A “Green” Manufacturing Process

recycled bottles are the basis for our earth friendly products

Growstone’s patented manufacturing process takes waste bottles from the landfill and recycles them into customizable products ranging from substrates for advanced hydroponic growing systems and soil amendments to improve structure, to green technology building materials, abrasives, and natural cleaning products.

Crushed recycled bottles are the next step in developing our environmentally friendly products

The first step in the process is crushing the bottles into small pieces. This compacts them so they take up less space, but they need further processing before they can be used to manufacture new products.

Grinding bottles into fine flour is the third step in Earthstone's technology.

The bottles are crushed and ground into an extremely soft powder. It’s so soft, it feels like flour. That’s because the average particle size of the “flour” is one-fifth the size of a human hair.

The flour is the main component (up to 99%) of Earthstone materials. Natural foaming agents and additives customize the material’s properties for different applications. Customization can create a material that is more or less abrasive, harder or softer, stronger but with controlled breakdown, or more or less porous.

The flour is blended and molded according to its use, whether natural cleaning products or green building materials

After the material has been blended for the specific product application, it is poured into big molds.

Kiln used for firing products made with Earthstone's patented technology

The material is then fired in a large kiln. It rises as it bakes, creating a rigid foam with the desired physical properties, which can vary depending on the product application. The high altitude of Santa Fe, New Mexico enables us to use smaller amounts of foaming agents, yet still get the “cake” to rise as much as desired.

Bubbles are created as air escapes in the heating process. The bubbles follow a torturous path as they escape, creating a network of cells in the material.

Cooled Growstone blocks can be cut into any size or shape for horticultural, cleaning, or building applications

Once done baking, the blocks of material are carefully cooled. The “cakes” of baked material can be cut or ground into the desired sizes and shapes.

Find Out More

Contact Chris Higgins, Vice President, (505) 473-3997, chris.higgins@growstone.com to learn more about how Growstone’s flexible manufacturing process and patented technology can be used to design a customized solution to your product needs.