Patent Application
20080072641
As mentioned above, if the glycerin is reacted with a polybasic acid such as citric acid, and the resultant product is used to coat a solid granular material such, as fertilizer, tire initial excellent control of dust and caking is maintained for a prolonged time. In addition, the coating is both biodegradable and non-toxic.
Tables 1-5 below provide examples of the improved dust control obtained by the present invention with various solid granular materials, including granulated borax, di-calcium phosphate, tri-calcium phosphate, mono-ammonium phosphate and di-ammonium phosphate. Dust levels were determined using a dust tower similar to that described In the “Manual for Determining Physical Properties of Fertilizer” 2nd edition, 1993, International Fertilizer Development Center, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, at pages 69-72. In this test the granular solid particles are passed through a counter current air stream and are agitated at the same time by passing through a series of grates. The dust particles are collected on a filter and the dust levels determined by measuring the changes in weight on an analytical balance. Dust levels were determined both initially after treatment with the de-dusting agents and again after aging for 14 days in a 140° F. (60° C.) oven. After removal from the oven the samples are allowed to cool for 24 hours. This aging process is designed to simulate the increase in dust levels normally encountered during the storage of granular solid materials.
Table 1 demonstrates the effectiveness of glycerin reacted with citric acid, in a 1 to 0.1ratio, in controlling dust on granular borax. Initial dust levels were determined after the borax was treated with mineral oil, vegetable oil and two commercial de-dusting agents at two application rates, 1.0 and 2.0 gallons per ton.
Tables 2 and 3 demonstrate the effectiveness of glycerin reacted with citric acid, in a 1 to 0.1 ratio and 1 to 0.2 ratio, in controlling dust on granular di-calcium phosphate and granular tri-calcium phosphate. Both initial dust levels and aged dust levels were determined after the calcium phosphates were treated with three commercial de-dusting agents suitable for use on animal feed ingredients at two application rates, 1.0 and 2.0 gallons per ton.
Tables 4 and 5 demonstrate the effectiveness of glycerin reacted with citric acid, in a 1 to 0.2 ratio and 1 to 0.8 ratio, in controlling dust on granular mono-ammonium phosphate and granular di-ammonium phosphate. Both initial dust levels and aged dust levels were determined after the ammonium phosphates were treated with mineral oil and two different commercial de-dusting agents, at application rates of 0.5 gallons per ion.
DUSTROL® or KGA™ de-dusting agents are commercial dust control agents, all manufactured and sold by ARR-MAZ Custom Chemicals, Inc., of Mulberry, Fla., US.
Accordingly, the invention is a dust control composition for fertilizers comprising a composition for coating fertilizer in which glycerin is reacted with a polybasic acid for producing said composition. A preferred polybasic acid is citric acid.
The preferred ratio of the polybasic acid to glycerin can be from 0.05 to 1 to 1 to 1, depending on the viscosity requirements for application to the fertilizer, and the desired application amount can range from 0.5 to 40 pounds per ton of fertilizer material.
The invention also includes a method for controlling dust and anti-caking of solid granular materials comprising applying to the material a coating composition comprising glycerin which has been reacted with a polybasic acid for producing said composition, as described above.
Fir purposes of unit conversion throughout this written description, in the United States, one ton is considered to be 2000 pounds or sometimes referred to as a short ion. A ton is equal to 0.9 tonnes (or 0.9 metric tons). A pound is equal to 0.45 kilograms (kg) and a gallon is equal to 3.8 liters. In addition, a temperature in ° C. is equal to 5/9(temperature in ° F−32).
It should be understood that the preceding is merely a detailed description of one or more embodiments of this invention and that numerous changes to the disclosed embodiments can be made in accordance with the disclosure herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The preceding description, therefore, is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined only by the appended claims and their equivalents.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/839,871 filed Aug. 24, 2006.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60839871 | Aug 2006 | US |
