# Fertilizer Granules



## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

I'm flirting with the idea of making my own fertilizer... just for myself, not as a business venture.

I need to figure out a way to turn a powdered mixture into little balls.

Does anyone know how fertilizer granules are made?

I think balanced ferts are cut in a way off a base material then screened, but what about things like milorganite and carbon X ?

Assume there are no limitations in cost... for the sake of discussion and understanding.


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

I think it would require some specialty equipment. I remember seeing or reading thegrassfactor talking about the process of prilling homologous fertilizer. I will see if I can find it.


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## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

gm560 said:


> I think it would require some specialty equipment. I remember seeing or reading thegrassfactor talking about the process of prilling homologous fertilizer. I will see if I can find it.


On YT ? 
Was this before or after Carbon X was launched?


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

Yea it was probably on youtube, but I honestly don't remember. I do think I remember seeing a plant tour at one point and also a discussion about homogeneous vs blended fert. I think he showed the equipment required.


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## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

Cool thanks - I was following him at that point and vaguely remember. If I recall he stopped making videos after CX launched.

I'm trying to get biochar into a spreadable form for the lawn. 
The only way I can think of doing this is crushing it into a powder then turning into pellets. 
Even if something simple like Table Sugar was holding it together that would be fine and actually preferred because then like alfalfa pellets, it would break and spread when water is introduced.
I just can't visualize how to turn powder and a binder into a pellet.

Maybe the right method is to compress into tube and shear off the end every couple mm now that I'm talking out loud.

Then micros could be mix in. Boron, Copper, Zinc even seaweed powder... Idk it seems like if one us could find a simple way of producing enough just for ourselves it could be cost effective.

I wouldn't try N P K or any chemical processing, just a process to get down different powders effectively.

Perhaps a binder like sawdust or paper would help to as it could absorb moisture but dry out after retaining the shape of the pellet.


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

Where are you getting the biochar?


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## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

gm560 said:


> Where are you getting the biochar?


Well It's basically just charcoal or Carbon.

You need to burn plant material in the absence of Oxygen.

As simple as that. 
So need a nice Solo Stove firepit or a rocket stove or something of the likes. 
Purchasing wood coal already made is a thing too.

Wood is usually best for this.

For the record, I'm not sure what puts the Bio in Biochar... if it's inoculating with bacterium, well that will happen after it gets in the ground eventually.


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## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

It seems so easy: 
https://youtu.be/ehWcMvJGhJY?t=40


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## Ngilbe36 (Jul 23, 2020)

Doesnt turning a powdered charcoal back into a pellet form negate much of the beneficial impact of biochar? I thought biochar was great because of its massive amount of surface area compared to its size. With this surface area it can retain nutrients and house microbes. If you make it powered then crush it into pellets, how much of that surface area is lost?


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

Ngilbe36 said:


> Doesnt turning a powdered charcoal back into a pellet form negate much of the beneficial impact of biochar? I thought biochar was great because of its massive amount of surface area compared to its size. With this surface area it can retain nutrients and house microbes. If you make it powered then crush it into pellets, how much of that surface area is lost?


I think that surface area is on a microscopic level.


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## Ngilbe36 (Jul 23, 2020)

gm560 said:


> I think that surface area is on a microscopic level.


Just read this,

_Let's start with a cube 1 cm on a side. There are six faces, each 1 cm^2, so the surface area is 6 cm 2 .

Now let's carve that cube up into eight cubes, each 0.5 cm on a side. (We're cutting it in half along each axis.) We have the same mass as before, but now each cube has a side that is 0.25 cm 2 (0.5 x 0.5), but we have eight cubes, six sides each, so the total surface area is 0.25 x 8 x 6 = 12 cm 2 .

Every time we cut a cube up into eight smaller cubes, we double the total surface area. A typical powdered activated carbon product has a particle size of about 0.17 mm, or 1/60 cm. So we can imagine it having been formed by subdividing a 1-cm cube about eight times, ultimately multiplying the total surface area by 60.

But wait, that's not all. There is a pertinent characteristic of activated carbon that contributes to the surface area: it's not solid, but porous, like a sponge. So there is "surface" area even inside the particles. It might not seem like that would be surface, but the pores are enormous compared to molecules, so they don't see it as inside at all._

It seems you are right, and crushing it smaller only makes it better at doing what it does.


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## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

Yea, I've been messing around with this and graphite for other non-lawn related projects but from my research the structure of carbon does not change it only reduces in shape... obviously we'll loose some to dust from crushing or grinding. We have to figure this step out too but is more elementary than making pellets like a giant food blender LOL.

Then yes "activating it" increases it's surface area. I'm not sure that I'm focused on that step just yet. I just want to get Carbon in the soil and see what happens.

It's crazy how non- conductive carbon turns into graphite which has some pretty good electrical properties. At this time, I'm not sure that Graphite vs Charcoal is better at this time. Graphite is harder to attain but can be made from charcoal.

I've also cut my fingers messing around with this stuff so it's imperative that what goes down is small enough or dull enough that it's not like adding shards of glass to the soil.

I also think that the reason biochar is effective is a bit convoluted, I think that the carbon atoms loan electrons to the soil thus increasing the efficacy of h2o, npk and micros pretty much how humic acid would, just much cheaper and more bang for buck.

I need to some more research but I have found some patents that make humic acid from charcoal and not really sure that Humic acid vs "carbon atoms" from charcoal are that much different from each other.

Oh and if you want a fun time throw some carbon or graphite in the Microwave :lol: but keep an eye on it :lol:

After talking all this through maybe the better option is trying to apply powdered carbon in a solution drumroll please.... just like HUMIC ACID !!! 
The only con of this is that the end product of the crushing process will need to be a fine powder....but this eliminates the need for a fancy pellet maker.

Ready set go...


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