bioAPT

The BioAPT line of products brings with it a vast array of uses.  Our number one seller and most versatile product is the granular BioAPT.  The primary industry served to date is the inoculant industry, with BioAPT being used by our customers to carry their rhizobia bacteria to field in legume inoculation applications.  Certain applications see dosing rates as low as 1.25 pounds per acre of BioAPT.  The sensitive, gram-negative rhizobia bacteria need a carrier that will provide them with the moisture and nutrients they need over time, from the plant all the way to the field.

Granular BioAPT has also been successfully used in hydrocarbon reduction efforts.  BioAPT was used to carry particular strains of pseudomonas bacteria in water applications to reduce the level of hydrocarbons migrating downstream.  We believe there are also land based applications where the use of BioAPT to carry hydrocarbon reducing bacteria would be beneficial and economical.

Granular BioAPT has also shown positive results in applications where chemicals, such as herbicides and pesticides, are needed in a time release fashion.  The internal surface along with the retention of moisture over time, make the granular BioAPT a suitable chemical carrier where a natural carrier product is desired.

The coarse fines BioAPT product is gathered during the screening operation of the granular material.  All the media that passes through the 30 mesh screen is collected and either processed further into the powdered product, or sold where a fines material is needed but coarser than the powdered product.  Some applications of the -30 BioAPT include root and leaf coatings, soil amendment when used as a carrier, and as a natural binder in pelleting operations (competes with ligninsulfinate).

The powdered form of BioAPT is used primarily as a seed coating, but other applications include root and leaf coatings.  The powdered BioAPT is processed from the -30 BioAPT into a fine powder (80% through a 200 mesh).

BioAPT has many characteristics that make it an excellent carrier media.

1. First and foremost, the peat used has a high humic fraction, nearly 28%.  When BioAPT is used as the carrier, the microbes living on the humic substrate (BioAPT) will already be suited for thriving in the humic fraction of the surrounding soil.  This makes BioAPT perfect for biocontrol and bioremediation efforts.
2. BioAPT absorbs moisture and will retain moisture and nutrients over extended periods of time, even under adverse conditions.  During periods of drought, the moisture retained by BioAPT will be enough to keep the microbes on the media active.  When moisture returns to the surrounding soil horizon, the microbes will then repopulate the area.
3. Regarding granular BioAPT, the media remains structurally strong and free flowing up to a moisture content of 38%.  The natural resins and waxes in the parent material are utilized in the granulation step of the process.  This makes a very strong granular product that can withstand transportation with little degradation.
4. BioAPT can be field applied using the same equipment used to sow the seeds.  Also, due to the granular strength mentioned above, BioAPT can be placed in a variety of ways, depending on the application.
5. BioAPT is a natural product.  The only additive is a calcium carbonate (finely ground limestone) to adjust to a more neutral pH.  The parent material has a pH around 5.5 and we adjust it to between 6.2 and 7.  No other additives are used or needed.

BioAPT is available in large quantities, year after year.  15% of Minnesota’s land mass is peat, and while not all of it can be used, there is plenty of peat in the area that is accessible and able to meet our customer’s needs.  We work closely with state and local governments to ensure we have supply to meet future demand, as well as continue to develop sustainable peat harvesting practices.  At current production levels, APT has over a hundred-year supply of peat and we continue to investigate other peat resources in the area.  We are also actively engaging in pilot studies to determine how quickly we can “produce” raw peat, by adjusting water levels in certain areas of the fields.

All BioAPT products are:

• Moisture content is adjusted to be between 9-14%
• pH is adjusted to between 6.2-7
• Available in 1 ton supersacks
• Tested consistently for moisture content, pH, and particle size

Granular BioAPT

• Screened 10x30 mesh
• Coarser/finer product available depending on quantity needed

-30 BioAPT

• All media that passes through the 30 mesh

Powdered BioAPT

• 80% through a 200 mesh

BioAPT Cut Sheet

MSDS BioAPT Granular

MSDS Powder