Diatomaceous earth is a type of powder and generally formed from the remains of silicates after the death of single-celled algae, collectively called diatoms.
And is essentially hydrated amorphous SiO2.
Other names: Diatomite, Amorphous Silica, Loese;gur, Kieselgur, Moler, Terre de diatomée, Tierra de diatomea, Terre d’Infusoire, Tripolite, diatomite earth.
Chemical component of diatomaceous earth
The chemical compositions of diatomaceous earth is mainly amorphous SiO2, existing in the form of SiO2·nH2O, SiO2 usually accounts for more than 80%, up to 94%.
It contains a small amount of Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO, MgO, K2O, Na2O, P2O5 and organic matter, and some metal impurities such as Cr and Ba.
The composition and content of diatomaceous ore are different in different places.
Physical property of diatomaceous earth
The color of diatomaceous earth is white, off-white, gray, light gray, light beige, light yellow, pink, etc.
The density is 1.9~2.3 g/cm3; bulk density is 0.34~0.65 g/cm3; melting point is 1650~1750℃; specific surface area is 19~65 cm2/g; pore volume is 0.45~0.98 cm3/g; water absorption rate is 2~4 times of its own volume.
High chemical stability, insoluble in hydrochloric acid, easily soluble in alkali, with relatively incompressible, soft, sound insulation, wear resistance, heat resistance and many other excellent properties.
How is diatomaceous earth formed
Diatomaceous earth is a fossil diatom deposit formed after an accumulation period of about 10,000 to 20,000 years after the death of single-celled plants called diatoms.
Diatoms, one of the first protozoans to appear on Earth, live in seawater and lakes and are responsible for 70 percent of the planet's oxygen.
During the growth process, it absorbs free silicon in the water and forms firm and porous cell walls.
After the end of the life cycle, the cell walls will not decompose and deposit to the bottom, forming diatomaceous earth through crustal changes.
This kind of Diatomaceous earth is formed by the deposition of the remains of single-celled aquatic plant diatom.
The unique property of diatom is that it can absorb the free silicon in the water to form its skeleton.
When its life is over, it can deposit and form a diatom deposit under certain geological conditions.
It has some unique properties, such as porous, low concentration, large specific surface area, relative incompressibility and chemical stability.
After changing the particle size distribution and surface properties of the original soil through grinding, sorting, calcination, air flow classification, impurity removal and other processing processes, it can be applied to paint additives and other industrial requirements.
Storage and distribution of diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth is an important non-metallic mineral resource, mainly distributed in the United States, China, Denmark, France and other countries.
More than 70 diatom deposits have been discovered in more than 10 provinces (autonomous regions) in China, including Jilin, Yunnan, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, Shandong, Guangdong, Hebei, Hainan and Heilongjiang, with proven reserves of more than 400 million tons and prospective reserves of more than 2 billion tons.
High-quality diatomaceous earth has been found in changbai Mountain area in Jilin (Linjiang City and Changbai County), Inner Mongolia, Xuwen in Guangdong province and Tengchong in Yunnan Province.
Among them, Jilin province has the largest provenreserves of about 210 million tons, accounting for about half of the country.
The prospective reserves are over 1 billion tons. Jilin Changbai Mountain area has proven reserves of more than 60 million tons and prospective reserves of more than 600 million tons.
It is the largest high-quality diatomaceous earth resource discovered in China and one of the high-quality diatomaceous earth producing areas with tens of millions of tons of reserves in the world.
Yunnan province has 82 million tons of proven reserves, accounting for about 20% of China's proven reserves, with prospective reserves exceeding 600 million tons.
Proven reserves of Zhejiang province are 43 million tons, accounting for about 10% of China's proven reserves, with prospective reserves of more than 200 million tons.
The proven reserves of Jilin, Yunnan and Zhejiang provinces account for about 80 percent of China's proven reserves.
Other provinces and autonomous regions account for about 20%.
The applications and uses for diatomaceous earth
Because of its unique physical and chemical properties, diatomaceous earth has been widely used as filter aid, functional filler, catalyst carrier, pesticide and fertilizer carrier, thermal insulation material, adsorbent and bleaching material.
Because of its strong adsorption capacity, diatomaceous earth is used as a filter aid in the food industry to remove bacteria, impurities and odor.
For example: uses of diatomaceous earth filter in the brewing process can constantly update the filter bed, filtration speed, high yield; Large surface area, strong adsorption capacity, can filter 0.1~1.0um particles, reduce about 1.4% wine damage, improve production conditions.
Diatomaceous earth filter can improve the water quality of circulating water treatment in swimming pool and save water and electricity in swimming pool operation management.
Secondly, diatomaceous earth is also widely used in edible oil and oral liquid medicine.
Because of its stable chemical properties, strong adsorption capacity, good filtration performance, insoluble in any strong acid, diatomaceous earth has been widely used in wastewater treatment.
The pre-treatment of landfill leachate by diatomaceous earth flocculation and precipitation method can initially reduce COD-Cr and BOD-5 in leachate, and remove SS and other pollutants, thus improving its biochemical properties, reducing the load, and creating good conditions for the normal operation of subsequent biochemical treatment.
Diatomaceous earth can be made into interior wall coating, which is characterized by non-reflective walls and soft indoor light.
The Japanese call wallpaper coated with diatomaceous earth "breathable walls."
The application of diatomaceous earth in coating for exterior wall is also developing and has a broad prospect.
In addition, diatomaceous earth is widely used in the fields of resin, rubber, paper making, concrete, cement filler and various decorative thermal insulation coatings.
Diatomaceous earth is a very important catalyst carrier, which is widely used in oxidation, reduction, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, hydration, polymerization, conversion, synthesis, alkylation, desulfurization and other kinds of anti-from the use of surface, used for organic chemical reaction more;
But in terms of consumption, it is mainly used to manufacture vanadium catalyst support, nickel catalyst support and TiO2 support.
Where to buy Diatomaceous earth
Changzhou Qi Di Chemical Co.,Ltd is a professional supplier, whole seller and distributor of diatomaceous earth.
We provide with free samples, technical consultings and customized diatomaceous earth standards.
Our company main market areas are Chinese domestic market,Russian market, Middle East market and United States of America market.
Feel free to contact me: daniel@czqidi.com WhatsApp: +86-13776871354