BR102018002415A2 - PROCESS FOR PRODUCTION OF GRADUALLY RELEASED FERTILIZER CONTAINING UNIFORM QUANTITIES IN EACH MACRO AND MICRO NUTRIENT GRAIN MAY BE OBTAINED BY COATING OF GRANULATED FERTILIZERS AND POSTERIOR FERTILIZERS PERSONALLY POSTERIORIZING BY FERTILIZER MORE AGRICULTURAL ADDITIVES - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is in the field of sustainable agriculture referring to a process of gradual release granulated fertilizer production. One of the process routes, called coating, is the mixture of one or more fertilizers to be coated with agricultural additives. In the granulation route, both powdered fertilizers and agrifineral additives are granulated together. agromineral additives used in the present invention comprise rocks containing any type of macro or micronutrient, such as, for example, green arene-pelitic rhythmite and / or green glauconitic and / or green siltstone and / or green metasilite and / or verdigris type rocks. and / or potassium and phosphate rocks generally. In the present invention it is possible to incorporate powdered macro and micronutrients on the surface of the granules to be coated with agromineral additives in order to obtain a high agronomic efficiency fertilizer product. Granular materials such as urea, simple superphosphate, triple superphosphate, mono-ammonium phosphate, kcl may be employed as coating fertilizers, as well as alternative fertilizers and other materials that perform functions of interest to soil or plants.

Description

PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GRANULATED FERTILIZER OF GRADUAL RELEASE CONTAINING UNIFORM QUANTITIES IN EACH GRAIN OF MACRO AND MICRO NUTRIENTS AND MAY BE OBTAINED THROUGH COATING OF FERTILIZERS GRANULATED WITH OTHER FERTILIZERS IN POWDER AND POSTERIORMANTLY ADHESIVED BY AGRICULTURAL PROPERTIES MORE AGROMINERAL ADDITIVES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [001] The present invention is in the field of sustainable agriculture referring to a process of obtaining granulated fertilizers from the coating of fertilizers already granulated with other powdered fertilizers subsequently coated with agro-mineral additives. One of the main aspects of agricultural sustainability promoted by the present invention is related to the reduction of the loss of fertilizers, the reduction of the waste of nutrients and the accumulation of nitrates in the soil; which consequently reduces pollution, decreases eutrophication, reducing acidification of rivers and seas. The invention relates to a process for incorporating powdered macro and micronutrients into already granulated fertilizers, ultimately obtaining a fertilizer product consisting of fertilizer granules coated with powder from other fertilizers and coated with a final layer of agro-mineral additives. The agromineral additives used in the present invention comprise rocks containing any type of macro or micronutrient, such as, for example, rocks of the green sand-pelitic rhythm and / or glauconitic siltstone and / or green siltstone and / or green metasiltstone and / or verdigris and / or potassium and phosphate rocks in general. All fertilizers can be coated, such as, for example, urea prill, granulated urea, granulated single superphosphate, granulated triple superphosphate, granulated mono-ammonium phosphate, granulated potassium chloride (KCI). In this way, the invention refers to a process for the production of gradual release granular fertilizers containing uniform quantities in each grain of macro and micronutrients, which can be

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2/21 obtained by coating granulated fertilizers with other powdered fertilizers and subsequently coated with agro-mineral additives or even through granulation of powder fertilizers plus agro-mineral additives.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [002] Urea applied on the soil surface shows high losses of nitrogen (N), due to the volatilization of NH3. The use of polymers covering urea granules is a management alternative to reduce such losses, as one of the many examples in the literature.

[003] Nitrogen is one of the most limiting nutrients in the soil and one of the most required by cultivated plants, in order to increase production and harvest rate. Corn is an example of a crop in which nitrogen is used in large quantities in the form of mineral fertilizers. The main source of nitrogen used in Brazil is urea, which has as advantages the high concentration of N and the lower price of N per unit. It also has high solubility, less corrosivity and compatibility with many fertilizers. However, it has disadvantages, such as the possibility of N losses due to NH ₃ volatilization, phytotoxicity and leaching losses (Cantarella, 2007).

[004] Most nitrogen fertilizers are water-soluble and quickly converted into forms that can be lost through leaching or volatilization, which decreases the efficiency of use of the nutrient by cereals (Fan et al. 2004). Urea is one of the most widely used and least expensive fertilizers, but it is also the most prone to N losses (Pereira et al. 2009). The use of controlled release fertilizers has been proposed to reduce losses, synchronize the release of nutrients with the demand of the crops (Cahill et al. 2010) and enable the increase in the efficiency of recovery of the nutrient applied to the soil (Motavalli et al. 2008 ). One type of controlled-release fertilizer is composed of urea granules coated with one or more protective layers. As protection, among other substances, water-permeable polymers or resins have been used, applied in layers,

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3/21 that, supposedly, regulate the release process of the nutrient contained within the protective layers (Silva et al. 2012). Research studies comparing polymer-coated urea and common urea have shown inconsistent results. While some reports point out advantages of using polymer-coated urea in cereal crops (Fan et al. 2004, Noellsch et al. 2009), others point to inefficiency when compared to common urea (Nelson et al. 2009, Cahill et al. 2010, Mackenzie et al. 2010, Civardi et al. 2011, Prando et al. 2013). Especially in Brazil, there are still relatively few published studies with urea coated with polymers, so that the volume of experimental data is not yet sufficient to determine what are the situations in which this type of product can bring advantages, which makes it difficult to safe recommendation of this technology. The inconsistency of the data reported in the literature can be linked, to a greater or lesser degree, to the different types of coating and different soil, climate and fertilizer management conditions.

[005] JP 2002316888 A (Sumitomo Chemical) describes a method and product in which a granular product is first coated with a mineral powder, such as talc, diatomaceous earth, clay, sand, bentonite and zeolite and then with a liquid chosen from phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Unlike the present invention, the document describes the use of acids in the coating process. Thus, the proposed invention has superior advantages and promotes the elimination of the need for the use of acidic reagent, thus exceeding the state of the art.

[006] US 3,419,379 (Goodale et al., 1968) shows a water resistant coating for ammonium nitrate granules in which the granules were first coated with super phosphoric acid. The wet granules are contacted with basic materials such as NH3, MgO or CaO with an equimolar ratio. The acid reaction product with the base material produces a coating around the granules that prevents them from

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4/21 agglomerate and delay its dissolution in contact with moist soil.

[007] In addition, US 6,030,659 A (Whitehurst BM et al.) Describes a method for coating urea particles with large amounts of apatite material to reduce nitrogen loss through volatilization, while providing a source of phosphorus, comprising wetting the particles with aqueous acid-containing material, to adjust the pH of the aqueous material to 2 or less.

[008] Patent document AU 9645576 describes that metal salts can compose the coating of the urea surface by moistening the surface with water and subsequent mixing. There are also several patent documents dealing with the coating of granulated fertilizers: US 3,423,199; US 3,520,651; US 3,560,192; US 3,961,932 and US 5,152,821. The state of the art generally describes methods in which the breakdown of urea by soil enzymes can be prevented. One of these methods involved a controlled release formulation that can be obtained by reacting urea with an aldehyde (US 3,322,528), or by forming a polymeric structure that results in controlled release (US 4,752,317). Protein degraded from pre-vulcanized rubber has also been used in the composition of urea-based fertilizers with slow release characteristics (US 4,549,897). Still, in the case of polymeric coating, it should be noted that the coating itself does not add anything to the fertilizer potential, besides diluting the percentage of nitrogen in the urea by a lot.

[009] Coatings that employ urease inhibitors as phosphoric compounds of the triamide type have been of high efficiency in inhibiting urease (US 4,530,714). However, a potential bottleneck of this approach is the cost of the inhibitor, an element that does not exist in the present invention.

[0010] The document BR 1020120024802 describes a composition for coating urea granules and mineral fertilizer that provides a layer of liquid silicates that adhere to the surface of the urea grain or

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5/21 of fertilizer, creating a physical and bacteriostatic barrier that slows down the urease process of nitrogen contained in urea and reduces nutrient losses through leaching and volatization, so that fertilizers gradually release nutrients, increasing their effectiveness. However, the invention does not address the mechanisms by which the characteristics of said composition can be achieved. It is important to differentiate that in the patent document in question the potassium silicate product is liquid and of chemical origin, therefore they are different materials from those obtained by means of the present invention.

[0011] Finally, document CH 425 702 A (Dungemittel-Technik) describes a method for producing urea-based particles, in which the said particles are subsequently wetted using a solution of polyacrylic acid and a solution of water. that the particles are treated with concentrated sulfuric acid and coated with CaO.

[0012] The state of the art also identifies problems that are not fully solved and that result from high nitrogen losses due to the high solubility of urea. Additionally, prior art documents have processes dependent on the use of acid. Thus, the present invention solves the issue of making it possible to obtain a differentiated fertilizer product, either by coating or by joint granulation, making the use of acid dispensable. In the case of the use of fertilizers in organic agriculture, the use of acid in its production is not desirable, even being prohibited. Therefore, the fertilizer material obtained by means of the present invention proves to be sustainable and suitable for use in agriculture in general, being an input differentiated by the dispensation in the use of acid in the coating and / or granulation process.

[0013] In addition to urea, another fertilizer highly soluble in water, and therefore highly leachable, is KCI. The present invention seeks to address these issues with an innovative fertilizer coating. In this context, mineral additives containing, for example, glauconite can promote

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6/21 benefits in plant growth that go far beyond nutritional benefits, as they promote permanent changes in the physical properties of the soil, benefiting cultivation. Thus, in the present invention, some mineral additives increase the soil's ability to maintain water and store nutrients. The agromineral additives (rocks of the green sand-pelitic rhythm type and / or glauconitic siltstone and / or green siltstone and / or green metasiltstone and / or verdigris and / or containing glauconite) used in the present invention have a high capacity for exchanging cations and promote the ability of soils, especially sandy soils, to store nutrients such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), silicon (Si) and micronutrients. Thus, such additives in the present invention add the attribute of soil conditioner to the granulated fertilizer developed.

[0014] The state of the art also addresses complex processes with parameters involving the use of various acids to promote the coating of urea particles and / or various fertilizers, unlike the present invention, which proposes a simplified process and high synergy between parameters of comminution of fertilizers (the combination of powdered fertilizers with granulated fertilizers, as well as associated with the use of agromineral additives), in addition to the use of a minimum amount of water, with the use of widely available rocks of the green sand-pelitic type and / or glauconitic siltstone and / or green siltstone and / or green metasiltstone and / or verdigris and / or potassic rocks and / or containing glauconite and / or phosphates in general as an agromineral additive.

[0015] The process of the present invention, differently from that discussed in the prior art, allows the inclusion together with the urea particles, and / or fertilizers, of macro and micronutrients, in order to allow their uniform distribution in each granule. Except for the condition of uniform distribution is the situation of grain size, in which, naturally, the uniformity of nutrients is not applied in each grain. The process proposed by the present invention goes far beyond the state of the art by allowing, when

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7/21 of the use of urea, for example, increased urea density, increased ammonia retention, in addition to reducing the risk of urea compaction, through a simple and easy operation process with punctual and innovative parameters . And taking into account the use of fertilizer in general, the process of the present invention has the following advantages: a cost of operating expenses and capital expenditures and very low investment, additional benefits (not just nutritional) promoted by employment agromineral additive (such as soil conditioner, for example); the possibility of incorporating powdered fertilizers into granulated fertilizers; the fact of dispensing with the use of binders; the fact that the amount of water required for the process is minimal, eliminating the expensive drying step, which is common in conventional granulation processes; and the fact that the coating is inert, enabling the elimination of incompatibility problems existing in the mixture of different types of granulated fertilizers.

[0016] Additionally, the possibility of using fertilizers, such as glauconitic siltstone as an agromineral additive in the coating, brings an innovative approach, since it is also a fertilizer material, which contains about 10% K2O, 58% of S1O2, 2.5% MgO, 0.6% CaO. It is, therefore, about obtaining multi-nutrient fertilizers in the same grain through the use of granulated fertilizers that will be coated with other powdered fertilizers and finally coated with agromineral additives that can also be fertilizers.

[0017] In addition to the details exposed on the losses of nitrogen and potassium, it is known that of the problems related to the fixation of phosphorus in the soil. Phosphorus (P) is considered a low-mobility nutrient in the soil, a behavior attributed to its fixation by clay minerals, and this element has a relevant presence in tropical soils that have high levels of iron and aluminum oxides - with which the P has great affinity. Normally, a small part of the phosphorus applied as

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8/21 fertilizer is used by annual crops in tropical soils, requiring the application of quantities that, in general, far exceed the extractions of these crops.

[0018] Phosphorus fixation can be translated into the passage from soluble forms of nutrients to insoluble forms, that is, not available to plants.

[0019] The phenomenon of fixation is caused by several factors, one of the most important being the presence of aluminum and iron, which form, with phosphorus, highly insoluble aluminum and iron phosphates. It is estimated that only 5% to 20% of the soluble phosphorus added to the soil as fertilizer is used by the crop that received it and that 95% to 80% of it is fixed.

[0020] One of the easiest and most economical practices to minimize the fixation of phosphorus is liming, which insolubilizes aluminum and iron, reducing its fixing action on phosphorus. That is why liming increases the availability of soil phosphorus.

[0021] Fixation should not be seen as a total loss, since part of the fixed phosphorus may be available again. This return, however, is quantitatively vastly inferior to what is fixed, which characterizes the fixation as a loss.

[0022] It is estimated that the rate of nitrogen utilization is 70 to 90%, phosphorus is 5 to 20% and potassium, 50 to 70%. The main factor responsible for these losses is the prompt solubilization of fertilizers.

[0023] Additionally, studies show that large amounts of nitrates from agricultural fertilizers are promoting the incorporation of pollution in underground rocks and this can have serious consequences for rivers, water supply and human health. Nitrate can be released from underground rocks to rivers, causing disproportionate growth of toxic algae and fish deaths, making the industry need to invest heavily in extra water treatment. It is estimated that 180 million tons of nitrate are stored in rocks worldwide - about twice the amount stored in soils.

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9/21

Researchers still warn that over time, nitrate will inevitably slowly infiltrate aquifers.

[0024] In some countries, the amount of nitrate stored in underground rocks is increasing, despite improvements in agricultural practice and the introduction of rules to control the pollutant. When this pollution is released, it will continue to impact water quality for decades, especially with the indiscriminate and inappropriate use of unsustainable fertilizers.

[0025] The process of the present invention leads to obtaining a fertilizer product that prevents mineral segregation, reduces nitrogen volatilization, phosphorus fixation and potassium leaching. Since the fertilizer of the present invention contributes to the retention of ammonia, it proves to be sustainable, also contributing to the reduction of nitrate products in terrestrial aquifers.

[0026] Finally, the nutrients present in the fertilizer products of the present invention can be gradually released into the soil, which favors absorption by plants and promotes an environment conducive to better root development. Thus, there is less loss of nutrients due to leaching and volatilization, so that fertilizer compositions gradually release nutrients, thus increasing their effectiveness, in addition to reducing environmental impacts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0027] The aforementioned process of producing gradual release granular fertilizers aims at obtaining a granule comprising the granule of urea or other granulated fertilizers (e.g., prill urea, granulated urea, simple granulated superphosphate, triple superphosphate granulated, mono-ammonium-phosphate, granulated KCI) coated with other fertilizers in the form of powder and / or agromineral additives, selected from the following group: rocks that contain any type of macro or micronutrient, such as arytite rocks -green pellitic and / or glauconitic siltstone and / or green siltstone and / or

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10/21 green metasiltstone and / or verdigris and / or containing glauconite and / or potassium and phosphate rocks in general.

[0028] Any mention of granulated fertilizers in the present invention includes microgranulated, bran and granulated fertilizers (in accordance with the definitions of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply of Brazil - MAPA), summarized as granules for the purpose of facilitating the explanation. In addition to the agromineral additives listed, for the purposes of the present patent application, agromineral additive is understood to be any rock, in the ground form, that contains in its macro or micronutrient composition. It should be noted that the agromineral additives that will coat granulated fertilizers must necessarily be in powder form; for example, the phosphate or potassium rocks that are used must be in the ground form. In addition, a mixture of different agromineral additives can be used in the fertilizer coating.

[0029] The process proposed by the present invention has two preferred routes, the first of which involves coating any granulated fertilizer in conventional mixers, such as, but not limited to, urea, and agro-mineral powder additives, without the addition of any binder, using only about 0.5% of water, which can be even only 0.08% at each stage of additive addition. This alternative promotes the coating of fertilizers and, therefore, is called the coating route. At the end of this, it is possible to obtain granules of the fertilizer used coated with the particles of agromineral additives. If urea is used as a fertilizer, it increases the density of urea, increases the retention of ammonia, allowing the possibility of mixing with other fertilizers that contain free acidity (simple superphosphate, triple superphosphate, for example) and it is still reduced the risk of urea compaction, given its hygroscopic nature.

[0030] Alternatively, granulation of the mixture of fertilizer powders together with additive powders can be used as a process route.

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11/21 agrominerals in conventional granulators. In this alternative, the combined granulation of the powder mixture is promoted, and therefore it is called the granulation route.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES IN ANNEX I [0031] Aiming at a better elucidation about the results in the final fertilizer product obtained through the process used in the present invention, the photo is shown in Figure 1 of the ANNEX to the present patent application. The following is a brief description of the figure in ANNEX I.

[0032] Figure 1A: shows the result of an urea experiment coated with the commercial product Super GreensancF (containing in its composition 0.14%

N, 0.18% P ₂ O ₅ , 10% K ₂ O, 0.03% S, 0.34% Ca, 1.74% Mg, 58.97% SiO ₂ , 5.33% Fe, 0.05% Mn, 0.06% Cl, 0.01% Zn, 0.01% B, 0.002% Cu, 0.0004% Co,

O. 00003% Mo) and then mixed with Triple Superphosphate. On the left side, it can be seen that there was no lump formation or any reaction between urea and triple superphosphate. On the other hand, to the right of Figure 1, where the simple mixing process between urea and Triple Super Phosphate was used, there was formation of lumps and reaction. The coating, by means of the process of the present invention, eliminated the reported problem, besides proving to promote the retention of ammonia.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0033] The process of the present invention allows to obtain gradual release granular fertilizers containing uniform amounts of nutrients in each granule. Fertilizers can be coated if one of the fertilizers is already in the form of granules or can be subjected to a granulation process, if they are only in powder form.

[0034] The coating route comprises the steps of: (A) selection and addition of granulated fertilizer (FG); (B) addition of water (H2O, 0.5% to 0.08%); followed by (C) the optional addition of any other powdered fertilizer, making it possible to ensure uniformity in the distribution of nutrients in the granules even though the amount of powder used is 1%; and the addition of (D) additive

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12/21 agromineral type of green sand-pelitic rhythm and / or glauconitic siltstone and / or green siltstone and / or green metasiltstone and / or verdigris and / or potassium and / or phosphate rocks in general in powder form (AAG) . The mixture of (A), (B), (C) and (D) takes place in a conventional mixer. After adding, for the first time, (A), followed by (B), (C) and (D), steps (B) and (D) can be repeated until the desired coating result is obtained. It is important to note that depending on the amount of powdered fertilizer used (step (C)), it may not be necessary to add water (B) after the first addition of (A), (B), (C) and (D ).

[0035] It is important to highlight that in the coating route, the maximum amount adhered by coating the agromineral additive is approximately 18 to 30%, and the covering time is approximately 20 to 50 seconds after the end of dosing. That is, assuming that the dosing time is 10 to 20 seconds, we consider another 20 to 50 for the powdered agromineral additive (s) to cover the granules, resulting in a total time of 30 to 70 seconds.

[0036] As an alternative process route, called granulation, it is possible to mix both fertilizers in powder form (MPP) and agromineral additive also in powder form (AAG) and subject them to the granulation process with the addition of water.

[0037] In both process routes it is possible to add binder (AGL) to obtain an increase in hardness.

[0038] Additionally, it is possible to include macro and micronutrients (MM) and more than one type of fertilizer in the step immediately after adding water, it being desirable that the last layer of coating is only the agromineral additive. Thus, the production of gradual release fertilizer of the present invention, in the coating route, involves obtaining fertilizer granules coated with agromineral additives, said additives in powder form and selected from the group: sand-pelitic rhythm green and / or glauconitic siltstone and / or green siltstone and / or metasiltstone

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13/21 green and / or verdigris and / or potassium and / or phosphate rocks in general. The agromineral additives used must have a particle size of 100% less than 2mm, the finer the better. In the context of the coating process, agromineral additives must be added after adding the granulated fertilizer and water, the whole being mixed in mixers to obtain the fertilizer coating. The amount of inputs in the mixture is of the order of 1 to 80% of agromineral additive, 20 to 99% of granulated fertilizers, in addition to 0.5% to 0.08% of water at each stage of “It is important to highlight that on the coating, the maximum amount adhered by coating the agromineral additive is approximately 18 to 30%, “or more. No or little binder should be added to the mixture. Conventional mixers that can be used, but are not restricted to these, are of the type: cylindrical, fluidized zone, and blades. At the end of the process, gradual release granules are obtained with uniform distribution of nutrients.

[0039] In the described process it is also possible to add macro and micronutrients such as macronutrients N, K, Ca, Mg, P, and S, which are part of essential molecules and are necessary in large quantities to plants, as well as micronutrients Cl, Fe, B, Mn, Zn, Cu, and Mo, which are part of the enzymes and have a regulatory function in plant tissue.

[0040] The amount of water or other liquid used is minimal and constitutes one of the essential parameters of the proposed process, since the use of only 0.08% of water in each coating step, considering the total mixture, provides uniform distribution and adherence of agromineral additives (such as ground potassium or phosphate rocks) with the granulated fertilizers used, making the quality of the final fertilizer optimal. This parameter is also linked to the characteristics of the agromineral additives used, when they comprise glauconitic siltstone, for example, it promotes high agronomic efficiency by reducing nutrient losses in the soil, in addition to creating a multi-nutrient fertilizer of

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14/21 great effectiveness. It should be noted that it is also feasible to use a larger amount of water, depending on the final characteristics of the product.

[0041] Considering the characteristics of agromineral additives and the possibility of incorporating macro and micronutrients in the final product, there is a unique fertilizer with different performance in different cultures.

[0042] Another advantage of the present invention that can be mentioned is the fact that the process dispenses with the use of binder and allows the perfect uniform incorporation of macro and micronutrients, making the final product a differentiated fertilizer.

[0043] Alternatively to the described process, in which the mixing of the components is promoted to form a coating, coating route, it is possible to mix fertilizers in the form of powder, which can be urea or other fertilizers and agromineral additives also in the form of powders, to subject them together to any granulation process, in the same way, without the addition of binders in some situations or with minimal use of them. In this alternative, which is the granulation route, as in the coating route, the final fertilizer must reach bran, microgranulated or granulated granulometries, in accordance with Normative Instruction (IN) No. 53, of October 23, 2013, as amended by IN No. 06 of March 10, 2016, from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply - MAPA. It is important to highlight that any updates to the definitions of the mentioned INs do not affect the inventiveness of the process, and may lead to adaptations that should not result in losses to the process.

[0044] Considering the descriptions presented, the process proposed by the present invention can be summarized in its parameters as described below, and the exemplified quantities constitute preferred configurations of the invention and should not be interpreted as limiting agents.

[0045] The described process, therefore, comprises the steps of:

a) selection of fertilizers from the group urea, superphosphate

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15/21 simple, triple superphosphate, mono-ammonium-phosphate and / or KCI, and any fertilizers or even materials that perform a function of interest in the soil and / or in the plant can also be selected;

b) processing of the fertilizer selected from the treatments:

b1: granulation of at least one of the selected fertilizers (for the coating route); or b2: obtaining powders from the selected fertilizers (for the granulation route).

c) selection of agromineral additive (s) in the form of powder (granulometry less than 2mm) from the group: rock classified as green sand-pelitic rhythm and / or glauconitic siltstone and / or green siltstone and / or green metasiltstone and / or verdigris and / or potassium and / or phosphate rocks in general.

d) mixing in a conventional mixer the fertilizer obtained in (b1) with the agromineral additive (s) obtained in (c), more optionally powdered fertilizers, observing the order of initial addition of granulated fertilizer ( b1), followed by the addition of water (in the proportion of 0.08% of the mixture), followed by the addition of powdered fertilizers and subsequently agromineral additives. The addition of water and agromineral additives is gradual until the desired percentage is reached, reaching about 80% of agromineral additives in the coating.

e) as an alternative to the process described in (b) it is possible to promote the granulation of the mixture obtained in (b2) with the agromineral additive (s) obtained in (c). In this alternative, the combined granulation of the powders is obtained.

[0046] In addition, in the mixing step (d) or in the granulation alternative (e), binder can be used.

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16/21 [0047] In the coating mixture alternative (d) the presence of a binder is not essential, but if it is added, it increases the hardness.

[0048] In the granulation alternative (e), in some parameter situations, the addition of binder is necessary. For example, if you are granulating 100% agromineral additive, such as glauconitic siltstone, it is necessary to use a binder. However, if 80% of glauconitic siltstone and some other agromineral additive (s) and 20% of some fertilizers (such as urea) are used, it is possible to promote granulation without the use of binder.

[0049] The described process, as previously stated, has the alternative of joint granulation mixture (step (e) described). In this alternative, therefore, the joint granulation of the mixture of fertilizer powders added with water is promoted, with or without the addition of binder, with agromineral additives also in the form of powders.

[0050] Additionally, still in the context of the presented alternative (step (e) described), 100% agromineral additives can be used, maintaining the other process parameters. Finally, although it is not the recommendation for the innovative process proposed by the present invention, this alternative optionally includes the addition of binder, aiming at increasing the hardness.

[0051] Considering the steps indicated, aiming at increasing the final fertilizer, macronutrients and / or micronutrients can be added in steps (d) or (e). Macronutrients and micronutrients adhere to the granules evenly. In the case of the addition of micronutrients, they can be present in amounts as low as up to 1% of the total mixture, ensuring uniformity and retention of the compounds for gradual release.

[0052] As provided on the possible equipment used to implement the present invention, the list being exemplary and not exhaustive, step (d) may employ selected mixing equipment

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17/21 among those of the cylindrical type, fluidized zone, among others. On the other hand, with a view to promoting the joint granulation of the mixture, in step (e) mixing and granulating equipment, compactors or pelletizers can be used.

[0053] At the end, the proposed process allows the obtaining of granulated gradual release fertilizer containing in each grain uniform amounts of macro and micronutrients in case the desired granulometry is granulated or microgranulated. As already mentioned, a caveat should be made in the case of bran fertilizers, since in this situation the condition of uniformity of nutrients does not apply to each grain. The fertilizers obtained contain grains of urea or any other granulated fertilizer used (prill urea, granulated urea and / or, alternatively to urea: simple granulated superphosphate, triple granulated superphosphate, mono-ammonium phosphate and / or granulated KCI and / or any fertilizer) coated with agromineral additives, selected from the group of rocks classified as green sand-pelitic rhythm and / or glauconitic siltstone and / or green siltstone and / or green metasiltstone and / or verdigris, as well as potassium or phosphate rocks of a general way. It is also possible to add additional powdered fertilizers to the coating process, such as powdered ulexite, powdered KCI, powdered elemental sulfur, among others. The process also makes it possible to obtain fertilizer granules from the joint granulation of selected fertilizer powders with agromineral additive powders. Finally, the minimum addition of water and the possible elimination of the use of binders are innovative process optimization characteristics that allow the achievement of a more sustainable and high quality fertilizer product.

Experiments performed:

[0054] Experiment to include NPK fertilizers in the grain: through the coating it was possible to transform powdered and granulated fertilizers into a single cohesive grain containing uniform amounts of each fertilizer. It was observed that better results can be achieved in view of the following

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18/21 process parameters: (a) when only one granulated fertilizer is used and the others in powder form, this granulated fertilizer must represent 20 to 99%, depending on the final product, with 20% being the minimum (from 20 30% depending on the fertilizer) of the total granulated fertilizers; and (b) when two or more granulated fertilizers are used, the sum of these must be at least 20 to 40% of the total fertilizers used, preferably 30%. In these experiments, it was observed that powdered fertilizers adhere uniformly to granulated fertilizers when using a conventional mixer.

100551 Multiple coatings experiments: using the process of the present invention it was possible to coat prill urea, granulated urea, granulated simple superphosphate, granulated triple superphosphate, granulated mono-ammonium phosphate and granulated KCI by up to 75%.

[0056] In one of the experiments carried out, 20% of granulated fertilizer was used together with 80% of an agromineral additive that is also a fertilizer, Super Greensand®. From the experiments carried out, it is noted that it is possible to coat any granulated fertilizer or even more than one granulated or microgranulated fertilizer; thus, the invention is not limited to the fertilizers that have been tested, but may extend to similar substances and / or analogous uses.

570057] Micronutrient inclusion experiments: in the coating process, it was found that it is possible to incorporate micronutrients in all the granulated fertilizers tested. During the tests, it was observed that the amount of the micronutrient source can be as low as 1% and still maintain uniformity of distribution in the coated granules.

[0058] During the experiments carried out it was also possible to draw conclusions about the use of binders, water and the granulometry of the fertilizers used. The use of any binder can harden the granules, but it is not necessary. The use of water, or alternative liquid, in an amount of up to 12 liters per ton, is beneficial to the process. The amount of

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19/21 water, therefore, can be as low as 2 liters, and may even be smaller or larger, but with the disadvantage of increasing the final humidity.

[0059] As for granulometry, both in the granulation route and in the coating route, the finer and the greater the uniformity of granulometry between the mixed powders (fertilizers and agromineral additives), the greater the efficiency of the process.

[00601 NH3 Volatilization Control Experiments: the experiment was installed in a greenhouse with plastic cover. Before installing the experiment, soil samples were collected at a depth of 0-20 cm for subsequent chemical characterization. The design used was randomized blocks in a split subdivided in time following a 6x8 factorial with four blocks (repetitions). Five nitrogen fertilizer sources were used in the plot plus the control without application of N; and the subplot divided in the collection time at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24 and 30 days after fertilizer application. The fertilizers were applied in all treatments with a dose of 100 kg ha ' ¹ of N. Table 1 summarizes the experiment, showing the description of the fertilizers applied on greenhouse surface with plastic cover.

Table 1: Description of fertilizers applied on greenhouse surface with plastic cover for quantification of volatile N-NH3.

Nitrogen fertilizers Fertilizers N (%) F1 Control 0 F2 Conventional Urea 45 F3 Urea NBPT ¹ 44 F4 Coated Urea TestA ² 09 F5 Coated Urea TesteB ² 20 F6 Coated UreaTestC ² 31

'Commercial fertilizer registered under the trade name Super br (Fertigran). Urea with urease inhibitor (N- (n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide).

'Fertilizers under test: Urea with the addition of agromineral additive AK-10 produced by Verde Fertilizantes Ltda.

[0061] The collection chamber used is called SALE (static free semi-open chamber) which was made with bottles of

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20/21 transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET), with a volume of 2L and an area of 0.008 m ² . To make the chamber, the base of the bottle was removed and placed on top with the aid of a rigid wire to serve as protection against rain. The opening in the upper part served to circulate air inside the chamber. The ammonia absorber system consists of a 2.5 cm wide, 25 cm long and 3 mm thick polyurethane foam sheet, which was placed inside the chamber vertically with the aid of the rigid wire. Table 2 shows preliminary results of the average daily and accumulated N-NH ₃ values captured in SALE type volatilization chambers after application of nitrogen fertilizers on the soil surface in a covered greenhouse.

Table 2 - Average values of daily and accumulated N-NH ₃ captured in Sale Type volatilization chambers after application of nitrogen fertilizers on the soil surface in a covered greenhouse.

Daily values of N-NH ₃ (kg.ha ' ¹ ) Accumulated values of N-NH ₃ (kg.ha ' ¹ ) Treatments Days after application :to Days after application IO 3 6 9 12 3 6 9 12 Control 9.75 8.22 5.43 3.28 9.75 17.97 23.40 26.68 Urea 10.74 11.93 5.98 4.92 10.74 22.67 28.65 33.57 Urea NBPT ¹ 6.54 5.93 2.57 5.80 6.54 12.47 15.04 20.84 UVA9 ² 7.55 6.98 3.66 4.03 7.55 14.53 18.19 22.22 UVA20 ² 8.29 8.72 4.00 4.19 8.29 17.01 21.01 25.20 UVA31 ² 9.91 10.86 5.81 4.78 9.91 20.77 26.58 31.36

¹ Commercial fertilizer registered under the trade name Super ΛΓ (Fertigran).

² Fertilizers under test: Urea with the addition of agromineral additive AK-10 produced by Verde Fertilizantes Ltda.

[0062] It is important to highlight that during the experiments it was found that the highest volatilization values were observed in the treatments with the application of conventional urea, in the evaluations at 3, 6 and 10 days after the application of N, with the peak of volatilization occurred in the 6 ^the day after application. [0063] The test sources developed by Verde Agritech also showed peak volatilization at 6 ^the day after application of N. However UVA9 and UVA20, with lower proportions of urea in the mixture showed

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21/21 lower values of N-NH ₃ captured in relation to UVA31, which contained close to 70% of urea in the mixture. As in all treatments the dose referring to 100 kg ha ' ¹ of N was applied, the results indicated the effect of the additive decreasing the volatilization potential of urea NH3.

[0064] In absolute terms the use of the additive associated with urea provided a reduction in the loss through volatilization of 10% (UVA9), 22% (UVA20) and 27% (UVA31) in relation to conventional urea. The total values of N-NH3 captured were 37.5 kg ha ' ¹ of conventional N urea, 33.71 kg ha' ¹ of N, 29.32 kg ha ' ¹ of N, and 27.39 kg ha' ¹ of N, when applied UVA31, UVA20 and UVA9 respectively.

[0065] In comparison between the conventional urea treatments and UVA9 it can be seen that the peak volatilization in 6 days after application of the fertilizer, the amount of _N-NH3 captured in UAV31 chambers was about 20% lower than the urea , 13.19 kg ha ' ¹ of N (UVA9) and 16.57 kg ha' ¹ of N (Urea). As for the accumulated values on the 6th day, the effect was more pronounced with reduction of 25% N-NH3 UVA9 (15.26 kg ha ^'1 N) to urea (20.54 kg ha' ¹ N) . The decrease in urea volatilized N guarantees an increase in the efficiency of fertilization of crops, for example.

[0066] The treatments with application of urea with NBPT showed the lowest rate of volatilization and delay in the peak of volatilization, which occurred at 17 days after the application of fertilizers. Thus, it can be considered that the additives incorporated into urea by Verde Agritech acted on the control of moistening and subsequent hydrolysis in urea.

[0067] Thus, it was proved through the aforementioned experiments that fertilizers containing urea with the addition of agromineral additives from the group, the green sand-pelitic rhythm and / or glauconitic siltstone and / or green siltstone and / or green metasiltstone and / or verdigris and / or glauconite promoted the effective retention of ammonia. The use of additives to urea showed a differentiated potential to reduce N-NH ₃ volatilization in the order of 10% to 27% compared to conventional urea.

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Claims (19)

PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GRANULATED FERTILIZER OF GRADUAL RELEASE CONTAINING UNIFORM QUANTITIES IN EACH GRAIN OF MACRO AND MICRO NUTRIENTS AND MAY BE OBTAINED THROUGH COATING OF FERTILIZERS GRANULATED WITH OTHER FERTILIZERS IN POWDER AND POSTERIORMANTLY ADHESIVED BY AGRICULTURAL PROPERTIES MORE AGROMINERAL ADDITIVES 1. Process for the production of gradual release granular fertilizers containing uniform amounts in each grain of macro nutrients and micronutrients, which can be obtained by coating granulated fertilizers with other powdered fertilizers and later coated with agro-mineral additives or by means of fertilizer granulation. powder plus agromineral additives characterized by comprising the steps of: (a) selection of fertilizer (s) from the group consisting of urea, and / or simple superphosphate, and / or triple superphosphate, and / or mono-ammonium phosphate and / or KCI and / or any fertilizer and / or any compound that performs a function of interest in the soil and / or the plant; and (b) selection of agromineral additive (s) in powder form, the granulometry being less than 2mm, from the group consisting of rock classified as green sand-pelitic rhythm and / or glauconitic siltite and / or siltstone green and / or green metasiltstone and / or verdigris and / or potassic rocks and / or phosphate rocks and / or any other rock that contains any micro or macronutrient. 2. Process according to claim 1, characterized by the fertilizer selection step (a) comprising the selection of granulated fertilizers and by the process comprising a subsequent step (c), of mixing in a conventional mixer the granulated fertilizers with the additive (s) agromineral (s) obtained in (b), which comprises the substeps of: (c1) adding the granulated fertilizer (s); Petition 870180009818, of 02/05/2018, p. 30/35 2/4 (c2) gradual addition of water equivalent to 0.05% to 0.5% of the mixture at each stage; (c3) addition of a gradual portion of agromineral additive (s) equivalent to a maximum of about 30% of the mixture at each stage (c4) repetition of (c2) and (c4) until the proportion of additive (s) ) agromineral powder (s) reach a maximum of 90% of the total mixture. 3. Process according to claim 1, characterized by the fertilizer selection step (a) comprising the selection of powdered fertilizers and the process comprising a step (c) of joint granulation of the powdered fertilizers with the additive (s) agromineral (s) obtained in (b). Process according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the proportion of granulated fertilizer is 10 to 99% of the mixture, the proportion of agromineral powder additive is 1 to 90% of the mixture and the addition of water is in the minimum proportion 0.05% of the mixture. Process according to claim 1, characterized by the additional use of any industrially used binders. Process according to claims 1 and 2, characterized by the addition of powdered fertilizers containing macronutrients and / or micronutrients, the minimum equivalent amount being 0.5 to 1% of the total mixture. Process according to claims 1 and 3, characterized by the addition of macronutrients and / or micronutrients, the minimum equivalent amount being 0.5 to 1% of the total mixture. 8. Process according to claims 1 and 2, characterized by the use of mixing equipment in the stage selected from those in the group: cylindrical, fluidized zone and / or blades. Process according to claims 1 and 3 characterized by the granulation step (c) employing mixer and granulator equipment of the intensive mixer type and / or conventional mixers and granulators. 10. Process according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it comprises the selection of urea-containing fertilizer and agromineral additive Petition 870180009818, of 02/05/2018, p. 31/35 3/4 verdigris, the final product having ammonia retention property. 11. Fertilizers obtained from the coating of granulated fertilizers with agromineral additives characterized by the fertilizers comprise grains of granulated urea, single granulated superphosphate, triple granulated superphosphate, granulated mono-ammonium phosphate, granulated KCI or materials with fertilizer characteristics sprinkles; and because powdered agromineral additives are obtained from the group of rocks classified as green sand-pelitic rhythm and / or glauconitic siltstone and / or green siltstone and / or green metasiltstone and / or and / or verdigris and / or potassic rocks and / or phosphate rocks. 12. Fertilizers obtained from joint granulation of fertilizers and agromineral additives characterized by powdered fertilizers comprise urea, and / or simple superphosphate, and / or triple superphosphate, and / or monoammonium phosphate and / or KCI; and agromineral additives in powder form comprise rocks classified as green sand-pelitic rhythm and / or glauconitic siltstone and / or green siltstone and / or green metasiltstone and / or verdigris and / or potassic rocks and / or phosphate rocks. 13. Fertilizers according to claim 11 or 12, characterized by the additional use of other powdered fertilizers in the coating and / or granulation processes. Fertilizers according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the agromineral additive is glauconitic siltstone. 15. Fertilizers according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the agromineral additive is verdigris. 16. Fertilizers according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the agromineral additive is green and the basic fertilizer used is urea, the final product having ammonia retention property. 17. Gradual release fertilizers characterized by being obtained from any of the processes defined in claims 1 to 10. Petition 870180009818, of 02/05/2018, p. 32/35 4/4 18. Use of agromineral additive of the type glauconitic siltstone and / or verdigris characterized by being in the coating of granulated fertilizers and / or in the coating of granulated fertilizers mixed with powdered fertilizers. 19. Use of agromineral additive of the type glauconitic siltstone and / or verdigris according to claim 18, characterized by conferring the ammonia retention property to the final fertilizer.