Functional treatment application to particulate materials such as mulch or potting soil

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10981186-B2
Application number	US-201515310924-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2015
Priority date	May 15, 2014
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

In a method of coating a particulate material, a particulate material is fed into a mixing chamber. The particulate material is agitated within the mixing chamber and conveyed to a mixing chamber outlet. A coating is directed into the mixing chamber and the flow of the coating is controlled based on the volumetric flow rate of the particulate material into the mixing chamber. The coating includes at least one compound selected from herbicides, insecticides, nutrients, wetting agents, surfactants, fungicides, biologicals, inoculants, and mixtures thereof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of coating a particulate material comprising the steps of:
feeding a particulate material into a mixing chamber through a control gate comprising sidewalls, a first baffle, and a second baffle, the first and second baffles extending between the sidewalls and across a path of the particulate material such that the particulate material passes under a first bottom edge of the first baffle of the control gate and a second bottom edge of the second baffle of the control gate, wherein the first bottom edge, the second bottom edge, and the sidewalls define a volume for the particulate material to pass through the control gate, wherein the first and second baffles define a space therebetween;
adjusting at least one of the first baffle and the second baffle to set a maximum volume of the particulate material passing through the control gate;
determining a height of the particulate material entering the mixing chamber through the control gate based on information from at least one sensor provided between the first baffle and the second baffle, wherein the height of the particulate material is less than a height of the first bottom edge of the first baffle and a height of the second bottom edge of the second baffle;
calculating a volumetric flow rate of the particulate material into the mixing chamber based on the height of the particulate material;
agitating the particulate material within the mixing chamber and conveying the particulate material to a mixing chamber outlet;
directing a coating into the mixing chamber; and
controlling a flow rate of the coating based on the volumetric flow rate of the particulate material into the mixing chamber,
wherein the coating comprises at least one compound selected from herbicides, insecticides, nutrients, wetting agents, surfactants, fungicides, biologicals, inoculants, and mixtures thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particulate material is at least one of mulch and potting soil.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particulate material is mulch.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the herbicide is selected from acetamides like acetochlor, alachlor, butachlor, dimethachlor, dimethenamid, flufenacet, mefenacet, metolachlor, metazachlor, napropamide, naproanilide, pethoxamid, pretilachlor, propachlor, thenylchlor, amino acid derivatives like bilanafos, glyphosate, glufosinate, sulfosate, aryloxyphenoxypropionates like clodinafop, cyhalofop-butyl, fenoxaprop, fluazifop, haloxyfop, metamifop, propaquizafop, quizalofop, quizalofop-P-tefuryl, bipyridyls like diquat, paraquat, (thio)carbamates like asulam, butylate, carbetamide, desmedipham, dimepiperate, eptam (EPTC), esprocarb, molinate, orbencarb, phenmedipham, prosulfocarb, pyributicarb, thiobencarb, triallate, cyclohexanediones like butroxydim, clethodim, cycloxydim, profoxydim, sethoxydim, tepraloxydim, tralkoxydim, dinitroanilines like benfluralin, ethalfluralin, oryzalin, pendimethalin, prodiamine, trifluralin, diphenyl ethers like acifluorfen, aclonifen, bifenox, diclofop, ethoxyfen, fomesafen, lactofen, oxyfluorfen, hydroxybenzonitriles like bomoxynil, dichlobenil, ioxynil, imidazolinones like imazamethabenz, imazamox, imazapic, imazapyr, imazaquin, imazethapyr, phenoxy acetic acids like clomeprop, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 2,4-DB, dichlorprop, MCPA, MCPA-thioethyl, MCPB, Mecoprop, pyrazines like chloridazon, flufenpyr-ethyl, fluthiacet, norflurazon, pyridate, pyridines like aminopyralid, clopyralid, diflufenican, dithiopyr, fluridone, fluroxypyr, picloram, picolinafen, thiazopyr, sulfonyl ureas like amidosulfuron, azimsulfuron, bensulfuron, chlorimuron-ethyl, chlorsulfuron, cinosulfuron, cyclosulfamuron, ethoxysulfuron, flazasulfuron, flucetosulfuron, flupyrsulfuron, foramsulfuron, halosulfuron, imazosulfuron, iodosulfuron, mesosulfuron, metazosulfuron, metsulfuron-methyl, nicosulfuron, oxasulfuron, primisulfuron, prosulfuron, pyrazosulfuron, rimsulfuron, sulfometuron, sulfosulfuron, thifensulfuron, triasulfuron, tribenuron, trifloxysulfuron, triflusulfuron, tritosulfuron, 1-((2-chloro-6-propyl-imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazin-3-yl)sulfonyl)-3-(4,6-dimethoxy-pyrimidin-2-yl)urea, triazines like ametryn, atrazine, cyanazine, dimethametryn, ethiozin, hexazinone, metamitron, metribuzin, prometryn, simazine, terbuthylazine, terbutryn, triaziflam, ureas like chlorotoluron, daimuron, diuron, fluometuron, isoproturon, linuron, methabenzthiazuron, tebuthiuron, acetolactate synthase inhibitors like bispyribac-sodium, cloransulam-methyl, diclosulam, florasulam, flucarbazone, flumetsulam, metosulam, ortho-sulfamuron, penoxsulam, propoxycarbazone, pyribambenz-propyl, pyribenzoxim, pyriftalid, pyriminobac-methyl, pyrimisulfan, pyrithiobac, pyroxasulfone, pyroxsulam and further herbicides like amicarbazone, aminotriazole, anilofos, beflubutamid, benazolin, bencarbazone, benfluresate, benzofenap, bentazone, benzobicyclon, bicyclopyrone, bromacil, bromobutide, butafenacil, butamifos, cafenstrole, carfentrazone, cinidon-ethyl, chlorthal, cinmethylin, clomazone, cumyluron, cyprosulfamide, dicamba, difenzoquat, diflufenzopyr, Drechslera monoceras , endothal, ethofumesate, etobenzanid, fenoxasulfone, fentrazamide, flumiclorac-pentyl, flumioxazin, flupoxam, flurochloridone, flurtamone, indanofan, isoxaben, isoxaflutole, lenacil, propanil, propyzamide, quinclorac, quinmerac, mesotrione, methyl arsonic acid, naptalam, oxadiargyl, oxadiazon, oxaziclomefone, pentoxazone, pinoxaden, pyraclonil, pyraflufen-ethyl, pyrasulfotole, pyrazoxyfen, pyrazolynate, quinoclamine, saflufenacil, sulcotrione, sulfentrazone, terbacil, tefuryltrione, tembotrione, thiencarbazone, topramezone, (3-[2-chloro-4-fluoro-5-(3-methyl-2,6-dioxo-4-trifluoromethyl-3,6-dihydro-2H-pyrimidin-1-yl)-phenoxy]-pyridin-2-yloxy)-acetic acid ethyl ester, 6-amino-5-chloro-2-cyclopropyl-pyrimidine-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester, 6-chloro-3-(2-cyclopropyl-6-methyl-phenoxy)-pyridazin-4-ol, 4-amino-3-chloro-6-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-fluoro-pyridine-2-carboxylic acid, 4-amino-3-chloro-6-(4-chloro-2-fluoro-3-methoxy-phenyl)-pyridine-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester, and 4-amino-3-chloro-6-(4-chloro-3-dimethylamino-2-fluoro-phenyl)-pyridine-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the herbicide is pendimethalin, dimethenamid-P or a combination of pendimethalin and dimethenamid-P.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the herbicide is a combination of pendimethalin and dimethenamid-P and wherein the ratio of pendimethalin to dimethenamid-P is in the range of 1:10 to 5:1, based on the weight of the components.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the herbicide is used in an amount of 0.0001 to 0.1% by weight based on the particulate material.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the insecticide is selected from carbamates like thiodicarb, pyrethroids like alpha-cypermethrin, nicotinic receptor agonists and/or antagonists like clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, thiacloprid, dinotefuran, GABA antagonist compounds like fipronil, ryanodine receptor inhibitors like cyazypyr, rynaxapyr, and combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the insecticide is used in an amount of 0.0001 to 0.1% by weight of the particulate material.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fungicide is selected from respiration inhibitors like inhibitors of complex III at Q o site, preferably strobilurins, like azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, trifloxystrobin, or inhibitors of complex II, preferably carboxamides, like boscalid, fluopyram, fluxapyroxad, penflufen, penthiopyrad, sedaxane, sterol biosynthesis inhibitors, preferably C14 demethylase inhibitors, like difenoconazole, ipconazole, prothioconazole, triticonazole, nucleic acid synthesi

Assignees

• Basf Corp

Inventors

• Roller David
• Packer Brent
• Phillips Laura

Classifications

• A01G13/35

  Mulches, i.e. loose material · CPC title

• A01G24/23 Primary

  Wood, e.g. wood chips or sawdust · CPC title

• A01G24/42

  of granular or aggregated structure · CPC title

• B05B9/03 Primary

  characterised by means for supplying liquid or other fluent material {(B05B9/002 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B05D1/002

  the substrate being rotated · CPC title