Greensmiths Southwestern Graphite Mine
Discovered in 1913 the graphite mine first began producing graphite. The Southwestern Graphite Company was the sole owner at that time. Which was a division of the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company, in Jersey City, New Jersey, until 1983. The parent company (Dixon) refused to release any data on the property and mine for reasons of company policy and the mine later closed in 1929.
Horace G. Miller and George W. Clemson then purchased the mine in 1935. Because of the war efforts, the mine became operational, off and on, through 1947. Two U.S. Bureau of Mines studies from 1976 provided the only available data on the graphite mine. Production at that time was 36,641 metric tons of graphite and production took place from 1961-1979. Thus, leaving behind roughly 2 million yards of graphite tailings. The mine became inactive it closed around 1999.
Greensmiths, Inc.
At that time the mine was purchased from Dixon Ticonderoga by James (Jim) D. Montgomery of Greensmiths, Inc. While Jim understood the unique nature of the mine, it wasn’t until much later that he fully grasped its full potential. The mine was purchased with intentions of utilizing the graphite mine tailings in the safest and most economical way possible. He found that the graphite tailings, which are a natural resource but considered “waste” in the mining industry, had high potential with poultry litter, for agriculture purposes, as top soil and compost acidic amendments, and with building materials, concrete, and even asphalt mixtures. Basically, any high volume usage that’s beneficial and not detrimental to humans or the environment. His goal was and remains to be, recycling this waste, in beneficial ways.
Since 1999 the mine has not been active, and no more tailings have been or will be produced. The open pits, over time, have turned into private stock ponds full of big bass, catfish, and perch, which suits Jim, just fine.
You can see some old photos and read some historic articles on the history of the graphite mine, below.
- Angora Chronicles
- Minedat.org
Graphite
In short, graphite is an allotrope made of carbon that is naturally formed in the Earth. Graphite consists of many stacked layers of graphene. These layers give graphite its strength. Under normal circumstances it is one of the strongest forms of carbon in existence, like diamonds.
Graphite is harvested from the Earth by the process of traditional mining. Once graphite is mined it leaves behind smaller graphite pieces which, until recently, have been considered waste, known as graphite mine tailings. Our research has shown that these tailings have the ability to enhance our environment in ways never imagined.
Graphite Mine Tailings
We observed the effect of mine tailings on the growth of plants to be staggering. Essentially, they have the potential to change agriculture as we know it, globally. However, proof is in the pudding, as they say, and so our mission began. The first sale of graphite mine tailings was to a golf course in Austin, TX. The course had extremely poor quality wastewater.
The goal: correct the quality of the wastewater from the golf course.
Graphite mine tailings have a pH level of approximately 4. We found that the pH replenishes in the presence of alkalinity. When the graphite tailings were added to the golf course it had a pH of greater than 8. In the 25+ years since the mine tailings were added, it has maintained a pH level of 6.5 to 7. Thus, improving the wastewater quality, significantly.
Since that time we have offered our graphite mine tailings to the gardening industry as a way to effectively improve pH levels in garden and potting soils.
Greensmiths’ Graphite Mine
In 2023 we discovered, through metagenomics, we could identify the bacteria and fungi in the soil. Through these tests we were able to prove that graphite had the ability to increase good bacteria and decrease pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Review of this detailed information has proven that graphite can control serious diseases in many crops. The graphite can do this without the use of hazardous chemicals.
Insects such as leaf miners and psyllids transmit pathogenic bacteria from the soil to plants. Panama disease has had a profoundly negative worldwide impact on banana production. Similarly, citrus greening disease has nearly destroyed the citrus industry. However, research is showing Bacillus bacteria to be an effective control of these pathogens.
Graphite can positively modify good soil bacteria to prevent nitrogen losses from leeching or volatilization. Testing illustrates that crops treated with graphite require less nitrogen without loss of yield. Nitrogen control with ammonium nitrate only required a 1% addition which equates to approximately 20 lbs. of graphite per ton of soil.
Bio Inoculant
Graphite is a bio inoculant that recruits beneficial bacteria and fungi in the soil without the addition of other inputs. It is important to note that this requires very small amounts of graphite, as high levels of graphite can be toxic to some plants.
Slowly degrading over time, graphite is an inert and insoluble mineral which lasts in the soil. Thus, reducing the need for the annual application of traditional inoculants. We can retain all of the plant benefits while simultaneously capturing carbon and achieving carbon credits with graphite mine tailings.
Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) increase the good bacteria in the soil’s rhizosphere thus, capturing carbon. Their impact in carbon capture is partially due to the formation of exopolysaccharide films that surround the bacterial colony. When the Bacillus dies the exopolysaccharides remain in the soil to create aggregation and water retention in the soil. The carbon dioxide from the atmosphere becomes fixed carbon in the soil. Metagenomic tests can then prove the carbon capture.
In addition to removing carbon dioxide from the air, graphite can control methane gas evolution from soil, as well as nitrogen gas from D nitrification. We continue to learn the benefits of graphite in agriculture through definitive metagenomic testing.
For more information on our Agri Minerals Graphite Sand (AMGS) and sales, contact us.
Graphite Mine Video & Photos
