium, and silicon in the soil and contains no carbon dioxide. Pound for pound, wollastonite has 44% more minerals, mainly silicon, […]
We are diving a little deeper into the inorganic binding of soluble aluminum in soils this week by looking closely at how higher levels of silicon in the soil can lead to a drastic increase in the capacity of the soil to bind soluble aluminum, reducing its negative impact on plant growth. Silicon monomers are […]
At high levels, aluminum can block the update of other nutrients leading to nutrient deficiencies for forest plants. In vertebrates like fish and humans, aluminum is toxic, especially to our brains. Soluble forms of aluminum increase in the soil as pH decreases when elements like calcium, magnesium and potassium are low. Unfortunately, as a […]
Wollastonite was put to the test against 13 competitors for silicon release rate and amount. Wollastonite released more silicon faster than any other material tested. Full poster below. Dowload the full poster here: Bioavailable Silicon_ Release Rate from Additives & Substrates.pdf
Finding studies that look at the big picture impact across longer time scales can feel like looking for the needle in the haystack sometimes. This study is one of those needles, with many different angles summarized succinctly. This is the only study we have found testing wollastonite and lime in a no-till production system. This […]
We’re diving into trees this week. On the silicon side, trees are a top-tier recycler. With leaf removal in city parks and many residential properties, we’re seeing a huge loss of nutrients to the system, especially silicon. High-five to the municipalities and citizens who have switched to mulching leaves in place. The trees and the […]
Large-scale field trials of rock dust applications in agriculture are precisely what we need to harness the benefits of applying crushed calcium and magnesium silicates to agricultural fields. This summary reports on the early findings of a study currently in progress. The benefits of applying rock dust to agricultural fields are wide-ranging and economically affordable […]
In this month’s issue of Environmental Science & Technology three researchers we work closely with at Guelph University, Ontario published an article making the case for carbon sequestration by using wollastonite in rooftop soils everywhere. If all the available urban roof space around the world contained plants and soils with wollastonite, 1% of global carbon […]
