Weeding method with sodium hydrogen carbonate

Details Weeding method with sodium hydrogen carbonate Weeding method with sodium hydrogen carbonate

2002-01-30

2003-07-08

Pryor, Alton N (Department: 1616)

Plant protecting and regulating compositions

Plant growth regulating compositions

C504S119000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06589911

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a weeding method for killing weeds with their roots intact by spraying sodium hydrogen carbonate in the form of powder or aqueous dispersion or solution, thereby dwarfing weeds of the next generation, particularly to a method for removing weeds in riverbanks, roads, railroads, airports, parks, farms, golf courses, etc. without affecting the environment.
PRIOR ART
Paying attention to influence on the environment, the use of herbicides is declining at present, so that weeding is carried out manually with cutting machines. However, weeding with cutting machines is highly costly in riverbanks, roads, railroads, airports, glass fields of parks, farms, golf courses, etc. having large areas. For instance, in an airport as large as the Haneda Airport, weeding costs 100,000,000 yen or more a year. Accordingly, a method for removing weeds at low cost without contaminating the environment is desired.
Known as other weeding methods using no herbicides than those using cutting machines are weeding methods comprising spraying seawater or sand, etc. However, the method of spraying seawater in place of herbicides is disadvantageous in causing damage by salt, etc. In addition,. because the weeding method by spraying sand leads to the accumulation of sprayed sand after weeding, this method cannot be repeated.
Because the scattering of soil dust, etc. should be avoided in airports, it is desired that weeds remain as high as about 10 cm without being completely removed. For this purpose, weeding is carried out with cutting machines so that there remain weeds with some height, though much cost is needed for cutting operation in a wide area and treating the cut weeds.
The use of cutting machines is extremely dangerous in weeding operations on the slopes of roads, and the cutting machines cannot be used in railroads because they sputter stones. Further, because weeds on the slopes of these roads and railroads fiction to reinforce the ground and let rain water to flow downward without penetrating into the ground, they should not be killed completely. Thus, weeds on the slopes are preferably dwarfed.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for weeding efficiency without contaminating the environment, particularly to a method for dwarfing weeds of the next generation with their roots intact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As a result of research in view of the above object, the inventors have found that by spraying sodium hydrogen carbonate powder and/or an aqueous dispersion or solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate to weeds, the weeds can be killed at a low cost without adversely affecting the environment, and the weeds of the next generation can be dwarfed. The present invention has been completed based on this finding.
Thus, the wedging method of the present invention comprises spraying sodium hydrogen carbonate powder and/or an aqueous dispersion or solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate to weeds.
Because sodium hydrogen carbonate is not only inexpensive but also soluble in water, and because a saturated aqueous solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate is nearly neutral at pH of about 8.2, it does not affect soil. In addition, the sodium hydrogen carbonate completely flows away with rainwater after weeding. With such low-cost sodium hydrogen carbonate not harmful to human beings and animals, weeds are removed with their roots in the soil intact. Though the treated weeds grow again, they tend to be lower in height than those untreated because of the function of sodium hydrogen carbonate, thereby reducing the number of weeding operations. The weeding method of the present invention using sodium hydrogen carbonate is classified to a low-pressure method and a high-pressure method, each being carried out by a dry or wet method as described below.
The first weeding method of the present invention comprises spraying sodium hydrogen carbonate powder and/or an aqueous dispersion or solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate to weeds by gravity drop or a low-pressure spraying apparatus. The aqueous dispersion or solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate preferably has a concentration of 5-15 weight %. The sodium hydrogen carbonate powder preferably has an average particle size of 10-500 &mgr;m.
The second weeding method of the present invention comprises blasting sodium hydrogen carbonate powder to weeds together with compressed air at an ejection pressure (gauge pressure) of 1-10 kgf/cm
2
, using a high-pressure dry-blasting apparatus. The sodium hydrogen carbonate powder preferably has an average particle size of 10-500 &mgr;m.
The third weeding method of the present invention comprises is preparing an aqueous dispersion or solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate in advance, and blasting it to weeds at an ejection pressure (gauge pressure) of 100-2,500 kgf/cm
2
through a blasting nozzle of a high-pressure wet-blasting apparatus. The aqueous dispersion or solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate preferably has a concentration of 5-15 weight %.
The fourth weeding method of the present invention comprises using a high-pressure wet-blasting apparatus equipped with a high-pressure pump and a blasting nozzle; conveying water by the high-pressure pump to the blasting nozzle; adding sodium hydrogen carbonate powder to the incoming high-pressure water at the blasting nozzle; and blasting the resultant mixture to weeds at an ejection pressure (gauge pressure) of 100-2,500 kgf/cf
2
. 100-500 g of sodium hydrogen carbonate powder is added per one litter of water. The sodium hydrogen carbonate powder preferably has an average particle size of 200 &mgr;m or more.
The first weeding method of the present invention comprises blasting an aqueous dispersion or solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate heated at 50-150° C. to weeds at an ejection pressure (gauge pressure) of 50-500 kgf/cm
2
through a blasting nozzle of a high-pressure wet-blasting apparatus. The aqueous dispersion or solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate has a concentration of preferably 50-150 g/L, more preferably 100-150 g/L.
The sixth weeding method of the present invention comprises using a high-pressure wet-blasting apparatus equipped with a high-pressure pump and a blasting nozzle; conveying heated water at 50-150° C. to said blasting nozzle by said high-pressure pump; adding sodium hydrogen carbonate powder to the incoming high-pressure, heated water at said blasting nozzle; and blasting the resultant mixture to weeds at an ejection pressure (gauge pressure) of 50-500 kgf/cm
2
. 100-500 g of sodium hydrogen carbonate powder is preferably added per one litter of heated water. The sodium hydrogen carbonate powder preferably has an average particle size of 200 &mgr;m or more.
In any of the above methods, the amount of sodium hydrogen carbonate powder and/or an aqueous dispersion or solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate is preferably 0.00001-3.5 kg/m
2
by dry weight per a unit area of a field having weeds, though it may vary depending on the method. The sodium hydrogen carbonate powder and/or the aqueous dispersion or solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate is sprayed to weeds, preferably after cutting high weeds.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The weeding method of the present invention includes both of a method for spraying sodium hydrogen carbonate powder and/or an aqueous dispersion or solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate to weeds by gravity drop or by a low-pressure spraying apparatus, and a method using a high-pressure blasting apparatus.
[A] Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate Powder
The sodium hydrogen carbonate, which may be called sodium bicarbonate, used in the present invention is not limited to pure sodium hydrogen carbonate, but includes those containing impurities having no adverse influence on the environment. The sodium hydrogen carbonate powder is commercially available, and the commercially available products (trade name, “ARMEX”, Church & Dwight Co., Inc.) shown in Table 1, for instance, may be used.
TABLE 1
Grade No.
Particle Size Distributi

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