Chemistry: fertilizers – Processes and products – Forms or conditioning
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-20
2002-04-02
Sayala, Chhaya D. (Department: 1761)
Chemistry: fertilizers
Processes and products
Forms or conditioning
C071S034000, C071S059000, C071S061000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06364926
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a concentrated liquid adjuvant and fertilizer containing a nitrogen source and a drift control agent/deposition aid. The present composition is phase stable over extended storage periods.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Dry and liquid adjuvants and fertilizers are available to both the agricultural and nonagricultural markets, and each type of product has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, dry adjuvants and fertilizers have the advantages of containing a high concentration of active ingredients, and the ability to incorporate various ingredients into the composition to increase the efficacy of the composition. However, many dry adjuvants and fertilizers have a disadvantage in that they must be dissolved before use, which can be hazardous and require substantial mixing and long dissolving times.
In addition, the use of dry fertilizers and adjuvants are problematic because their solubility in water varies with various water qualities throughout the United States. Water temperatures, pH hardness, and mineral content all affect the ease of dispersing or dissolving the fertilizer and adjuvants into the spray mixture. This unpredictable solubility has been a problem for end users applying herbicides to kill weeds. The end users typically prepare herbicidal mixtures using cold water, under varying conditions, and frequently outdoors where solubility problems cannot be satisfactorily resolved. The end users then face the problem of applying a suspension of fertilizer and adjuvant in water with the herbicide. The suspension can plug conveying lines, or cause an uneven application of the fertilizer and herbicide on vegetation, which results in an uneven kill rate and directly exposes an end user preparing the solution to undesirable herbicide and fertilizer contact.
In addition, significant differences in particle sizes between the individual components in a dry product can result in particle separation during shipping and/or storage. This leads to a nonhomogeneous composition which, if applied without remixing, can lead to poor results or cause damage to treated vegetation. Furthermore, inherent tackiness or particle fines generated through attrition can result in compaction and/or caking before the end user applies the dry adjuvant and fertilizer.
Liquid adjuvants and fertilizers overcome the disadvantages of long dissolving times and particle separation. But, due to solubility limitations, liquid adjuvants and fertilizers are limited in the number and amount of components present in the liquid composition. In addition, incompatibilities between different composition components makes several liquid fertilizer compositions impossible to manufacture or store for extended time periods.
The inability to solubilize high percentages of active components in a liquid adjuvant or fertilizer is a major disadvantage. In particular, concentrated liquid adjuvants and fertilizers are required to avoid the high cost of shipping large amounts of water. Concentrated liquid adjuvants and fertilizers also have the problem of phase stability because solid components tend to precipitate or settle from the composition, or liquid components tend to form separate liquid phases.
For both dry and liquid adjuvants and fertilizers, it is desirable to incorporate several different ingredients, in a high concentration (if needed), into a single composition. For example, it is desirable to incorporate a fertilizer component, an adjuvant, a spreader-sticker (i.e., a deposition aid), a drift control agent, an antifoaming agent, and a pesticide (if desirable) into a single product. A single, multipurpose composition eliminates a need for the end user to inventory a large number of different chemicals. In addition, application of the chemicals is made easier and less hazardous, with a reduced chance of misapplication, because only one product is measured, dissolved, and applied. Combination adjuvants and fertilizers also are more environmental friendly because fewer empty containers are generated, and fewer chemical containers are stored for long periods.
When an adjuvant is used in conjunction with an herbicide, a barrier to maximizing herbicide performance, especially at the lowest possible labeled use rates, is the application technique itself. In an effort to ensure the herbicide is applied within intended boundaries (i.e., does not drift), conventional sprayers utilize nozzle tips that produce large spray droplets. Research has shown that these large droplets are not retained by many species of vegetation, and, consequently, herbicide efficacy is reduced.
Attempts have been made to include various polymers with the fertilizer in a liquid formulation to improve the solubility and dispersibility of the fertilizer in water of a wide quality range. Unfortunately, commonly used polyacrylamide-based polymers and other organic polymers, such as xanthan gum, have not been successful in solubilizing or dispersing efficacious concentrations of fertilizers in an aqueous solution.
Accordingly, investigators have continually sought concentrated liquid adjuvants and fertilizers that can perform more than one function. This has proven difficult because as the concentration fertilizers and adjuvants in a liquid product increases, the phase stability of the liquid product decreases. The present invention, therefore, is directed to a concentrated liquid adjuvants and fertilizer, further containing a drift control agent/deposition aid, that is phase stable over extended storage periods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to liquid adjuvants and fertilizer compositions containing a high concentration of a nitrogen compound and a drift control agent/deposition aid. The compositions are phase stable liquids that can be stored for extended periods without observing solid-liquid or liquid-solid phase separation.
More particularly, the present invention is directed to a concentrated adjuvant and fertilizer composition containing (a) about 25% to about 35%, by weight of the composition, of a nitrogen compound in the form of an ammonium salt, (b) about 0.1% to about 5%, by weight of the composition, of an ampholytic surfactant, (c) about 0.1% to about 2.5%, by weight of the composition, of a drift control agent/deposition aid, typically a gum, like guar gum, and (d) about 55% to about 75% of a carrier comprising predominantly water.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a phase stable, concentrated liquid adjuvant and fertilizer for the agricultural and nonagricultural markets.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a readily dispersible or soluble liquid adjuvant and fertilizer composition, that can be rapidly diluted in the field, and, after dilution, applied as a low drift spray that remains on sprayed vegetation.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an adjuvant that can be blended with an herbicide, like glyphosate, and water to provide a herbicidal blend for application to vegetation.
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following, nonlimiting detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present concentrated liquid adjuvant and fertilizer composition comprises, by weight of the composition:
(a) about 25% to about 35% of a nitrogen compound in the form of an ammonium salt;
(b) about 0.1% to about 5% of an ampholytic surfactant,
(c) about 0.1% to about 2.5% of a drift control agent/deposition aid, and
(d) about 55% to about 75% of a carrier.
The composition can further contain optional ingredients, like pH adjusters and preservatives, in an amount sufficient to perform their intended function.
The present compositions can be used as an adjuvant, a fertilizer, or both. The end use varies depending upon the identity of the nitrogen compound and the compatibility of the composition with a pesticide, like an herbicide. As used in this application, the term “adjuvant” is defined as a
Gryzik Frank A.
Reiss James D.
Marshall Gerstein & Borun
Precision Laboratories, Inc.
Sayala Chhaya D.
LandOfFree
Concentrated liquid adjuvant and fertilizer does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Concentrated liquid adjuvant and fertilizer, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Concentrated liquid adjuvant and fertilizer will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2881070