Ever increasing environmental concerns have lent a timely emphasis to the need for new and innovative fertilizers that can be economically produced and can meet the plant nutrient needs of large-scale agriculture. Chemical fertilizers and their overuse, compounds of synthetically produced nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), have been shown to be major contributors to the pollution of underground water supplies, lakes, rivers, and other major bodies of water from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mediterranean Sea. They are reportedly the prime chemicals feeding the plague of algae that is attacking the world's waters and marine life. They have also been linked to cancer causing diseases and increasing infant mortality as a result of high nitrate levels in food.

Carbotech's Fertilization System allows for drastic reduction of chemical fertilizer usage for crop growing. CTI is looking to change the way the world grows its crops and our process will reduce the high levels of chemical fertilizer usage to a more sustainable and environmentally sound level.

Billions and billions of dollars are expected to be spent on the removal of nitrates from our drinking water through ion exchange. Domestically, our water problems are escalating to serious levels. The Mississippi River has recently been added to the "endangered rivers list" due in part to the 24 million acres of farmland that lay in its basin. The Colorado River, which irrigates several million acres of crops, is so polluted that much of it has turned from a healthy river into salty and desolate marshes.

Manure-based fertilizers present their own pollution problems. The required composting procedures lead to the concentration of nitrates and heavy metals, not to mention terrible aromas at the composting site. In addition, manure fertilizers have low levels of the required nutrients for optimum growth. Escalating concerns regarding the effects of both chemical and manure fertilizers on the environment have led to new regulations governing application, storage, and safety procedures, as well as, an increased urgency in the effort to develop economically viable and efficient alternative fertilizers.