Trial Results
Pomerite by SafeRock
Utilizing data collected from pot trials and incubator trials, Pomerite® commissioned field trials on high value crops in various climatic environments. To date, independent trials have been completed in the US, Canada, India, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Namibia and the UK. Trials are continuing in UAE, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, and in Africa.
The overwhelming results from the trials has led to substantial interest and orders from global agricultural businesses. The trial evidence shows Pomerite® acts as a micronutrient supplement, soil conditioner and acidity regulator while also enhancing the soil biota and reducing the amount of chemical fertilizer required.
At the outset, the ability to produce Pomerite® in an ethical way, without putting a strain onto the very environment it is meant to help, was a key directive. The challenge was to extract the product, crush it, and transport it around the world with the smallest carbon footprint possible.
A breakthrough came in 2019, after exhaustive trials and tests, when it was discovered that the product could be Micronised. This intensive crushing procedure meant that not only was the product becoming finer, but it was becoming stronger as it released nutrients more rapidly, and its higher surface area dramatically increased the action of Pomerite’s clay minerals.
The staggering result is that Pomerite® is now in excess of 10x its original activity, leading to smaller shipments, fewer lorries, and a smaller carbon footprint globally.
Analysis Breakdown
Minerals
Pomerite® has been analyzed by QEMSCAN® analysis in order to determine the mineralogy of the sedimentary resource.
About 77% of the sample was composed of quartz, potassium feldspar and plagioclase (sodium/calcium) feldspars. The feldspars are aluminosilicates that possess valuable cations such as potassium, calcium and sodium within their lattice structures
Around 20% of the sample was composed of chlorites, illites, smectites, biotite and muscovite– all mineral rich aluminosilicate products of feldspar weathering; a range of valuable clay minerals containing an exchangeable source of potassium, magnesium and iron
Overall, Pomerite® shows a very useful composition between sandy quartz and clay minerals, a wide range of macro and micronutrients, and a balance of minerals that assists increased soil nutrient availability & plant uptake, and improved soil structure and fertility.
Nutrients
Seventeen elements have been identified that are required by higher plants – the macronutrients C, H, O, N, K, Ca, Mg, P,S, and the micronutrients B, Cl, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni and Zn. Some additional nutrients are required for some plants or under particular environmental conditions e.g. Co, Na, Si, Se.
Nutrients essential to plant life occur at various concentrations in different 
rock mineral sources, however, not all rock minerals contain all of the above plant required nutrients in a balanced composition. Although Pomerite® has around 70 minerals and trace elements, only seventeen are actually required by plants, the rest are of no benefit but are only present in trace negligible amounts.
With the exception of C, H, O (which plants can obtain from the atmosphere and a water source) and N which is not usually available in any significant quantity in any rock dust, Pomerite® contains every other required element necessary for healthy plant growth.
Pomerite® Micronized Product
The product development of Pomerite® micronization led to further benefits discovered with more application and more demand.
Aquaculture
One of the main challenges facing the aquaculture industry is keeping toxic levels under control. Despite numerous proposed solutions, none have been particularly successful. An in-house Pomerite® laboratory test managed to reduce free ammonia in a test solution by 21% with 3g of SafeRock® in a 200ml solution. This has prompted Pomerite® to purchase state-of-the-art ammonia testing equipment which should enable us to accurately quantify micronized Pomerite® abilities to reduce ammonia toxicity in aquatic conditions.
Seed Coatings
Seed coatings offer one of the most efficient methods of increasing crop yield and improving product quality resulting in dramatic improvements in farmers’ production. A recent Pomerite® study in conjunction with Greenwich University (London, UK) demonstrated an improvement in germination rates of 100% in maize seeds, along with earlier and healthier shoot development.
Fertigation
This targeted approach requires much lower application rates of fertilizer and irrigation water than is required by broadcasting methods. Through micronization, SafeRock® not only reduces the quantity of mineral required, by a factor of hundreds, but will also prevent the sedimentation and blockage of fertigation lines and nozzles.