Western Australia origin  |  Microgranular grade  |  FOB Geraldton & Fremantle

SECTION 1 — THE MINERAL

What is attapulgite — and why does it matter to agrochemical formulators?

Attapulgite (also known as Palygorskite or Fuller’s Earth) is a magnesium aluminium phyllosilicate with a distinctive needle-like crystalline microstructure. It is one of the few industrial minerals that performs equally well as a carrier, binder, and soil conditioner across the full spectrum of agricultural input manufacturing.

Its high specific surface area, natural colloidal stability, and cation exchange capacity make it the backbone of micro-granular agrochemical formulation worldwide. Unlike synthetic carriers, attapulgite adsorbs active ingredients uniformly across its lattice structure, releases them predictably in soil and spray conditions, and requires no chemical modification or adhesive additives.

Why the agrochemical industry specifically requires microgranular attapulgite

Industry formulation specifications confirm the following as the critical performance requirements for attapulgite used in agrochemical and micro-granular fertiliser manufacture:

• Tight particle-size distribution centred on the 0.300 mm fraction — the primary granule size window for WDG (water-dispersible granule) and micro-granular carrier applications
• Minimal coarse fraction above 1.180 mm and tightly controlled fine/dust fraction below 0.038 mm — to ensure uniform flowability, avoid sieve blinding, and reduce occupational dust exposure during manufacture
• Low swelling index — critical for maintaining structural integrity of granules in storage and under humid conditions
• High purity, low contamination — inert carrier behaviour essential to avoid unwanted reaction with pesticide actives
• Consistent batch-to-batch granulometry — required for reproducible GHS-compliant product labelling and efficacy data

SECTION 2 — PARTICLE SIZE SPECIFICATION

AgriFix microgranular grade: meeting the agchem sieve specification

The following table presents the CIPAC MT 59 sieve analysis specification required by agrochemical manufacturers for micro-granular carrier-grade attapulgite, and AgriFix’s confirmed performance against each fraction. This specification represents the industry-standard requirement for WDG, wettable powder (WP), and micro-granular fertiliser applications.

Sieve opening (mm)	Fraction	Agchem requirement	AgriFix performance
2.000 mm	Oversized coarse	Traces only	Screened out — AgriFix confirmed compliant
1.180 mm	Coarse fraction	0.5% maximum	Within specification — confirmed compliant
0.800 mm	Upper mid fraction	2 – 5%	Within range — confirmed compliant
0.300 mm	Primary microgranule (target fraction)	93 – 100%	Primary product fraction — AgriFix engineered to this window
0.150 mm	Fine fraction	1 – 3%	Controlled fines — confirmed compliant
0.038 mm	Sub-fine / dust	0.1 – 0.5%	Dust-suppressed — confirmed compliant
< 0.038 mm	Ultra-fine / dust	Traces / NR	Negligible — confirmed compliant

Method: CIPAC MT 59 Sieve Analysis. Certified analysis available on request. Custom granulometry available for specific formulation requirements.

SECTION 3 — APPLICATION PERFORMANCE

Performance properties across key agricultural applications

Pesticide & agrochemical formulation (WDG, WP, micro-granular)

• Acts as an inert carrier in wettable powder (WP) and water-dispersible granule (WDG) pesticide formats
• High surface area uniformly adsorbs pesticide actives — no synthetic binders or adhesives required, reducing formulation steps and cost
• Superior dispersion in water — attapulgite’s colloidal stability ensures homogeneous spray solution and uniform field application
• Approved for use as a carrier in organic-registered agrochemical formulations
• Non-reactive with standard pesticide actives — inert carrier behaviour validated across fungicide, insecticide, and herbicide formulations

Micro-granular fertiliser production

• High cation exchange capacity (CEC) enables adsorption and controlled release of NPK nutrients to plant roots
• Natural binder properties reduce requirement for synthetic pelletising agents
• Enhances soil water retention — particularly valuable in WA and Australian dryland farming and horticultural soils
• Improves soil porosity and aeration — beneficial in compaction-prone or heavy clay soil profiles
• Supports slow-release and controlled-release (CRF/SRF) fertiliser product formats

Horticulture & soil conditioning

• Natural soil conditioner for potting media, turf, and controlled-environment horticulture
• Compatible with biostimulant carrier applications — neutral pH and inert chemistry
• Widely used in stored grain pest management as a physical (non-chemical) insecticide and desiccant

SECTION 4 — THE CASE FOR SWITCHING

Why Australian manufacturers should substitute imported attapulgite with AgriFix

Australian agrochemical and fertiliser manufacturers currently import attapulgite carrier-grade mineral primarily from Spain (Tolsa Group) and the United States (Georgia). This import dependency creates significant and avoidable cost, supply chain, and commercial risks that AgriFix is positioned to eliminate entirely.

Risks with imported attapulgite •  12–16 week lead times from Spain or US Georgia •  International freight costs eroding input margins •  USD/EUR exchange rate exposure and volatility •  Geopolitical and port disruption risk •  Marine-origin ore: elevated swelling index •  Inconsistent batch quality from some suppliers •  High carbon footprint from transoceanic shipping •  Supply reduction risk if European demand surges

Why AgriFix (Geraldton, WA) solves this •  Domestic supply: east-coast freight in days, not months •  AUD-denominated pricing — no FX exposure or hedging cost •  24 million tonne proven reserve — multi-decade supply security •  Freshwater-origin ore: lower swelling index, higher purity •  Tight batch-certified granulometric specs (CIPAC MT 59) •  Processed at Narngulu, Geraldton — close to port infrastructure •  Lower carbon supply chain — domestic transport only •  Supports Australian manufacturing and sovereign supply chain

Cost advantage for Australian buyers: At scale, replacing imported attapulgite with AgriFix eliminates transoceanic freight costs, import duty, currency hedging, and insurance margins on a long supply chain — while shortening the raw material pipeline from months to weeks. For manufacturers consuming 20–100+ tonnes per order, the landed cost differential is material.

SECTION 5 — TARGET USERS

Australian industries that should be sourcing AgriFix

Any Australian manufacturer using attapulgite as a formulation input is a candidate for substitution. The following sectors are the primary users of carrier-grade attapulgite in Australia today:

• Formulation: Pesticide and herbicide manufacturers
• WDG, wettable powder, and micro-granular pesticide producers using attapulgite as primary carrier material
• Any manufacturer currently importing Tolsa Attagel, Min-U-Gel, or equivalent grades from European or US sources

• Fertiliser: Micro-granular and slow-release fertiliser producers
• Manufacturers using attapulgite as a granule binder, nutrient carrier, or soil-conditioning additive
• Producers of premium NPK blends, biostimulant-enhanced fertilisers, or controlled-release products

• Horticulture: Horticulture input manufacturers
• Potting media, turf management, and growing media producers using clay mineral ingredients
• Suppliers to the greenhouse, nursery, and protected cropping sectors

• Pest management: Grain and stored commodity protection
• Manufacturers of diatomaceous earth and attapulgite-based grain protectant dust products
• Physical (non-chemical) insecticide producers for organic and conventional grain storage

SECTION 6 — PRODUCT RANGE

AgriFix 102 & AgriFix 103 — product summary

Hudson Marketing offers two micro-granular attapulgite grades under the AgriFix brand, each engineered for specific application requirements within the agrochemical and fertiliser sectors.

Grade	Primary applications	Key attributes
AgriFix 102	Micro-granular fertiliser carrier; soil conditioner; WDG agchem support	High production volume; optimised for granule binding and nutrient adsorption; suitable for organic-registered formulations
AgriFix 103	Premium pesticide carrier (WDG & WP); agchem micro-granule formulation; biostimulant carrier	Engineered particle-size distribution for agchem specification compliance; superior dispersion in spray solutions; inert, non-reactive carrier

Minimum order: 20 tonnes per grade. Larger volumes available. Pricing valid FOB Geraldton or Fremantle.

Samples available for technical evaluation — contact Hudson Marketing to arrange collection from the Narngulu, Geraldton manufacturing facility.

Email: [email protected]

SECTION 7 — SUPPLY SECURITY

Western Australia reserves: a long-term supply foundation

Hudson Resources holds the following confirmed mineral reserves at its Narngulu, Geraldton operation:

• Attapulgite clay (Palygorskite): 24 million tonnes — freshwater-origin, consistently high purity
• Diatomaceous earth: 3.5 million tonnes — freshwater-origin, suitable for pest management and filtration applications

The Narngulu processing facility sits in close proximity to Geraldton Port and Fremantle Port, providing competitive freight access to Australian east-coast customers and export markets across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and beyond. Hudson has an established track record of supplying industrial minerals to customers in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, China, and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

For Australian manufacturers, certainty of supply from Hudson Resources’ 24 million tonne Western Australian attapulgite resource reserve eliminates the single largest supply risk in their raw material procurement: dependency on a geographically remote, foreign-currency-denominated, single-source mineral that cannot be easily substituted at scale.

Request samples, technical data, or a commercial quote

Hudson Marketing provides certified analysis sheets, CIPAC MT 59 sieve data, application datasheets, and trial sample quantities for qualified Australian manufacturers and formulators. Contact our operations team to begin substitution evaluation or discuss volume supply arrangements.

Operations Hudson Marketing Pty Ltd Narngulu Processing Facility Geraldton, Western Australia

Sydney office Level 5, 52 Phillip Street Sydney NSW 2000 T: (02) 9251 7177

Enquiries: [email protected] Samples: available from Narngulu facility by arrangement

FOB pricing available on application.