01THE PROBLEM

Texas crops are starving in plain sight

Alkaline soils (pH 7.5–8.5) across Central and West Texas lock out essential micronutrients — iron, zinc, manganese, copper — before roots can absorb them. The conventional answer has always been “apply more fertilizer”. But now farmers face a double bind: 70% of farmers can’t even afford to acquire what they need and foreign supply chains are crumbling. Even worse, soil science shows that they’d still be throwing their money away. The system is broken at both ends.

Stat callout

Over 60% of Texas agricultural soil is too alkaline for conventional micronutrient delivery

Texas soil pH conditions

Panhandle7.8

South Plains8.1

Permian8.4

Concho Valley8.2

Hill Country7.9

South Texas7.6

East Texas6.8

pH range

6.57.58.5+

Locked out

Iron, zinc, manganese, and copper availability falls as pH rises across Central and West Texas.

What if the solution to the problem already exists?

02THE SCIENCE

Chelation changes the math

The solution does exist, and it's known in organic chemistry as Chelation.

A chelant wraps around a metal ion like a molecular cage, keeping it soluble and plant-available even in alkaline conditions where conventional micronutrients fail.

What chelation does

It holds the metal in solution instead of letting it precipitate in high-pH soil.

Field implication

More of the micronutrient stays available long enough for the plant to actually take it up.

Solubility gain in alkaline conditionschelated vs. non-chelated

45M

Iron

45 million times more soluble

scale: millions

plain salt

chelated

79M

Copper

79 million times more soluble

scale: millions

plain salt

chelated

4.1K

Zinc

4,100 times more soluble

scale: thousands

plain salt

chelated

178x

Manganese

178 times more soluble

scale: hundreds

plain salt

chelated

Why the spread is so extreme

Chelants prevent metals from tying up with hydroxides and carbonates, so the nutrient remains soluble across the pH range where Texas soils usually shut the door.

The science works. Now someone has to build it.

03THE PRODUCTS

What we make

MLS holds six cutting-edge inventions across chelation chemistry, and the company's first market focus is liquid chelant formulations for agricultural application.

Six cutting-edge inventions spanning chelation chemistry.

Current focus is liquid chelant formulations built for agricultural application.

Organic-compatible inputs that align with modern soil and crop programs.

GRAS-certified ingredients selected for safe, scalable formulation.

Fully biodegradable chemistry designed for field use without persistence.

Market entry

Iron chelant comes first because demand is largest. So is the value proposition.

Product platformSection 03

Illustrated agricultural chelant product scene

Format

Liquid chelant formulations

Ingredients

GRAS-certified

Compatibility

Organic-compatible

End of life

Fully biodegradable

Capability statement

This is not a catalog of SKUs. It is a chemistry platform built to turn proven chelation IP into field-ready formulations that solve a defined agricultural problem.

But where it comes from matters as much as what it does.

04THE BIGGER PICTURE

From waste stream to value stream

Today, roughly 70-80% of global chelants are imported from China, Brazil, and Sweden. MLS is building a domestic, tariff-proof supply chain that turns industrial byproducts into agricultural inputs, creating landfill diversion, carbon credit potential, and a chelant made in Texas, for Texas.

Global supply today

70-80%

Imported from China, Brazil, and Sweden

MLS thesis

Domestic

Tariff-proof chelant manufacturing in Texas

Circular upside

Landfill diversion plus carbon credit potential

Bigger picture

Circular chemistry means the same ton of industrial byproduct can create climate value, avoid disposal, and feed a field instead of a landfill.

Domestic circular supply chainSection 04

Illustrated waste-to-chelant supply chain scene

Simple flowwaste to field

Waste stream

Industrial byproducts

→

Existing material streams are diverted before they become landfill burden.

Processing

Domestic conversion

→

MLS processes those feedstocks in-state into dependable chelant chemistry.

Chelant

Tariff-proof supply

→

Domestic production reduces exposure to imported supply volatility.

Field

Agricultural input

The output returns to Texas agriculture as a usable micronutrient delivery tool.

Texas advantage

When the feedstock, processing, and end market stay domestic, the result is a more resilient chelant supply chain built in Texas for Texas growers.

And it doesn't stop at soil.

05BEYOND AGRICULTURE

Water, waste, and what's next

Beyond agriculture, the same chemistry points toward water systems under pressure: phosphate runoff control in waterways, animal waste management applications, and treatment workflows designed to conserve more freshwater before scarcity becomes crisis.

Adjacent application

Phosphate runoff control

Chelation can help keep phosphorus and metals from moving unchecked into waterways, supporting cleaner reservoirs, rivers, and irrigation systems.

Adjacent application

Animal waste management

The same chemistry has relevance in manure and waste-stream handling, where nutrient capture and more stable processing can reduce downstream burden.

Adjacent application

Water treatment and conservation

That opens a path into treatment systems that recover usable water, protect freshwater supplies, and make more of every gallon already in the system.

Texas context

Texas has now designated water infrastructure as an emergency priority, with $1 billion per year aimed at new supply and repairing existing systems.

Water, waste, and recoverySection 05

Illustrated Texas water infrastructure and environmental recovery scene

Texas water funding

$1B/yr

Dedicated annually through House Joint Resolution 7 for water supply and infrastructure projects.

Water loss strategy

320Kac-ft

Of 2070 municipal conservation strategies in the 2022 State Water Plan, this share is tied to water loss reduction.

Planning horizon

50 years

TWDB planning is built around long-range drought resilience and future supply needs across Texas.

Texas agencies in the loopquality + infrastructure

TCEQ

Water quality, permitting, and pollution control

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality oversees surface-water standards, wastewater and stormwater permitting, and nonpoint-source pollution programs.

TWDB

Water planning, finance, and conservation

The Texas Water Development Board leads long-range state water planning and finances infrastructure, wastewater, and conservation projects.

It starts with two people who've spent decades on this.

06WHO WE ARE

Who we are

MLS BioChelants is led by commercial and technical operators who understand what it takes to move chelation chemistry from product portfolio to market-ready business.

CEO

Mel Stevenson

Mel Stevenson is a petrochemical industry veteran with deep business-development experience across industrial markets. He leads MLS with a commercial focus on building a credible domestic chelant business, not just a lab concept.

CTO

Deepak 'Doc' Patil

Deepak 'Doc' Patil is a master chemist whose work in chelation has produced six patents in the category. He gives MLS the technical depth to translate protected chemistry into scalable formulations and defensible performance.