Patent Application
20240116833
The invention relates to polymer and sulfur coated fertilizers.
The concept of controlled release fertilizers (CRFs) is well known in the art. It involves protecting a granule comprising a fertilizer with a coating that will make the nutrients release into the field in a controlled manner. Within the different technologies of CRFs, sulfur coated urea (SCU) is currently the most important, see Trenkel, M. E. (2010) Slow-and controlled-release and stabilized fertilizers: An option for enhancing nutrient use efficiency in agriculture, International Fertilizer Industry Association.
Sulfur coated urea uses elemental sulfur (molten and recrystallized on the fertilizer granules) as the barrier coating. The process was developed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in the early 60s. Despite the generic name “SCU” sulfur can be used to coat different types of fertilizers not only urea e.g. potash, potassium chloride, MAP (monoammonium phosphate) and the like. More generally, the sulfur coated fertilizers can be abbreviated as SCF (sulfur coated fertilizers).
Commonly a topcoat layer is added to SCF to seal the imperfections and pores of the sulfur layer and to improve the abrasion resistance of the coating since sulfur is very brittle. The name PSCF (polymer sulfur coated fertilizers) is also used to indicate the presence of this polymer-containing layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,465 describes a top-coating polymeric composition consisting of 5-50% by weight of polymer selected from the group of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers and ethylene acrylic-acid copolymers and 95-50% of a hydrocarbon wax selected from the group of natural petroleum waxes having melt points around 60° C. and 80° C. and synthetic hydrocarbon waxes with melting points between 60° C. and 105° C.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,274 describes a composition of this top-coating layer to provide improved characteristics to sulfur coated fertilizers, consisting on a blend of hydrocarbon wax and polymers like ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymers, ethylene-vinyl alcohols copolymers, ethylene-vinyl alcohol-vinyl acetate terpolymers and mixtures thereof.
JPH11228274 (A) mentions the use of a sealant wax such as vegetable waxes like: wood wax, jojoba oil, carnauba wax, rice wax, candelilla wax; lanolin, honey wax, whale wax and the like. Animal waxes; mineral waxes such as montan wax, selecin, ozokelite; petroleum waxes such as paraffin wax, petrolatum, microcrystalin wax, synthetic hydrocarbon waxes such as fisher tropsch wax, polyethylene wax, and hardened castor oil. An extra protective layer consisting of a water-soluble polymer is also added chosen from the group of polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid, polymethacrylic acid, polyvinylamine, polyethylene oxide, methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, gelatin, gum arabic and maleic anhydride.
SCF (and PSCF) present, even in the most improved versions in the market, two typical undesired characteristics in their release (Trenkel 2010):
This is exemplified in
The middle line represents a product with a medium amount of coating. The resulting release profile also averages, but is not fully acceptable either.
There is, in consequence, a need to overcome these limitations to improve the release of the PSCFs. Firstly, by reducing the lock-off the fertilization efficiency improves which limits the (over-)dosing of PSCF. Secondly, by limiting the burst release the safety towards plants is improved. High amounts of fertilizers can damage small plants. If an amount of upfront release is needed—for instance when a plant is larger or well established—this can be achieved more economically by using uncoated fertilizers than by using a PSCF with a high burst initial release.
It is an object of the invention to provide a polymer coat layer on a sulfur coated fertilizer, such that good controlled release properties are obtained.
It is furthermore an object of this invention to provide an improved polymer coat layer for sulfur coated fertilizers, which can overcome the limitations mentioned above and present a low initial release combined with a gradual release over time limiting a nutrient lock off.
The invention, achieving either one, or both objectives described above, provides for a sulfur coated fertilizer granule, having a polymer coating on the sulfur layer, wherein the polymer coating comprises polycaprolactone.
The invention, achieving either one, or both objectives described above, also provides for a sulfur coated granular fertilizer having a polymer coating on the sulfur layer, wherein the polymer coating comprises an aliphatic polyester and wherein the coated fertilizer has the following characteristics when tested in a standardized water leach test:
The aliphatic polyester can be a polyester comprising aliphatic hydroxyacids, aliphatic dicarboxylic acids and/or aliphatic diols. Preferably, the aliphatic polyester comprises hydroxyacids such as ring-opened caprolactone, or other hydroxyacids comprising 4-10 carbon atoms. Preferably, the hydroxyacid is an α,ω-hydroxyacid.
In a preferred embodiment, the aliphatic polyester is a polycaprolactone. The polycaprolactone top-coating provides good balance properties between water barrier and water permeability to provide an outstanding controlled release pattern. The polycaprolactone layer shows good resistance to mechanical stress and has enough impact resistance to withstand process handling and final use in the field.
The polymer coating comprises a polycaprolactone, which may have a varying molecular weight, such as between about 1000 and about 50.000, and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the polycaprolactone has a molecular weight of about 30000 or lower. The polymer coating preferably comprises about 50 wt % or more of polycaprolactone, more preferably about 70 wt % or more.
The sulfur coated fertilizer with such a polycaprolactone coating layer provides outstanding release properties which are evident from the results on a standardized water leach test:
The sulfur coated granular fertilizer according to the present invention comprises a fertilizer core, a sulfur layer on the fertilizer core, and a polymer coating on the sulfur layer, wherein the polymer coating comprises an aliphatic polyester, preferably polycaprolactone.
The fertilizer core can be any granular fertilizer, and preferably is chosen from urea, KCl (MOP), K2SO4 (SOP), Ammonium sulfate, NH4NO3, mono ammonium phosphate (MAP), di ammonium phosphate (DAP), compound NPK fertilizers (like 21+10+11 NPK fertilizer composed of ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate and potassium sulphate) or mixtures thereof. Urea is most preferred. The fertilizer core has a size, as average diameter, between 0.5 and 10 mm, preferably between 1 and 5 mm.
The sulfur is present in amounts of between 5 and 30 parts by weight relative to the fertilizer core. Preferably, the amount is between 10 and 20 parts per hundred parts by weight (pph) of the fertilizer core, like for example about 12 pph or 16 pph relative to the fertilizer core. The sulfur generally is pure sulfur, and applied as molten pure compound.
Polycaprolactone (PCL) as used in this document refers to any polymer or copolymer including the following repeating unit:
This includes the standard polyester polymer but also the known as polycaprolactone diols or polycaprolactone triols in which the repeating unit is attached to a diol or a triol like e.g. diethylene glycol as shown in the structure below:
The number of repeating units in both figures is indicated by m and/or n. One can calculate the average repeating numbers from the average molecular weight.
Preferably, the polymer coating comprises a polycaprolactone having a varying molecular weight between about 1000 and about 50.000, and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the polycaprolactone has a molecular weight of about 30.000 or lower. In a more preferred embodiment, the polycaprolactone is a single product with one peak-molecular weight, or is a blend of polycaprolactone polymers with at least two peak molecular weights, wherein the average molecular weight of the polycaprolactone is in the range of about 5000 to about 20000, preferably about 6000 to about 15000.
Generally, the polymer coating on the sulfur coated fertilizer comprises 50 wt % or more of polycaprolactone, preferably more than 70 wt %. Additives or film forming components may be added. Suitable additives can be fillers for example to reduce potential tackiness or improve release, such as for example clay. Other suitable additives include plasticizers if relative high molecular weight polycaprolactones are used. Other suitable additives include film forming polymers, such as for example biodegradable polymers from hydroxy-acids. Other suitable additives include coloring agents to impart color to the coated fertilizer. Suitable colors include yellow, orange, green or red, and preferably an orange coloring agent is used.
In one embodiment, the polymer coating essentially consists of one or more polycaprolactone polymers, which means that the amount of polycaprolactones is about 95 wt % or more, preferably about 100 wt %.
In one preferred embodiment, the polymer coating comprises a mixture of polycaprolactones, wherein the mixture comprises between 5 to 95 wt % of a first polycaprolactone with a molecular weight between 9.000 and 50.000, and between 95 to 5 wt % of a polycaprolactone with a molecular weight between 1000 and 9000. In a more preferred embodiment, the blend ratio is chosen such that average molecular weight is in the range of about 5000 to about 20000, preferably about 6000 to about 15000.
In another embodiment, the polymer coating further comprises at least one of a wax or polymer other than polycaprolactone, preferably a biodegradable oligomer or polymer. Such wax, or polymer, which may have a molecular weight of for example between 300 and 3000, may be present in amounts of about 40 wt % or less, preferably about 20 wt % or less.
The amount of polymer coating relative to the fertilizer may vary depending on the required release and longevity, and generally will be between 1 pph to 10 pph. Preferably, the amount varies between about 1 to about 5 pph relative to the fertilizer weight.
In further embodiments, the sulfur and polymer coated fertilizer may have a further layer present on the fertilizer core, the sulfur coating, or on the polymer coating, such as a thin wax layer.
The fertilizer according the invention preferably exhibits in a laboratory water leach test the following combination of properties:
The initial release at 1 day generally is about 20% or less, preferably about 15% or less.
The nutrient release between days 14 and 21 in the water leach test is preferably about 5% or higher, and even more preferably about 6% or higher. Prior art coated products show a lock-off effect, and show a release of between about 2-3% between 14 and 21 days, as shown in the examples below.
The release over time depends on the required longevity, and can be relatively low for controlled release fertilizers that have a 6 month longevity. For controlled release fertilizers according to the present invention with a longevity of less than 4 months, the release between 14 and 21 days preferably is about 7% or more. For controlled release fertilizers according to the present invention than have a longevity between 4 to 6 months, the release between 14 days and 42 days (6 weeks), preferably is more than 15%, preferably about 20% or more.
The process of making a fertilizer according the invention comprises the steps of providing a sulfur coated granule with a temperature of about 60° C. or more, like for example about 80-85° C., and the providing the polymer coating components in the melt, after which the polymer coated sulfur coated granular fertilizer is cooled. Preferably, first the molten elemental sulfur is being sprayed onto the granular fertilizer substrate in a rotating drum by so called falling curtain S-spray system at about 85° C. In the next step the product is transported into a rotating drum where the molten composition polymer mixture is subsequently applied onto the sulfur-substrate-coated product and finally cooled. A solid polymer layer is formed during the spraying. The process can be done in a drum coater with baffles for efficient mixing.
In a preferred embodiment, in the process of making a fertilizer, a fertilizer core is heated to about 80° C. or more, sulfur is applied as a melt, and the polymer coating is applied while the sulfur coated fertilizer has not been cooled to below 40° C.
The invention will be further elucidated in the examples, without being limited thereto.
Materials
A commercial standard granular urea was used for the coating tests with the following characteristics: nutrient content 46% by weight of N, less than 0.3% moisture content (measured by Karl-Fischer titration), an average diameter of 3.2 mm. The urea granular material is sieved before use with standardized sieves: the fraction between 2.36-4.00 mm is used.
Also a different commercial standard urea manufactured by prilling process (prilled urea) instead of granulation was used in some examples. Prilled urea is a more challenging fertilizer to coat due to its smaller size, weaker mechanical resistance and the presence of cavities in the granule (pin-hole). This prilled urea has the following characteristics: nutrient content 46% by weight of N, less than 0.3% moisture content (measured by Karl-Fischer titration), and an average diameter of 2 mm.
The sulfur used in the coating of the urea granules was 99.9% pure sulfur in the shape of yellow granules. Melting point is 119° C.
The materials used as post-coat layers for the sulfur coated urea are:
Coating Procedure
2 kg of the granular (or prilled) urea described is fed to a rotating horizontal drum with four baffles. The drum was 35 cm diameter and it was kept rotating at approximately 35 rpm. The drum was heated with a hot air gun to keep urea at about 85° C. The sulfur is added from a hot-melt unit equipped with a pump, heated hose and manually actuated spray-gun with a standard 2 mm opening nozzle. The melting tank was heated to 140° C. The hose and the manual spray gun were heated to 150° C. The pump was set at 200 g/min sulfur flow. The air pressure was set at 2.0 bar. Pressurized air was heated and used to create the spray cone.
After the urea was heated to the desired temperature (85° C.) the spray was started. Molten sulfur from the spray solidifies on the granules creating a sulfur coating. When the desired coating weight of sulfur was achieved, the spray was stopped and granules allowed to cool down. In this case the sulfur coating weight was 15 pph (parts by weight per 100 parts of urea). Several batches were made and blended together to have sufficient and homogeneous sulfur-coated urea product to properly compare the different polymer-coat layers used.
For the coating with the post-coat layer, 700 g of the sulfur coated urea was placed in a rotating drum with 25 cm of diameter equipped with three baffles with a rotation speed of rpm. The drum was heated to maintain a temperature of the bed of sulfur coated urea of about 80° C. The post-coat blend chosen for the post-coat layer is molten (typically at around ˜130° C.) mixed thoroughly and added to the rotating bed of sulfur coated urea by dripping uniformly on the bed. When the desired amount of polymer was added, forced cooling with cold air is used to have a free flowing bed. The product was thereafter bagged and tested.
Analysis
The performance of the coated fertilizer was measured by the rate of nutrient release from the granule when contacted with water. Slower release rates indicate longer longevity of the product in terms of releasing its nutrients over time. The industry standards for determining the release characteristics of the product include the water leach release test.
Water Leach Release Test
In the water leach release test, a coated fertilizer was placed in water at 21° C. and tested at different time intervals, 24 hours, 7 days, 14 days, 21 days etcetera as required. In particular, twenty grams of coated fertilizer was placed into a flask with 400 mL of de-mineralized water. The flask containing the sample was inverted three times to allow for mixing and kept at 21° C. After a 24 hour period, the flask was inverted three times and a sample was taken to determine the amount of nutrients (nitrogen, N, in case of urea) in the water. The water was replaced and renewed with 400 mL of fresh de-mineralized water. The measurement was repeated again after 7 days. Extra measurement points can be obtained to be able to plot the release profile during the working time of the controlled release fertilizer. After the last measurement, the remaining particles were milled, dissolved to a known volume and analyzed to check closure of the mass balance for each nutrient component. Results are given as weight % of nutrient (N for urea) released into the solution at different times intervals.
Presence or absence of nutrient lock-off can be determined from the water leach release results by calculating the release between the days 14 and 21 in said water leach test. If the amount of nutrient released between days 14 and 21 in the water leach test is lower than 4% of the total nutrient content it is considered that there is nutrient lock-off.
Caking Sensitivity Test
Sensitivity to caking (tendency of granules to stick to each other after certain pressure is applied e.g. when stored) was measured. The caking test consists in filling a sample bag with 100 g product, seal the bag, place the bag between 2 parallel square plates of 15 cm×15 cm and place a 10 kg weight on top. The caking test is done in temperature controlled chambers at a desired temperature (40, 50 and 60° C. are typical) for 1 week. After 1 week the sample bag is evaluated, if all granules are still free flowing there is no caking. In case lumps are visible the product is sensitive to caking.
Field Release Test
The performance of the coated fertilizers was measured by the rate of nutrient release from the granule when contacted with soil, without specific plant growth. For each product to be tested 10 g material is weighed in a fertilizer rest bag which is made from a mesh enabling good contact with soil and water. The fertilizer rest bag is sealed and tagged for retrieval. The soil is equalized, and the fertilizer rest bags are buried in the soil horizontally 3 cm apart, 5 cm deep. The soil is kept moist during the entire trial time. At seven different times a triplicate sample of each product is retrieved and further analyzed. Per rest bag the particles are milled, dissolved to a known volume and analyzed for amount nutrient remaining in the granules. The amount of nutrient released over time is calculated form this. Results are given as weight % of nutrient (N for urea) released into the soil at different time intervals.
Mechanical Resistance Test
The performance of the mechanical resistance of the coated fertilizers was measured by water leach release test after the coated product underwent a mechanical resistance test. For this test, 50 g of product was put in a device mimicking the mechanical damage of the granules when going through an agricultural spreader. The device consists of a feeder for the coated granules which fall to the center of a rotating plate with perpendicular radial blades which hit and propel the granules away from the center simulating the “spreading” action. Coated granules are collected and performance is compared with the one of the coated granules not undergoing the mechanical resistance test.
In this example, a number of post-coat polymer coatings for sulfur coated urea as mentioned in the art were prepared and compared. Polymers chosen were: C30+(Ref Ex A), C30+/EVA (75/25 weight ratio) (Ref Ex B), beeswax (Ref Ex C), and paraffin wax (Ref Ex D). All products had a coating weight of sulfur of 15 pph and 3.5 pph of the post-coat. The release in a water leach test was used to compare the products. The results are shown in
In this example, PCL 1 and PCL 3 were blended in different proportions and used as coating. The ratios of PCL1/PCL3 were 90/10, 75/25 and 0/100 for examples 1, 2 and 3 respectively. All products were made with 15 pph of sulfur and 3.5 pph of post-coat layer. The release properties in the water leach test can be seen in
In this example different coating weights of polymer coating were used. The polymer coating chosen was a blend of PCL1 and PCL3 at a ratio of 90/10. Coated fertilizers were made with 15 pph of sulfur and 3.5, 4, 5 and 6 pph of polymer coating layer for examples 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively. The release properties in the water leach test can be seen in the graph in
Different coatings based on polycaprolactone were prepared, as follows:
Water release was measured, as shown in
Lock-Off Comparison
The samples of the previous examples were compared on the level of nutrient lock-off determined by the release between the days 14 and 21 of the water leach test. Next tables summarize this release for the reference samples and the example samples already presented.
Release 14-21 days for the reference samples (nutrient %)
Release 14-21 days for the example samples (nutrient %)
Comparison of Caking
Two samples of four different products (three Reference Examples and Example 2 product) were subjected to a caking test at different temperatures. All samples were containing 15 pph of sulfur and 3.5 pph of polymer coating, as described in the examples above.
The results are shown in the next table
Comparison of Field Release
Mechanical Testing Comparison
In this comparison a commercial material as used in
In these 3 experiments prilled urea instead of granular was coated to demonstrate its applicability in a more challenging to coat fertilizer. Both example 14 and Ref Ex E were coated with 25 pph of sulfur and 5 pph of polymer post-coat. Ref Ex E polymer post-coat is the same as Ref Ex B and it consists of C30+/EVA (75/25 weight ratio). Example 14 polymer post-coat is the same as Example 10 and it consists of a blend PCL2/PCL4 in a weight ratio 80/20. In example 15, 4 pph of polymer post-coat was used, of 100% polymer PCL4. The release properties in the water leach test can be seen in the graph in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21152416.0 | Jan 2021 | EP | regional |
| 21197479.5 | Sep 2021 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2022/051107 | 1/19/2022 | WO |
