Diatomaceous earth is the fossilized remains of microalgae with hard shells called diatoms. The material is a poor conductor of heat, sound, and electricity, so it is ideal for use as a lightweight, insulating, and sound-proof material; it can also be used to filter swimming pools and polish surfaces, as well as to adsorb liquids.

In addition to brown algae and red algae, diatoms also belong to the algae family. It can be discovered in freshwater or marine in plankton. It can be unicellular, colonial, or filamentous which can be separated into two types based on symmetry which are pennate and centric. Siliceous frustules of diatoms are composed of epitheca and hypotheca valves, which are tightly fitted together. A frustule is made of polymerized opaline silica with tiny pores to allow materials to exchange. Diaton has diploid vegetative cells, but haploid gametes. Diatom can be asexually reproduced by Binary Fission and the daughter cell inherits one side of the frustule while new valves form on the inside of the parent. Besides, it can be sexually reproduced when the male and female gametes fuse to form the zygote which grows into a full-size auxospore.

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