SURFACTANT COMPOSITION AND USE THEREOF

Abstract

A surfactant composition comprising (a) a fatty acid salt; (b) a sulfosuccinate based compound; and (c) an alkyl sulfate is provided. A solid agrochemical composition containing said surfactant composition and the use thereof is also provided.

Claims

1. A surfactant composition comprising: (a) a fatty acid salt; (b) a sulfosuccinate based compound; and (c) an alkyl sulfate.

2. The surfactant composition according to claim 1, wherein the fatty acid salt is a salt of a C.sub.8 to C.sub.22 fatty acid.

3. The surfactant composition according to claim 1, wherein the sulfosuccinate based compound is an agriculturally acceptable salt of mono-ester of sulfosuccinic acid, an agriculturally acceptable salt of di-ester of sulfosuccinic acid, each of which is optionally alkoxylated, or a mixture thereof.

4. The surfactant composition according to claim 1, wherein the sulfosuccinate based compound is according to the general formula (I): ##STR00004## wherein: R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, same or different, is ##STR00005## wherein R.sub.3 is H, C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyalkyl or hydroxyalkenyl; R.sub.4 is C.sub.1-C.sub.22 alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyalkyl or hydroxyalkenyl; n is 0 or an integer of 1 to 100; X.sup.+ is H or a cation.

5. The surfactant composition according to claim 1, wherein the alkyl sulfate is according to the general formula (II):
R.sub.5OSO.sub.3.sup.−M.sup.+  (II) wherein R.sub.5 is a C.sub.1-C.sub.22 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group, either linear or branched, M.sup.+ is a cation.

6. The surfactant composition according to claim 1, wherein the fatty acid salt is present in an amount of from 1% to 50%, based on total weight of the surfactant composition.

7. The surfactant composition according to claim 1, wherein the sulfosuccinate based compound is present in an amount of from 1% to 50%, based on total weight of the surfactant composition.

8. The surfactant composition according to claim 1, wherein the alkyl sulfate is present in an amount of from 1% to 90%, based on total weight of the surfactant composition.

9. The surfactant composition according to claim 1, wherein the surfactant composition further comprises an alkylpolysaccharide.

10. A solid agrochemical composition comprising an agriculturally active ingredient and the surfactant composition according to claim 1.

11. The solid agrochemical composition according to claim 10, wherein the agriculturally active ingredient is one or more selected from a herbicide, an insecticide, a fungicide, an acaricide, and a rodenticide.

12. The solid agrochemical composition according to claim 10, wherein the the solid agrochemical composition comprises said surfactant composition in an amount of from 0.1% to 10%, based on total weight of the solid agrochemical composition.

13. The solid agrochemical composition according to claim 10, wherein the solid agrochemical composition is a water dispersible granule (WDG), dry flowable (DF), wettable powder (WP), suspension concentrate (SC), suspoemulsion (SE), slow dispersing granule (GR) or a water soluble granule (WSG) formulation.

14. The solid agrochemical composition according to claim 10, wherein the solid agrochemical composition is substantially free or completely free of chelating agents.

15. A method for reducing or controlling foaming of a solid agrochemical composition, wherein the method comprises a step of adding to the composition a surfactant composition comprising: (a) a fatty acid salt; (b) a sulfosuccinate based compound; and (c) an alkyl sulfate.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Throughout the description, including the claims, the term “comprising one” or “comprising a” should be understood as being synonymous with the term “comprising at least one”, unless otherwise specified. The terms “between” and “from . . . to . . . ” should be understood as being inclusive of the limits.

[0018] The articles “a”, “an” and “the” are used to refer to one or to more than one (i.e., to at least one) of the grammatical object of the article.

[0019] It should be noted that in specifying any range of concentration, weight ratio or amount, any particular upper concentration, weight ratio or amount can be associated with any particular lower concentration, weight ratio or amount, respectively.

[0020] As used herein, the term “alkyl” means a saturated hydrocarbon radical, which may be straight, branched or cyclic, such as, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, iso-propyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, t-butyl, pentyl, n-hexyl, cyclohexyl.

[0021] As used herein, the term “alkenyl” as a group or part of a group denotes an aliphatic hydrocarbon group containing at least one carbon-carbon double bond and which may be straight or branched. The group may contain a plurality of double bonds in the normal chain and the orientation about each is independently E or Z. Exemplary alkenyl groups include, but are not limited to, ethenyl, propenyl, butenyl, pentenyl, hexenyl, heptenyl, octenyl and nonenyl. The group may be a terminal group or a bridging group.

[0022] As used herein, the term “hydroxyalkyl” means an alkyl radical, which is substituted with a hydroxyl groups, such as hydroxymethyl, hydroxyethyl, hydroxypropyl, and hydroxydecyl.

[0023] As used herein, the terminology “(C.sub.n-C.sub.m)” in reference to an organic group, wherein n and m are each integers, indicates that the group may contain from n carbon atoms to m carbon atoms per group.

[0024] As used herein, the term “agriculturally acceptable salts” refers to salts prepared from agriculturally acceptable non-toxic bases or acids including inorganic or organic bases and inorganic or organic acids. Typical agriculturally acceptable salts referred to herein comprise an anion derived from the compound, for example, by deprotonation of a hydroxy or hydroxyalkyl substituent, and one or more positively charged counterions. Suitable positively charged counterions include inorganic cations and organic cations, such as for example, sodium cations, potassium cations, calcium cations, magnesium cations, isopropylamine cations, ammonium cations, and tetraalkylammonium cations.

[0025] The surfactant composition of the present invention comprises a fatty acid salt, a sulfosuccinate based compound, and an alkyl sulphate (also referred to as “alkyl sulphate”).

[0026] The fatty acid salt suitable for the invention may include any fatty acid suitable for use with an agriculturally active ingredient. In one embodiment, the fatty acid salt is a salt of a C.sub.8 to C.sub.22 fatty acid, which may be saturated or unsaturated (e.g., one of more degrees of unsaturation such as cis and/or trans). Without limitation, examples of saturated fatty acids include C.sub.12 (lauric acid), C.sub.14 (myristic acid), C.sub.16 (palmitic acid), and C.sub.18 (stearic acid). Without limitation, examples of unsaturated fatty acids include C.sub.18 (oleic acid and elaidic acid).

[0027] The fatty acid salts may include any suitable salts. Without limitation, examples of suitable salts include ammonium and alkyl amine salts (e.g. NH.sub.4.sup.+, NHEt.sub.3.sup.+), alkali metal (e.g. Li.sup.+, Na.sup.+, K.sup.+) and alkaline earth (e.g. Mg.sup.2+ and Ca.sup.2+) salts, and trivalent metal salts (e.g. Al.sup.3+). Without limitation, examples of suitable fatty acid salts include sodium stearate, sodium oleate, aluminum stearate, or combinations thereof.

[0028] The sulfosuccinate based compound include agriculturally acceptable salts of mono-esters of sulfosuccinic acid, agriculturally acceptable salts of di-esters of sulfosuccinic acid, each of which may optionally be alkoxylated, as well as mixtures thereof.

[0029] Examples of the sulfosuccinate based compound include and are not limited to:

disodium monooctylsulfosuccinate, disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate, disodium isodecyl sulfosuccinate, disodium tridecyl sulfosuccinate, diammonium lauryl sulfosuccinate, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, disodium decyl-PEG-4 sulfosuccinate, disodium laureth-5 sulfosuccinate, disodium laurimide (MEA) sulfosuccinate, disodium cocamide MIPA sulfosuccinate, disodium oleamido MIPA sulfosuccinate, disodium oleylamido PEG-2 sulfosuccinate, disodium cocamido MEA sulfosuccinate, diammonium lauramido MEA sulfosuccinate, sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate, sodium bistridecyl sulfosuccinate, sodium dihexyl sulfosuccinate, sodium dicyclohexyl sulfosuccinate, sodium diamyl sulfosuccinate, sodium diisobutyl sulfosuccinate.

[0030] Preferably, the sulfosuccinate based compound is according to the general formula (I):

##STR00001##

wherein:
R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, same or different, is

##STR00002##

wherein R.sub.3 is H, C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyalkyl or hydroxyalkenyl, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, iso-propyl, butyl, and iso-butyl, preferably R.sub.3 is H or methyl;
R.sub.4 is C.sub.1-C.sub.22 alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyalkyl or hydroxyalkenyl, preferably C.sub.1-C.sub.16 alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyalkyl or hydroxyalkenyl, more preferably C.sub.4-C.sub.16 alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyalkyl or hydroxyalkenyl, still more preferably C.sub.8-C.sub.16 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl;
n is 0 or an integer of 1 to 100, preferably 0 or an integer of 1 to 50, more preferably 0 or an integer of 1 to 30, in particular, n is an integer of 1 to 30;
X.sup.+ is H or a cation, for example, NH.sub.4, an alkali metal such as sodium, potassium and calcium, an alkyl substituted ammonium such as ethylamine, propylamine and isopropylamine, and a hydroxyalkyl substituted ammonium such as alkanolamine.

[0031] More preferably, the sulfosuccinate based compound is according to the general formula (I):

##STR00003##

wherein:
R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, same or different, is R.sub.4—O—, wherein R.sub.4 is C.sub.1-C.sub.22 alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyalkyl or hydroxyalkenyl, preferably C.sub.1-C.sub.16 alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyalkyl or hydroxyalkenyl, more preferably C.sub.4-C.sub.16 alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyalkyl or hydroxyalkenyl, still more preferably C.sub.8-C.sub.16 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl;
X.sup.+ is H or a cation, for example, NH.sub.4, an alkali metal such as sodium, potassium and calcium, an alkyl substituted ammonium such as ethylamine, propylamine and isopropylamine, and a hydroxyalkyl substituted ammonium such as alkanolamine.

[0032] Further examples of the sulfosuccinate based compound include Aerosol® series (Solvay), the Agrilan® or Lankropol® series (Akzo Nobel), the Empimin® series (Albright & Wilson), the Cropol® series (Croda), the Lutensit® series (BASF), the Triton® series (Union Carbide), the Geropon® series (Solvay), the Imbirol®, Madeol® or Polirol® series (Cesalpinia).

[0033] Alkyl sulfates are known compounds. The alkyl sulfate suitable for the present invention may be a linear alkyl sulfate or a branched alkyl sulfate. The alkyl sulfate may be a primary alkyl sulfate or a secondary alkyl sulfate. In the cases of branched alkyl sulfates, the alkyl sulfate may comprise one, two or more branches.

[0034] The alkyl sulfate includes:

1. primary akyl sulfates derived from alcohols made by Oxo reaction on propylene or n-butylene oligomers;
2. primary alkyl sulfates derived from oleic-containing lipids;
3. primary alkyl sulfates, for example the so-called “tridecyl” types derived from oligomerizing propylene with an acid catalyst followed by Oxo reaction;
4. primary alkyl sulfates derived from “Neodol” or “Dobanol” process alcohols: these are Oxo products of linear internal olefins or are Oxo products of linear alpha-olefins. The olefins are derived by ethylene oligomerization to form alpha-olefins which are used directly or are isomerized to internal olefins and metathesized to give internal olefins of differering chain-lengths;
5. primary alkyl sulfates derived from the use of “Neodol” or “Dobanol” type catalysts on internal olefins derived from feedstocks which differ from those normally used to make “Neodol” or “Dobanol” alcohols, the internal olefins being derived from dehydrogenation of paraffins from petroleum;
6. primary alkyl sulfates derived from conventional (e.g., high-pressure, cobalt-catalyzed) Oxo reaction on internal olefins, the internal olefins being derived from dehydrogenation of paraffins from petroleum;
7. primary alkyl sulfates derived from conventional (e.g., high-pressure, cobalt-catalyzed) Oxo reaction on alpha-olefins;
8. primary alkyl sulfates derived from natural linear fatty alcohols such as those commercially available from Procter & Gamble Co.;
9. primary alkyl sulfates derived from Ziegler alcohols such as those commercially available from Albermarle;
10. primary alkyl sulfates derived from reaction of normal alcohols with a Guerbet catalyst (the function of this well-known catalyst is to dehydrogenate two moles of normal alcohol to the corresponding aldehyde, condense them in an aldol condensation, and dehydrate the product which is an alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehyde which is then hydrogenated to the 2-alkyl branched primary alcohol, all in one reaction “pot”);
11. primary alkyl sulfates derived from dimerization of isobutylene to form 2,4,4′-trimethyl-1-pentene which on Oxo reaction to the aldehyde, aldol dimerization, dehydration and reduction gives alcohols;
12. secondary alkyl sulfates derived from sulfuric acid addition to alpha- or internal-olefins;
13. primary alkyl sulfates derived from oxidation of paraffins by steps of (a) oxidizing the paraffin to form a fatty carboxylic acid; and (b) reducing the carboxylic acid to the corresponding primary alcohol;
14. secondary alkyl sulfates derived from direct oxidation of paraffins to form secondary alcohols;
15. Primary or secondary alkyl sulfates derived from various plasticizer alcohols, typically by Oxo reaction on an olefin, aldol condensation, dehydration and hydrogenation (examples of suitable Oxo catalysts are the conventional Co, or more recently, Rh catalysts); and
16. primary or Secondary alkyl sulfates other than of linear primary type, for example phytol, farnesol, isolated from natural product sources.

[0035] Preferably, the alkyl sulfate is represented by the general formula (II):

R.sub.5OSO.sub.3.sup.−M.sup.+  (II)

wherein R.sub.5 is a C.sub.1-C.sub.22 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group, either linear or branched, M.sup.+ is a cation, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, ammonium, and organic derivatives thereof, such as monoethanolamine, diethanolamine or triethanolamine. In some preferred embodiments, M.sup.+ is sodium or ammonium.

[0036] Further examples of the alkyl sulfate include Rodapon® LS-94/WP (Solvay), Rhodapon® UBWX (Solvay), Carsonol® SLS (Lonza).

[0037] The alkyl sulfate may also be a blend of alkyl sulfates having different alkyl chain lengths.

[0038] The surfactant composition may be provided as a discrete composition for use in dispersing an active ingredient in solid form, such as formulated into a WDG, SC or WP, or alternatively simply formulated together with the active ingredient.

[0039] The surfactant composition preferably contains the fatty acid salt in an amount of from 1% to 50%, more preferably from 1% to 30%, based on total weight of the surfactant composition.

[0040] The surfactant composition preferably contains the sulfosuccinate based compound in an amount of from 1% to 50%, more preferably from 1% to 30%, based on total weight of the surfactant composition.

[0041] The surfactant composition preferably contains the alkyl sulfate in an amount of from 1% to 90%, more preferably from 10% to 80%, based on total weight of the surfactant composition.

[0042] In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a solid agrochemical composition comprising:

a) an agriculturally active ingredient;
b) a fatty acid salt;
c) a sulfosuccinate based compound; and
d) an alkyl sulfate.

[0043] The agriculturally active ingredient is notably an active ingredient in solid form, either the active ingredient per se is solid, or the active ingredient is a solid or liquid which is provided in solid form, for example, loaded on a solid carrier.

[0044] The agriculturally active ingredient include any chemical substance that adversely effects the longevity, reproductive capability, and/or growth or metabolic function of plants, insects, fungi, and/or other various phyla. In particular, the agriculturally active ingredient is one or more selected from a herbicide, an insecticide, a fungicide, an acaricide, and a rodenticide.

[0045] The agriculturally active ingredient includes without limitation herbicides (e.g., triazines, ureas and sulphonyl ureas), insecticides (e.g., imidacloprid, fipronil and synthetic pyrethroids), fungicides, biocides, molluscicides, algaicides, plant growth regulators, anthelmintics, rodenticides, nematocides, acaricides, amoebicides, protozoacides, crop safeners, adjuvants, or combinations thereof. Without limitation, examples of the agriculturally active ingredients in granulated or powder form in agricultural applications include triazine herbicides such as simazine, atrazine, terbuthylazine, terbutryn, prometryn and ametryn; urea herbicides such as diuron and fluometron; sulphonyl urea herbicides such as chlorsulfuron, metsulfuron methyl, nicosulfuron and triasulfuron; sulphonanilide herbicides such as flumetsulam; organophosphate insecticides such as azinphos methyl, chlorpyrifos, sulprofos and azamethiphos; carbamate insecticides such as aldicarb, bendiocarb, carbaryl and fenobucarb (2-sec-butylphenyl methylcarbamate); synthetic pyrethroids such as bifenthrin; fungicides including chlorothalonil, dimethomorph, benomyl, carbendazim, mancozeb; triazoles such as hexaconazole and diniconazole; and acaricides such as propargite.

[0046] In some embodiments, the agriculturally active ingredient is a triazine such as atrazine and simazine. In some embodiments, the agriculturally active ingredient is a triazine, urea, or combination thereof in a WDG or WP formulation. It is appreciated that the compositions may include one or more than one agriculturally active ingredient.

[0047] The solid agrochemical composition may comprise the surfactant composition, which contains the fatty acid salt, the sulfosuccinate based compound and the alkyl sulfate, in an amount of from 0.1% to 10%, preferably from 0.5% to 5%, based on total weight of the solid agrochemical composition.

[0048] The surfactant composition or the agrochemical composition according to the present invention may further comprise other agriculturally suitable ingredients/excipients, such as solvents, pH modifiers, crystallization inhibitors, viscosity modifiers, suspending agents, spray droplet modifiers, pigments, antioxidants, light-blocking agents, compatibilizing agents, antifoam agents/antifoamers, sequestering agents, neutralizing agents, corrosion inhibitors, dyes, odorants, spreading agents, penetration aids, emolients, lubricants, sticking agents, dispersing agents/dispersants, thickening agents, freezing point depressants, antimicrobial agents, and insect repellants.

[0049] The surfactant composition or the agrochemical composition may comprise an additional wetting agent. The additional wetting agents are preferably alkylpolysaccharides, alcohol ethoxylates and alkylphenol ethoxylates. Since many of these are in liquid form, they are often provided in a solid form by incorporation into a solid matrix. Non-limiting examples from the alkylpolysaccharide class of wetting agents are alkylpolyglucosides derived from reaction with glucose and a primary hydrocarbon alcohol. Examples of the additional wetting agent that can be used include APG® 325, PLANTAREN® 2000, PLANTARN® 1300, AGRIMUL® PG 2067 (all from Cognis Corporation), ATPLUS® 438 and ATPLUS® 452 (from Uniqema, Inc.). In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the surfactant composition or the agrochemical composition further comprises an alkylpolysaccharide as the additional wetting agent, such as an alkylpolyglycoside (APG).

[0050] The surfactant composition or the agrochemical composition may further comprise defoamers. Suitable defoamers include all customary defoamers, preferably silicone-based defoamers, such as silicone oils, for example. Preferred defoamers are those from the group of linear polydimethylsiloxanes having an average dynamic viscosity, measured at 25° C., in the range from 1000 to 8000 mPas, preferably 1200 to 6000 mPas, and containing silica. Silica comprehends forms/modifications such as polysilicic acids, meta-silicic acid, ortho-silicic acid, silica gel, silicic acid gels, kieselguhr, precipitated S.sub.iO.sub.2, etc. Defoamers from the group of linear polydimethylsiloxanes contain as their chemical backbone a compound of the formula HO—[S.sub.i(CH.sub.3).sub.2—O—].sub.n—H, in which the end groups are modified, by etherification for example, or, in general, are attached to the groups —S.sub.i(CH.sub.3).sub.3. The amount of silica can be modified within a wide range and is generally situated in the range from 0.1 to 10 percent by weight, preferably 0.2 to 5 percent by weight, in particular 0.2% to 2% by weight, of silica, based on the weight of polydimethylsiloxane. Examples of defoamers of this kind are Rhodorsil® Antifoam 416 and Rhodorsil® Antifoam 481 (Solvay). Further defoamers from the silicone group are Rhodorsil® 1824 (Solvay), Antimussol® 4459-2 (Clariant), Defoamer V 4459 (Clariant), SE Visk and AS EM SE 39 (Wacker).

[0051] The surfactant composition or the agrochemical composition may further include surfactants as dispersing agents, which include but are not limited to salts of alkylphenol condensates, salts of sulphonated lignins, salts of poly acid resin copolymers, salts of polyphenol formaldehyde resins, salts of polyarylether sulfates such as tristyrylphenolethoxylate sulfate salts, alkoxylated alkylphenols and alcohols as well as block copolymers of ethyleneoxide and propylene oxide. Examples of dispersant that may be used include Geropon® Ultrasperse, Geropon® T/36, Geropon® SC/213, Geropon® TA/72 from Solvay, Atlox Metasperse 550S (Croda), Tersperse® 2700 (Huntsman).

[0052] The surfactant composition or the agrochemical composition may also include other insoluble materials that may be used in agricultural applications such as fillers and carriers, for example, but not limited to, natural and synthetic silicates and silicate minerals, mineral oxides and hydroxides and also natural and synthetically derived organic materials. Such materials may be added as porous carriers, as moisture inhibition agents, to aid binding or agglomeration properties of a formulation and/or to fill a formulation to a convenient weight. Examples of such fillers may include natural silicates such as diatomaceous earth, synthetic precipitated silicas, clays such as kaolin, attapulgites and bentonites, also zeolites, titanium dioxide, iron oxides and hydroxides, aluminium oxides and hydroxides, amorphous and crystalline silica, diatomite, talc, mica, urea-formaldehyde and polyphenolic resins and calcium carbonate, ammonium sulfate, sodium tripolyphosphate, calcium phosphate, urea and sodium carbonate or organic materials such as bagasse, charcoal, or synthetic organic polymers.

[0053] Preferably, the surfactant composition or the agrochemical composition according to the present invention is substantially free or completely free of chelating agents, such as ethylene diamine compounds. As used herein, the term “substantially free”, when used with reference to the absence of chelating agents, means that the surfactant composition or the agrochemical composition comprises from 0 to 0.1% by weight, preferably from 0 to 0.05% by weight of chelating agents, based on the total weight of the surfactant composition or the agrochemical composition. As used herein, the term “completely free”, when used with reference to the absence of chelating agents, means that the surfactant composition or the agrochemical composition comprises no chelating agents at all.

[0054] The solid agrochemical composition of the present invention may be WDG, DF, WP, SC, SE, GR, WSG formulations or any other solid dispersible formulation types as may be classified from time to time by the Crop Life International organization. For instance, the solid agrochemical composition may be a suspension concentrate or suspoemulsion formulation type (SC, SE) comprising water.

[0055] The solid agrochemical composition is usually dispersed in an aqueous medium before use. Dispersion may be achieved by any suitable methods. For instance, the method may take into account the nature of the composition and compatibility with the components of the composition. In a preferred embodiment, the dispersion of the composition in an aqueous solution is conducted either by hand or with a minimum of mechanical agitation. Mechanical agitation may include stirring, mixing, blending and other suitable processes. The pH of the aqueous dispersion may be from 2.0 to 10.0, preferably from 5.0 to 9.0.

[0056] The solid agrochemical composition can be prepared by mixing a combination of components including the surfactant composition described herein, A “combination” of components, may refer to an intimate mixture of components, optionally formulated together as a WDG, DF, WP, SC, SE, GR, or WSG, or merely placement of the respective components together in a dispersing or mixing vessel, or any other degree of admixture in between. Preparing an aqueous dispersion of the solid agrochemical composition refers to providing and dispersing a combination, this can include providing all the components formulated together as a WDG, DF, WP, SC, SE, GR, or WSG, or the active ingredient formulated as a WDG, DF, WP, SC, SE, GR, or WSG, and the surfactant composition or part of the surfactant composition described herein is provided either as separate components or as a “tank-mix” into the dispersing tank or vessel. Where at least one or more of the components are provided separately, they can be optionally first mixed together before dispersion, or alternatively, simply mixed during the dispersion process.

[0057] In still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for reducing or controlling the foaming of a solid agrochemical composition, comprising the step of adding to the agrochemical composition the surfactant composition described herein. Foaming in dispersions of the agrochemical composition can be reduced by incorporating the surfactant composition in the agrochemical composition.

[0058] The solid agrochemical compositions according to the present invention are especially suitable for use in crop protection wherein the compositions are applied to the plants, to parts of the plants or to the area under cultivation, such as to the soils in the area under cultivation.

Examples

Materials

[0059] Atrazine: 97% purity, from Hebei Shanli Chemical Co., Ltd;
Chlorothalonil: from Suli Co., Ltd.;
Simazine: from Zhejiang Zhongshan Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd.;
Fatty acid salt (FA): sodium cocoate;
Sulfosuccinate based compound (SS): sodium dioctylsulphosuccinate;
Alkyl sulfate (AS): Rodapon® LS-94/WP from Solvay;
Alkylpolysaccharide (AP): APG0810 from Yangzhou Chenhua New Material Co., Ltd.;
Dispersant: Geropon® Ultrasperse from Solvay;
Water C: CIPAC standard water, 500 ppm hardness;
Water D: CIPAC standard water, 342 ppm hardness.

Tests in Formulations Prepared by Liquid Mixing Method

[0060] The foaming reduction capacity of the inventive surfactant composition was tested by using formulations obtained by mixing the active ingredient, dispersant and wetting agent in water without a granulation process (liquid mixing method). This test enables quick and accurate evaluation of foaming and the results thereof have good consistency with results obtained by the standard foaming test which is developed by the Collaborative International Pesticides Analytical Council (CIPAC) and is described in Method MT 47.2, in which a granulation process is employed.

[0061] Specifically, Atrazine formulations were prepared by using liquid mixing method and according to the recipe as below:

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Components Content (wt %; excluding filler) Atrazine (97%) 92.8% Dispersant  4.5% Surfactant Composition   2%

[0062] The formulations were prepared by the following procedures. The Atrazine active ingredient was jet-milled before use, and then blended with the dispersant to form a powder mixture. The powder mixture was then diluted with Water D (CIPAC standard water, 342 ppm hardness) to form a 5 wt % (solid content) Solution A. Solution B was prepared by diluting the surfactant composition with Water D to give a final solid content of 2.5 wt %. Freshly prepared Solutions A and B were mixed in a cylinder for foam assessment. Typically, 19.46 g of Solution A and 0.8 g of Solution B were added in the cylinder, then topped up to 200 ml with Water D. The cylinder was then inverted for 30 times. The cylinder was then hold upright and kept in a water bath of 30° C. Volume of the foams generated in the formulations was measured and recorded at different time points post mixing, i.e. 0 sec, 1 min, and 3 mins.

[0063] The various surfactant compositions tested and the foaming test results are shown in Table 2 below:

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Surfactant Composition (wt %) Foam Volume (mm) AS SS FA AP 0″ 1′ 3′ EX1 90.0 5.0 5.0 — 86 80 38 EX2 85.0 5.0 10.0 — 82 56 20 EX3 80.0 5.0 15.0 — 80 50 14 EX4 85.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 70 48 8 CE1 100.0 — — — 78 78 78 CE2 90.0 10.0 — — 86 86 86 CE3 85.0 15.0 — — 88 88 88 CE4 95.0 — 5.0 — 82 82 46 CE5 90.0 — 10.0 — 72 72 66 CE6 85.0 — 15.0 — 72 72 70 CE7 90.0 — 5.0 5.0 88 88 62 CE8 90.0 5.0 5.0 86 86 86
(“EX” means Example and “CE” means Comparative Example)

[0064] Results showed that the inventive surfactant compositions led to markedly reduced foaming compared to other surfactant compositions tested. The reduced foaming was indicated by reduced foaming volume in the formulations post agitation.

[0065] In addition, the foaming of formulations that were prepared by the above mentioned liquid mixing method was tested in comparison with foaming of granule formulations which was measured according to the procedure described in CIPAC Method MT 47.2. Results are shown in Table 3 below:

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 #1 #2 #3 #4 Formulation Active Atrazine Dispersant Geropon ® Ultrasperse Wetting Agent Rodapon ® LS-94/WP Geropon ® L-WET/P Formulating Granule Liquid Granule Liquid Method Foaming (mm) 0″ 82 78 76 62 1′ 82 78 16 10 3′ 54 78 2 6

[0066] Rodapon® LS-94/WP used in the above tests was a wetting agent which by itself caused high foaming while Geropon® L-WET/P was a wetting agent which cased comparatively low foaming. Results showed that the foaming test results of formulations prepared by the liquid mixing method had substantially similar trend with those of formulations prepared by standard granular method, in both high and low foaming formulations. Such results demonstrated that the liquid mixing method can enable accurate evaluation of foaming in agro formulations.

Tests in WDG Formulations

[0067] In this set of experiments, WDG formulations were prepared and properties of the formulations, including suspensibility, foaming and disintegration, were tested.

[0068] WDG granules were prepared according to formulations shown in Table 4 below. The testing results were shown in Table 5 below:

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Formulation (wt %) EX5 EX6 EX7 CE9 EX8 CE10 EX9 CE11 Atrazine (97%) 92.8 92.8 92.8 92.8 — — — — Chlorothalonil — — — — 90 90 — — Simazine — — — — — — 90 90 Wetting Agent 1 1.5 2.0 2.5 — 2.0 — 2.0 — Wetting Agent 2 — — — 2.0 — 2.0 — 2.0 Dispersant 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 6.0 6.0 4.0 4.0 Kaolin 1.2 0.7 0.2 0.7 — — — — Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

[0069] Wetting Agent 1 is the surfactant composition according to Example 3. Wetting Agent 2 is the surfactant composition according to Comparative Example 1.

[0070] The granules formulations were made by first milling the solid active ingredient, and then blending with the dispersant and the wetting agent powder in a lab blender. A quantity of water approximately 20% (W/W) was added while the powder was mixed under agitation. The partly wet powder was then extruded through a 1 mm screen on a laboratory scale basket type extruder. The strands extruded were broken to approximately uniform size by shaking and then dried to a residual water content of approximately 0.5% (W/W).

[0071] Foaming of the formulations was measured by following the procedure as described above. Foaming at room temperature and 30° C. (1 min post agitation) was measured, respectively.

[0072] Suspensibility of the formulations was measured by following the procedure described in CIPAC Method MT15. Generally, the granules (2.5 g) were dissolved in Water C (CIPAC standard water, 500 ppm hardness) at 30° C. and then transferred to a cylinder. The sample was topped up to 250 ml with Water C and the cylinder was sealed. The sample was sufficiently agitated and then put in a water bath of 30° C. for 30 mins. Then, 225 ml of suspension was taken out from the top and the residual 25 ml at the bottom was transferred to a glass plate, dried and weighted. Degree of suspensibility was calculated as: (total weight of granules−weight of the residue)/total weight of granules. The total weight of granules was 2.5 g in this case.

[0073] Disintegration was measured by using the following procedure. 100 ml of Water C (30° C. or 10° C.) were added into a cylinder, 1.0 g of the WDG granules was transferred into the cylinder and sealed. Inverted the cylinder with a speed of 2 second/inversion until the granules were fully dispersed. The time for obtaining full dispersion was recorded. Results are shown in Table 5 below:

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 EX5 EX6 EX7 CE9 EX8 CE10 EX9 CE11 Suspensibility >99% >99% >99%  >99% >99% >99% >99%    98% Foaming —   10   —    82   — — — — (RT, mm) Foaming   18      0      0      76      4     70     30      68   (30° C., mm) Desintegration   30”   32”   30”    30”   32”   32”   36”    36” (30° C.) Desintegration   54”   54”   52” >120”   54”   70”   80” >120” (10° C.)

[0074] Results showed that the inventive surfactant composition (e.g. Wetting Agent 1) led to satisfactory suspensibility. In addition, the formulations containing the inventive surfactant composition exhibited reduced foaming compared to those containing alkyl sulfate alone (e.g. Wetting Agent 2). Furthermore, the formulations containing the inventive surfactant composition exhibited shorter disintegration time at low temperature. Such faster disintegration is particularly advantageous for solid agrochemical formulations, especially for use in low temperature environment.