Manufacture and use of agricultural spray adjuvants for hard water conditions

Abstract

The invention pertains to a method for manufacture and use of pesticides or agricultural spray adjuvants that counteracts the effects of hard water cat ions on anionic pesticides when applied in water spray solutions.

Claims

1. A water soluble glyphosate composition consisting essentially of: (a) an aqueous glyphosate solution consisting of glyphosate or salt thereof as the sole pesticide active ingredient; (b) a mixture consisting of an effective amount of a mineral acid selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid and 30-50 wt percent of a polyamine surfactant selected from the group consisting of tallow amine ethoxylate and coco amine ethoxylate combined in an agricultural spray solution; wherein said composition does not contain ammonium sulfate (AMS); and wherein said composition consists of a ratio of 1 quart to 2 gallons of (b) to 100 gallons of (a); and wherein said composition has a pH above the PKa.sub.2 of glyphosate, and wherein better herbicidal efficacy is provided in comparison to 5-20 pounds AMS per 100 gallons of (a).

2. The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein said acid has the ability to completely or nearly completely dissociate in water and react with cations.

3. The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein said polyamine surfactant is tallow amine ethoxylate.

4. A water soluble glyphosate composition of claim 1 wherein said composition consists of a ratio of 1 quart to 1 gallon of (b) to 100 gallons of (a).

5. The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein said polyamine surfactant is coco amine ethoxylate.

6. The composition as claimed in claim 3, wherein said mineral acid is sulfuric acid.

7. The composition as claimed in claim 3, wherein said mineral acid is hydrochloric acid.

8. The composition as claimed in claim 5, wherein said mineral acid is sulfuric acid.

9. The composition as claimed in claim 5, wherein said mineral acid is hydrochloric acid.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows the effect of Formula 21-1 relative to AMS on the reduction of hardwater tie up of glyphosate salt as a percent control of annual bluegrass.

(2) FIG. 2 shows the effect of Formula 21-1 relative to AMS on restoring the activity of glyphosate under hard water conditions as a percent control of annual bluegrass.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(3) Strong mineral acids were added to polymers in an attempt to deliver a controlled amount of acid into a spray solution. The acid would act as a hard water cation scavenger. The mixture would be an agronomic spray hard water scavenger system. In the preferred example sulfuric acid was added to tallow amine. Heat was given off indicating some reaction. However, pH measurements of spray mixtures taken before and after the addition of the hard water scavenger system shows that free acid still existed.

(4) Knowing that any potential spray solution which could be contemplated would have to stay above a pH of which is higher that the pKa of most anionic pesticides. Differing mixtures of several examples where made up. Table 1, Table 2, Table 3. It was thought that this would be a more efficient method to condition the spray waters than current practice of using Ammonium Sulfate (AMS). However, the mixture would have to remain stable, not drop the pH below the pKa of anionic pesticides and work as well as or better than AMS. The efficiency would be gained by replacing large bags of dry AMS (17.5 lbs/100 gallons spray solution) or large volumes (5 gallon/100 gallons spray solution) of liquid AMS with 1 quart to 1 gallon per 100 gallons of spray solution with this kind of product. Also this liquid product would go into solution much faster than the current AMS goes into solution adding even more efficiency.

(5) It was discovered that cationic macro molecules would make a stable mix with sulfuric acid. Also, cationic surfactant would act as a system that would deliver enough free acid to tie up hard water cations. While at the same time maintain the pH of the spray water above the pKa of the active ingredient being sprayed thus increasing the efficacy of the pesticide.

(6) It was surprising to discover that these mixtures increased or maintained the efficacy of anionic pesticides under hard water conditions much better than the current practice of adding Ammonium Sulfate (FIG. 1 and FIG. 2).

(7) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Example 1 Formula 21-1 Water 65.9%/wt Tallow Am 3780 30.0 SAG 10 0.1 93% Sulfuric 4.0

(8) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Example 2 Formula 21-2 Water 45.9%/wt Tallow Am 3780 50.0 SAG10 0.1 93% Sulfuric 4.0

(9) TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Example 3 INGREDIENT %/WT Diethylene Glycol 17.80 NP-10 50.00 AU391 30.00 93% Sulfuric Acid 2.00 SAG 10 [ 0.20