Hiflo Filter aid is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that has been crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging from less than 3 μm to more than 1 mm, but typically 10 to 200 μm. Depending on the granularity, this powder can have an abrasive feel, similar to pumice powder, and has a low density as a result of its high porosity. The typical chemical composition of oven-dried diatomaceous earth is 80–90% silica, with 2–4% alumina (attributed mostly to clay minerals) and 0.5–2% iron oxide.
Diatomaceous earth consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled protist. It is used as a filtration aid, mild abrasive in products including metal polishes and toothpaste, mechanical insecticide, absorbent for liquids, matting agent for coatings, reinforcing filler in plastics and rubber, anti-block in plastic films, porous support for chemical catalysts, cat litter, activator in blood clotting studies, a stabilizing component of dynamite, a thermal insulator, and a soil for potted plants and trees like bonsai.
Hiflo Filter aid is used as a filtration agent, functional filler in paints, plastics, paper, rubber, adhesives, catalysts, agricultural chemicals, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, and a mild abrasive in polishes and cleaners. It is also used in clarifying liquids and oils, as an efficient thermal insulator; in manufacture of heat insulators, fire brick, and fire- and acid-proof packing materials; as an absorbent; in absorbent dynamite; as a solid carrier in chromatography; pozzolanic admixture in concrete mixes.