The process
The Terralift machine hammers a hollow probe – 37mm (1 ½” diameter) using a JCB road breaker gun to a depth of one metre, before releasing a blast of compressed air (up to a maximum of 20Bar – 280psi). On the tail end of the air blast, dried seaweed is incorporated which sticks to the walls of the fractures and fissures created by the main air flow. The seaweed will then swell and contract with the moisture content in the soil, similar to breathing underground, helping to keep the fissures open longer. The dried seaweed is very good in dealing with clay soils as it helps keep the particulates open longer, allowing the top surface water to penetrate quicker down into the subsoil. The probe is withdrawn, and the process repeated using two metre centre spacings on a staggered grid pattern, with each shot interconnecting with the previous ones. The probe holes will be backfilled with an aggregate to provide a semi-permanent aeration/ventilation shaft allowing air and water to reach the fissures. Depending on soil conditions at the time of treatment, the Terralift machine can cover approximately 2,000m2 a day.
