AGENT FOR SUPPLYING SILICIC ACID COMPONENT TO ALGAE AND METHOD OF SUPPLYING SILICIC ACID COMPONENT TO ALGAE

摘要

It is intended to provide an agent for supplying a silicic acid component to algae which makes it possible to continuously supply silicon to algae, causes little precipitation even in the case of adding in excess, can be easily controlled so as to prevent silicon deficiency and can be easily handled; and a method of supplying a silicic acid component to algae. The agent for supplying a silicic acid component as described above comprises as the main component a silicic acid gel or a silicic acid sol which is obtained by preliminarily reacting an alkali metal silicate with a mineral acid in a system different from the water where algae live.By adding this agent supplying a silicic acid component to water where algae live, a silicic acid component can be supplied to the algae. Moreover, the silicic acid component is gradually eluted from the agent supplying the silicic acid component depending on the silicic acid concentration in the water and the silicic acid component thus eluted neither sets into a gel nor reacts with another inorganic component. As a result, it causes neither clouding nor precipitation.