The main raw material of diatom mud is diatomite, which is formed by diatom after hundreds of thousands of years of accumulation and geological changes. Diatom is a single celled aquatic plant (algae) that lived in the water hundreds of thousands of years ago. They create 70% of the oxygen on the earth. During the growth process, it continuously absorbs the free silicon in the water to form a solid and porous cell wall. After the end of the diatom life cycle, the cell wall will not decompose and will deposit to the bottom of the water. Diatomite is formed through crustal changes.

Diatomite is mainly distributed in the United States, China, Denmark, France and other countries. The proven reserves of diatomite in China are 320 million tons. The high-quality soil is mainly concentrated in the Changbai Mountain Area of Jilin Province, accounting for about 2 / 3 of the country. Most of the other deposits are grade 3-4 soil. Due to the high impurity content, it cannot be directly processed and utilized. The main mineral component of diatomite is opal. Under the electron microscope, it looks like a honeycomb, with a loose density of 0.3-0.5g/cm3 and a Mohs hardness of 1-1.5. It is a poor conductor of heat, electricity and sound, with a melting point above 1300 ° C and high chemical stability. Diatomite is porous, incompressible and stable. Its porosity can reach more than 90%, which is 5000-6000 times that of activated carbon. It is precisely this outstanding molecular sieve structure that determines its extremely strong physical adsorption performance and ion exchange performance. Diatomaceous earth has been applied to the following three aspects:

1. Diatomite is a high-quality filter aid and adsorbent material, which is widely used in food, medicine, sewage treatment and other fields, such as beer filtration, plasma filtration, drinking water purification and so on.

2. Make cosmetics, facial mask, etc. Diatomite facial mask is to use the adsorption property of diatomite to absorb impurities in the skin and play the role of deep care and whitening. People in some countries often use it to cover the whole body for body beauty, which plays a role in nourishing the skin.

3. Disposal of nuclear waste.