Fertilizer particle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11034626-B2
Application number	US-201716462643-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2017
Priority date	Dec 1, 2016
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure provides robust fertilizer particles suitable for fertigation. A composition comprising mineral oil, primary alkylamines and water-insoluble particles may coat fertilizer particles and make them suitable for fertigation. Furthermore, the coated particles display reduced dusting tendency. The coating composition may be applied as a thin, single, continuous layer covering the particle core. The coating may avoid surface film problems when the particles are dissolved in water, even if the very hydrophobic mineral oil is less dense than water. It may be counterintuitive to include water-insoluble particles in a fertilizer particle for fertigation, however the claimed particles may be dissolved to make a fertigation solution that avoid problems in tanks, nozzles and piping of the fertigation systems.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fertilizer particle for fertigation, said particle comprising a core and a continuous coating, wherein
the core comprises inorganic nutrient salts, and
the continuous coating is a single layer and comprises 97 to 99% w/w of a mineral oil, 1 to 3% w/w primary alkylamines, and 0.1 to 1.0% w/w of water-insoluble particles, and represents 0.05 to 0.25% w/w of the particle.

2. The particle according to claim 1 , wherein the fertilizer particle is a NPK particle or a NP particle.

3. The particle according to claim 1 , wherein the core comprises a reaction product of at least one mineral acid selected from the group consisting of nitric acid, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, and mixtures thereof; and ammonia.

4. The particle according to claim 1 , wherein the core consists of a reaction product of at least one mineral acid selected from the group consisting of nitric acid, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, and mixtures thereof; and ammonia.

5. The particle according to claim 1 , wherein the core comprises less than 1.0% w/w of water-insoluble material.

6. The particle according to claim 1 , wherein the core comprises less than 0.7% w/w of water-insoluble material.

7. The particle according to claim 1 , wherein the core has a roughly spherical shape.

8. The particle according to claim 1 , wherein the continuous coating comprises 97 to 99% w/w of a mineral oil, and represents 0.05 to 0.20% of the weight of the particle.

9. The particle according to claim 1 , wherein the average diameter of the core is in the range of 2 to 4 mm.

10. The particle according to claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises 0.1 to 0.5% w/w of water-insoluble particles.

11. The particle according to claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises 0.1 to 0.5% w/w of talcum particles with an average particle size (d50) in the range of 10 to 30 μm.

12. The particle according to claim 1 , wherein the mineral oil comprises a hydrotreated heavy naphthenic petroleum fraction.

13. The particle according to claim 1 , wherein the primary alkylamines are hydrogenated tallow amines.

14. A method of fertigation, comprising the steps of:
(a) dissolving fertilizer particles according to claim 1 in water to form a solution, and
(b) distributing the solution from (a) to a plant.

15. A method for producing a fertilizer particle for fertigation, said method comprising the following steps:
a) reacting at least one mineral acid selected from the group consisting of nitric acid, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid and mixtures thereof; with ammonia to form a heated aqueous reaction mixture,
b) particulating the heated aqueous reaction mixture,
coating the particles from step b) with a single layer of a coating composition comprising 97 to 99% w/w of a mineral oil, 1 to 3% w/w primary alkylamines and 0.1 to 1.0% w/w of water-insoluble particles, such that the coating composition represents 0.05 to 0.25% w/w of the particles.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein water is evaporated from the heated aqueous reaction mixture to a level below 2% w/w before the particulation step.

17. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the viscosity of the mineral oil is in the range of 90 to 130 centistokes at 40° C.

18. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the particulation is a prilling, agitation, or spherodizing process.

19. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the coating composition comprises 0.1 to 0.5% w/w of water-insoluble particles.

20. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the coating composition represents 0.05 to 0.2% w/w of the particles.

21. A fertilizer particle obtained by the process according to claim 15 .

Assignees

• Yara Int Asa

Inventors

• Mutsaers Petrus Cornelis Maria
• Tande Terje

Classifications

• C05G3/00

  Mixtures of one or more fertilisers with additives not having a specially fertilising activity · CPC title

• C05B7/00 Primary

  Fertilisers based essentially on alkali or ammonium orthophosphates (C05B11/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01J2/30

  using agents to prevent the granules sticking together; Rendering particulate materials free flowing in general, e.g. making them hydrophobic · CPC title

• C05G5/12

  Granules or flakes · CPC title

• C05G3/30

  Anti-agglomerating additives; Anti-solidifying additives · CPC title