The invention provides a poultice or sacrificial render comprising fibrous material and diatomaceous earth. Preferably, the ratio of fiber to diatomaceous earth is in the range 1:6 to 6:1 and the fibrous material contains relatively long fibers, such as would be obtained from the manufacturing or pulping of quality paper, for example fibers in the range 1 mm to 4 mm. The invention also provides a poultice mixture comprising fiber, diatomaceous earth and water and optional additives such as a binder or thickening agent and a biocide. The invention also provides a method of removing salt from a salt permeable object comprising the step of applying the poultice mixture to the salt permeable object.
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/700,542 filed Dec. 18, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,544,329 B1, which is a 371 of PCT/AU99/00372 filed May 18, 1999, the content of which is incorporated herein by references in its entirety.
