
What is “Porous Alpha”?
1. Structure of Porous Alpha
The Porous Alpha is a foamed glass with numerous pores, produced by burning pulverized glass mixed with a foaming agent such as shell powder or calcium carbonate (CaCO3).
2. Using Porous Alpha as a soil amendment
If Porous Alpha is mixed with soil, the water retention capacity of the soil is increased, because the pores of Porous Alpha catch and retain water which otherwise infiltrates in the soil. Porous Alpha can retain water for 15% of its total volume. The dosage is 10% of the soil volume, around 5L of Porous Alpha per linear meter of the ridge.
3. Safe Use of Porous Alpha for agriculture
Porous Alpha is compliant with Japanese soil environmental standards. Based on the result of leaching test, the utilization of Porous Alpha doesn‘t have any problem related to heavy metal and toxic product to use it as the soil including mixing with soil.