Research has shown that Tanco could reprocess the by-product of potassium chloride use to yield a crop fertilizer, leaving a relatively small volume of waste for disposal.

Sodium, primarily consumed as salt (sodium chloride), is commonly added to many processed and restaurant foods, while potassium is naturally present in many fresh foods.

The difference in concentrations of potassium and chloride ions would normally cause ions to move from the less concentrated protocell to the more concentrated one.