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Welcome to International
Enzymes
Where it Started
In 1960, John Battisone discovered the secret of enzymes for use in soils:
solidifying, deodorizing, and degreasing without any toxic or destructive
environmental impact – an unknown concept at that time. The rest is history. The
secret formulas remain in International Enzymes vaults, allowing our
distributors to move Perma-zyme throughout the world where our success has
proven its worth above all imitators.
What Are Enzymes?
U.S. Department of Transportation Several thousand enzymes are currently known
and put to many uses. Common uses are found in cosmetics, hair shampoos,
detergents and industrial cleaning agents. Soil enzymes occur naturally,
produced by soil bacteria to catalyze reactions with nitrogen, carbon dioxide
and other soil nutrients.
These enzymes can be manufactured by fermentation processes. They are non-toxic
and environmentally harmless. An enzyme is by definition an organic catalyst
which rapidly carries a chemical reaction to completion without becoming a part
of the end product, the reaction being one that would normally take place at a
much slower rate. To better understand what is happening in the case of the
compaction enzyme, we can look at compaction of clays and silts in nature: the
formation of shale.
Similar processes take place when a compaction enzyme is added to the mixture in
soil and aggregate compaction, but at a greatly increased reaction rate.
Processes that normally take millions of years are
rushed through in a matter of hours and days.
In a reaction such as one taking place between clays and organic materials to
“waterproof” the clay, large quantities of organic material are required.
Stimulating the growth of soil bacteria can provide a source from a large soil
fraction for crushed aggregates with some clay, a biotechnique is used where a
bacteria culture is introduced to the system to generate the organics from the
carbon dioxide in the air.
The enzyme combines with the large organic molecules to form a reactant
intermediary, which exchanges with the clay lattice, breaking down the clay
structure and causing the cover-up effect which prevents any further absorption
of water or the resultant swelling with loss of density. The enzyme is
regenerated by the reaction and goes on to perform again. Because the ions are
very large, little osmotic migration takes place, and intimate mixing is
required. This is generally aided by the destructive effect of the organic ions
on the clay lattice. Compaction of the aggregate mass near optimum moisture by
construction equipment produces the desired high densities characteristics of
shales. High densities are essential to the process, particularly with lower
clay contents. The resultant surface has many of the characteristics of a solid,
durable shale, yet produced in a fraction of the time required by nature.
Reference: U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
FHWA-FLP-92-011 Final Report July 1992 |
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