Polyurethane foam for use as soil improver

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9988575-B2
Application number	US-201414895004-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2014
Priority date	Jun 24, 2013
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

Polyurethane foam flakes for use as additive to soil and/or other natural plant growth media for improving the water retention and/or reduction of the methane emission.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plant growth substrate comprising:
soil and/or other natural growth media, and
polyurethane foam flakes as an additive;

wherein the polyurethane foam flakes have a density of 25-100 kg/m 3 , a compression load deflection (CLD) at 40% of 5-50 kPa, a volume increase at water saturation of at most 25% and a water buffer capacity of 35-80%, wherein the polyurethane foam flakes have dimensions in the range 0.1-100 mm, and wherein the polyurethane foam flakes are present in the plant growth substrate in an amount ranging from 15 to 60 volume % where the volume % is calculated as the volume of polyurethane foam flakes in the total volume of plant growth substrate comprising the polyurethane foam flakes when the soil and/or other natural grown media are under aerobic conditions.

2. The plant growth substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the polyurethane foam flakes have a CLD in the range 5-15 kPa, a free-rise core density of 25 up to 70 kg/m 3 , and a water buffer capacity of 40-60%.

3. The plant growth substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the polyurethane foam flakes have a CLD of at least 20 kPa, a free-rise core density of 20 up to 50 kg/m 3 , a resilience of at most 30% and the volume increase at water saturation is at most 20%.

4. The plant growth substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the polyurethane foam flakes have a resilience of at most 40%, a compression load deflection (CLD) at 40% of at least 16 kPa, a free-rise core density of at least 20 kg/m 3 , and a volume increase at water saturation of at most 25%.

5. The plant growth substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the polyurethane foam flakes have dimensions in the range of 1-50 mm.

6. The plant growth substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the polyurethane foam flakes are coated with fertilizers or hardeners.

7. The plant growth substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the polyurethane foam flakes have dimensions in the range of 1-50 mm.

8. The plant growth substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the polyurethane foam flakes are coated with fertilizers or hardeners.

9. A plant growth substrate comprising:
soil and/or other natural growth media, and
polyurethane foam flakes as an additive;

wherein the polyurethane foam flakes have a density of 25-100 kg/m 3 , a compression load deflection (CLD) at 40% of 5-50 kPa, a volume increase at water saturation of at most 25% and a water buffer capacity of 35-80%, wherein the polyurethane foam flakes have dimensions in the range 0.1-100 mm, and wherein the amount of soil and/or other natural growth media to polyurethane foam flakes in the plant growth substrate has a volume ratio ranging from 10:90 to 90:10 volume % where the volume % is calculated as the volume of polyurethane foam flakes in the total volume of plant growth substrate comprising the polyurethane foam flakes when the soil and/or other natural grown media are under anaerobic conditions.

10. The plant growth substrate according to claim 9 , wherein the polyurethane foam flakes have a CLD in the range 5-15 kPa, a free-rise core density of 25 up to 70 kg/m 3 , and a water buffer capacity of 40-60%.

11. The plant growth substrate according to claim 9 , wherein the polyurethane foam flakes have a CLD of at least 20 kPa, a free-rise core density of 20 up to 50 kg/m 3 , a resilience of at most 30% and the volume increase at water saturation is at most 20%.

12. The plant growth substrate according to claim 9 , wherein the polyurethane foam flakes have a resilience of at most 40%, a compression load deflection (CLD) at 40% of at least 16 kPa, a free-rise core density of at least 20 kg/m 3 , and a volume increase at water saturation of at most 25%.

Assignees

• Huntsman Int Llc

Inventors

• Vandevelde Annelies
• Moureau Herman Eugene Germain
• Invernizzi Fabio
• Weggelaar Robert

Classifications

• A01G24/48

  containing foam or presenting a foam structure · CPC title

• C05G3/80

  Soil conditioners · CPC title

• C08G18/4804

  Two or more polyethers of different physical or chemical nature · CPC title

• C08G18/1825

  having hydroxy or primary amino groups · CPC title

• C08G18/161

  containing two or more components to be covered by at least two of the groups C08G18/166, C08G18/18 or C08G18/22 · CPC title