What is Graphite?
That is a great question!
While you might know that graphite is what pencils are made with, it actually has a very fascinating story and uses that go far beyond your grade school years. Let’s begin with the chemical makeup. It is derived from pure carbon (C), although you will not find graphite on the Periodic Table.
However, its natural abilities make it no less fascinating or important in our society. In fact, what we are just beginning to learn about graphite is on the cusp of busting the door wide open for our future agricultural landscape. And this future is far closer than you might expect.
The only other form of natural pure carbon is the diamond. From a chemical standpoint graphite and diamonds are identical. However, their physical forms are quite different.
Graphite is the most stable form of carbon under normal conditions and it is comprised of many layers of graphene. Surprisingly, it is not a metal, although it contains several properties that metal has. Its versatility makes it ideal for use in many applications and some you may find shocking.
Able to withstand temperatures up to 6500° F it is excellent for conducting heat, electricity, and for use in nuclear applications. Further, it is often used as a dry lubricant to reduce friction between moving parts. Additionally, graphite is used in pencils, paint, batteries, and frankly, the list goes on.
Graphite’s Agricultural Benefits
For our purposes, we have stumbled upon ground breaking studies that very literally could change the agricultural landscape as we know it. These changes are for the better and by leaps and bounds.
Through metagenomic testing, we realized that graphite has the ability to increase good bacteria and decrease harmful pathogens and fungi. In fact, it can control diseases in crops without the use of undesirable and hazardous chemicals. Additionally, it can prevent nitrogen loss from leeching and volatilization. Thus, reducing the amount of nitrogen that is needed for crops, without loss of crop yield. This is happening with the use of very small amounts of graphite.
Graphite mine tailings, which are the leftover scraps that result in the mining process, can be used for carbon capture and for carbon credits. The tailings have the ability to aide in the soils water retention ability.
All of these features spell out the ability graphite has to literally change our agricultural landscape.
For more information on our Agri Minerals Graphite Sand (AMGS) and sales, contact us.