Homogeneous gas-evolving composition

Abstract

A homogeneous gas-evolving composition is provided that includes an acid, a gas-evolving acid neutralizing agent, and at least one of an inorganic carbonate, inorganic bicarbonate, alkaline peroxide, or alkaline azide. A water-soluble desiccant is homogeneously intermixed with the acid and the gas-evolving acid neutralizing agent. The desiccant is present in an amount able to absorb ambient moisture equivalent to at least 0.01 total weight percent of the composition before gas evolution of more than 50% of the theoretical gas evolution available from the composition. To confer storage stability, the acid, the gas-evolving acid neutralizing agent, and water-soluble desiccant cumulatively have a water content of less than 1 total weight percent water. Through appropriate selection of a desiccant or inclusion of a surfactant foaming agent, the composition foams upon drenching with water. The composition is particularly well suited for consistent usage of glyphosate herbicide. Plant growth inhibition is provided by wetting a plant with water and then applying the composition onto the plant. After allowing sufficient time, the composition absorbs the water and evolves gas, thereby spreading herbicide on the plant preferential to surrounding soil.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 701,775 filed Feb. 8, 2010, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention in general relates to a pelletized composition in the form of a dispersible granule, pellet, stick or powder for use in plant culture or for de-icing and anti-icing of paved surfaces and equipment and, in particular, to a pelletized composition with storage stability that foams upon contact with water.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]In the course of a growing season, modern plant culture dictates multiple treatments with fertilizer and pesticide; and in winter, where snow and ice are present for periods of time, proper property and equipment (e.g. aviation) maintenance requires the application of de-icing and anti-icing materials. A practitioner of plant culture must decide whether a particular treatment is best performed with a gran...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Each application method has limitations.

Specifically, while granule broadcast tends to provide a simple broadcast, generally long-term release and safe handling, granules are difficult to adhere to plant and equipment surfaces, create concentration gradients about each granule, and represent an ongoing potential toxin or physical entity that can be inadvertently contacted or ingested by humans or fauna, or pose mechanical problems for equipment such as maintenance and aviation equipment.

In contrast, spray treatment generally requires considerable skill for application, contacts only exposed foliage and equipment and surfaces receiving indirect drainage from other surfaces, and tends to dissipate, or “run off”, quickly.

Regardless of whether spray or granule broadcast is used, the application method is not completely satisfactory.

For instance, spray application fails to reach pests dwelling on the underside of foliage and is quickly dissipated and leached into soil by rain, and liquid de-icers and anti-icers can cause environmental wastewater management problems because a significant excess amount of product must be used in order to allow for adequate contact time.

Granular pesticide formulations often require the use of additional pesticide due to inefficiencies in the timely release, or efficient environmental extraction, of the pesticide from the associated granular substrate materials.

While there exists a need for a granule that, through foaming upon contact with water, has desirable attributes of both granule, broadcast and spray treatment for use in plant culture and / or in de-icing and anti-icing, the moisture reactivity of components needed to induce foaming has left prior art products vulnerable to ambient humidity premature activation.

Unfortunately, the natural oils are degraded by drying to a low water content.

Additionally, dried plant stuffs such as leaves, roots, or stalks of medicinal herbs suffer from low moisture absorption, low densities, and enhance pelletized composition porosity.

Segregation of components into separate layers of a granule largely overcomes ambient humidity premature activation but at the expense of a more complicated process of manufacture.