Imagine stocking an eco-friendly product that polishes silver, filters pool water, absorbs oil, acts as a desiccant, and works as an insecticide. It may seem that these uses are too diverse for one product, but diatomaceous earth by Dicalite® is able to tackle these myriad tasks and many more! Tampa ingredient supplier Bell Chem supplies its customers with an array of Dicalite’s diatomaceous earth (DE) gradients and would be happy to recommend the specific variety for your business needs.

As a Cleaner
With a feel of powdered sugar, DE’s small particle size has a surprisingly large capacity to absorb liquid. This feature is ideal for cosmetics as it absorbs oils on the skin’s surface, and it works in the same respect to clean spilled oil in a garage or a massive oil spill at sea by absorbing 145% of its weight in oil. Any spills absorbed by DE are quickly swept away without leaving any residue — no-sticky cleanup!

As an Insecticide
DE is composed of diatoms, but not earth. Diatoms are tiny, silicate, pre-historic sea creatures with an interesting variety of shapes containing sharp edges and points. When consumed by insects, DE’s sharp texture destroys their digestive tracts. However, DE is safe for animals larger than insects and is regularly added to animal feed in silos to absorb any water that may destroy feed. Pelleted feed is likely to contain DE since it maintains shape integrity over time while keeping grains in the feed from adhering to the machinery.

As a Fertilizer
If you add DE to soil before gardens are planted, insects are much less likely to infiltrate fruits and vegetables. Coating seeds with DE gives a more uniform — and larger — size to the seed, which increases the ability for planting machines to drop the correct amount of seed at specific intervals. Fewer errors occur, and the coating of DE absorbs water, which the seed utilizes as it germinates.

Bell Chem proudly stocks six varieties of Dicalite diatomaceous earth for any of your needs. Bell Chem is the Tampa ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.