What is Diatomaceous Earth?
Diatomaceous Earth is the fossilized remains of tiny single-celled algae called diatoms - sometimes called the "grass of the waterways," since they form the base of the aquatic food chain much like grass does on land. Diatoms are an extraordinarily diverse group, with far more known species than all land plants combined.
As diatoms absorb minerals from the water around them to build their microscopic shells, they capture and retain around 15 trace minerals in the process. When they die, they settle and accumulate into sediment deposits over millions of years. These deposits are later mined, milled, dried and bagged to create Diatomaceous Earth, or DE. DENZ's Fossil Shell Flour is sourced from a pure freshwater deposit, which you can read more about on our How Diatomaceous Earth Works page.
The Diatoms living in the waterways absorb minerals and elements from water enabling them to ‘build‘ their tiny shells. Consequently, the fossilized remains have captured and contain the some 15 trace minerals used to form the shell. As they die the microscopic diatoms drop to the bottom of the waterways and form deposits of essentially marine sediment.
These sedimentary deposits are later mined, milled, dried and bagged creating Diatomaceous Earth or more commonly known as DE. DE is widely used internationally for a host of industrial, agricultural and horticultural applications.
Just like all animal and plant groups there are many different species of Diatoms – potentially some 25,000 types world-wide. Some Diatoms are salt water based, others are fresh water based.
Salt water based DE is generally used for industry as a filtration aid, paint and chemical additives. This salt water form of DE is known to be harmful to humans and animals and should only be used for their intended industries.