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| Adobe
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Unburnt brick dried in the sun, commonly used for building in the American Southwest, Spain and Latin America. Usually covered with stucco in homes. |
| Adsorbent
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A material, usually solid, capable of holding gases, liquids and/or suspended matter at its surface and in exposed pores. Activated carbon is a common adsorbent used in water treatment. |
| Adsorption
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The process in which matter adheres to the surface of an adsorbent. |
| Adventitious
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Having growth from places where normally growth does not occur (i.e. if a stem is buried and a plant will grow.). |
| Adventitious plant
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A young plant that develops in an asexual manner on the leaves or stems of the mother plant. (Kolanchoe are good examples of this.). |
| Aeration
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Act of combining substance with air. |
| Aerator
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A device screwed into the end of a faucet spout that mixes air into flowing water, and controls flow to reduce splashing. It sometimes contains a baffle to reduce flow to 2.5 gpm. |
| Aerial root
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A root which grows out from the stem above ground level. Aerial roots are commonly seen on mature specimens of Monstera deliciosa. |
| Aerobic
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An action or process conducted in the presence of air, such as aerobic digestion of organic matter by bacteria. Usually used for describing a characteristic of compost heaps. |
| Aerobic bacteria
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Microorganisms that require free oxygen, or air, to live, and that which contribute to the decomposition of organic material in soil or composting systems. |
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