Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a silicon dioxide (SiO2·nH2O) mineral made up of fossilized single-celled algae called diatoms. Diatom silica is available from two sources: from culturing diatoms, which is...

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a silicon dioxide (SiO2·nH2O) mineral made up of fossilized single-celled algae called diatoms. Diatom silica is available from two sources: from culturing diatoms, which is expensive and has limited scalability, and from fossilized Diatomaceous earth minerals available in large quantities from the mineral industry.