| abstract |
A liquid fertilizer is produced from particulate artificially dried seaweed by (a) soaking the seaweed in water for from 2 to 12 hours; (b) subjecting the soaked seaweed to pressure in order to pulp it and facilitate liquefaction, (c) heating the resulting pulp with water under pressure for a period of time, preferably not exceeding six hours, that will cause the bulk of the nutrients to pass into solution, leaving a residue, and (d) separating the residue from the solution and preferably subjecting it to pressure to expel liquid from it. The extract obtained in step (c) is normally mixed with the liquid expelled in step (d) to provide the liquid fertilizer product: the pressure in steps (b) and (d) may be applied by rollers. |