Exporting Spanish River Carbonatite 

 

Spanish River Carbonatite (SRC) is an agromineral mined in Sudbury ON, Canada from an igneous deposit that is a fertilizer and soil amendment to increase plant growth and soil pH (Slack, 2012). SRC is an agromineral fertilizer that is composed of approximately 50% calcium carbonate, 25% Biotite, 12% apatite and 13% trace and rare earth elements (Slack, 2012). The label below is the typical geochemistry found in the Spanish River Carbonatite deposit. The trace elements in SRC are manganese, zinc, copper, cobalt, molybdenum and boron and are essential micro nutrients for plants for the pH and Eh values, cation exchange capacity, organic matter, oxides and hydroxides and microorganisms within the soil (Kabata- Pendias, 2010). The macro nutrients in SRC are important to the function of plants, calcium (Ca) in needed for the formation of the cells and constitution of chromosomes within the plant, with a Ca deficiency the apical meristem breaks down and stunts grow of the plant and the leaves curl in. Biotite is a form of potassium and vermiculite both play important role in soil condition. Potassium (K) activates the uses of many enzymes and stomatal activity, controlling the plants intake of water and without K the plants may have a reduced dry weight (Preece and Read, 2005). A natural form of vermiculite is mica found in biotite, it helps hold water in the soil, 3 liters (3-4gal/ft3) of vermiculite will hold up to 1 litre of water, making the plants (Preece and Read, 2005).

Fertilizer Label

Soluble Analysis       0.30 - 0.04 - 0.20

Guaranteed Minimum Analysis

Total Nitrogen................................. 0.30%

Available Phosphoric Acid (P2O5)... 0.04%

Total Phosphoric Acid (P2O5).......... 2.00%

Soluble Potash (K2O)..................... 0.20%

Total Potash................................... 0.70%

Calcium (Ca).........................,....... 20.00%

Magnesium (Mg)............................ 1.00%

Neutralizing Value

(%CaCO3 equivalence)................. 81.00%

Fineness:

Passes 10 mesh Tyler screen......... 97.08%

Passes 60 mesh Tyler screen.........62.15%

Mining and processing of SRC

Agricultural Mineral Prospectors Inc. started mining in Sudbury Ontario Canada in a deposit of carbonatite in 1994. Boreal Agrominerals a company formed in 2012 and John Slacks the CEO, has the mining lease for the Spanish River site. They have a contractor that excavates and screens the carbonatite, with distributors through out the Canada and the US (Franczyk, 2014)

Machinery required and cost

Boreal as a company requires very little machinery as they outsource excavation, trucking and bagging of SRC. The product most farms in Ontario receive is straight from the quarry, the only process it goes through is screening (Franczyk, 2014).

Inputs required

Although is can be put on the fields without the need any thing else, SRC needs nitrogen or to be mixed in too green manure to achieve full potential as shown in Jones (2015) research. There is the potential that s-compost and mycorrhizal fungi would provide similar results in combinations with SRC.

 

Benefits to Canada (e.g. Canadian farmers)

Carbonite in this form and a high reactive form has relatively little research compared to chemical fertilizers and opening the market to Nepal creates new possibilities for studies on the long term effects of SRC on soils and plant yield. While more extensive research and marketing Spanish River Carbonatite is a certified organic product by OMRI and has the potential to be sold to large scale farmers looking for organic alternative to tradition fertilizers.

 

 

Environmental sustainability in growing/manufacturing in Canada

SRC promotes sustainable agriculture and help protect the environment as it is having a low solubility in water therefore when it enters the watershed through farm runoff it will not increase phosphate levels and encourage algae plums (MSDS, 2012., Martin, 2010)