CA1160050A

CA1160050A - Hollow fiber device

Info

Publication number: CA1160050A
Application number: CA000394988A
Authority: CA
Inventors: John Weatherston
Original assignee: Albany International Corp
Current assignee: Albany International Corp
Priority date: 1981-02-02
Filing date: 1982-01-26
Publication date: 1984-01-10
Also published as: BR8200255A; KR830008474A; ES273314Y; AU7887781A; GR75114B; GT198273346A; IT8247688A0; FR2498891A1; ZA818868B; AR230360A1; ES273314U; JPS57150337A; IL64693A0

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

Ultraviolet radiation impermeable, micro capillary conduit pheromone dispensers are disclosed.

Description

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JTE:tm i il BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

i~ Field of the Invention ii , ¦ The invention relates to methods and devices for !l insect control and more particularly relates to an improved ¦~ device for dispensing light-degradable pher~mones to attract Il insects and/or disrupt mating.
ll i Brief Description of the Prior Art i In the U. S. Patent 4,017,030 a description is given Il of micro capillary conduit employed for the containment and controlled release of insect attractants such as the so-called " pheromones. The micro capillary conduits of the devices are generally described as "natural or synthetic polymeric ' materials by any of the processes commonly employed in I producing man-made fibers. Useful materials include polyesters, ¦ polyolefins, acrylics, moaacrylics, polyamides and so on."
~any of the pheromone substances which may be contained in the prior art micro capillary conduits and released therefrom !l under controlled conditions are light-sensitive, i.e.; they ', degrade upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation. When the 20 iI micro capillary conduit devices containing the light-sensitive ,~ -:' .

~600S0 pheromones are deposited in fields and like insect sites, they may be exposed to sunlight with the result that the contained pheromone is degraded to the point of destruction Il within a very short period of time.
By the method of my invention, the pheromones contained in micro capillary conduit devices are protected from ultraviolet light degradation, extending the working life of the aevice as an insect attracting and/or a mating disruption device.

0 !1, SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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I The invention comprises, in a device for the ,i dissemination of an ultraviolet radiation deg~adable pheromone I which comprises an ultraviolet radiation permeable micro !' capillary conduit container for the pheromone, the improvement ,i which comprises; an ultraviolet barrier in association with the ,¦ micro capillary conduit.
i'i BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying drawing is a cross-sectional side elevation of a preferred embodiment device of the invention.

li EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
,! -In the accompanying drawing there is seen a cross-I .

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., sectional side elevation of an embodiment device of the invention.
The device comprises a micro capillary conduit 2 having a lumen 4 closed at one end with a plug 6 of epoxy cement or like material.
The lumen 4 is filled with a pheromone which is vaporizable i 5 from the lumen 4 through the open end of the conduit 2. The ! ~ pheromone 8 preferably has a wetting type meniscus 10 at the I '' open end due to the material selected for fabrication of the ¦ conduit 2 The pheromone 8 may be any known vaporizable pheromone 1~ characterized in part by its degradability upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Representative of such pheromones are (Z) - 11 - hexadecenal, (E) - 11 - tetradecenal, (Z) - 9 -tetradecenal, (Z, Z) - 11, 13 - hexadecadienal and the like.
In the prior art, micro capillary conduits 2 employed ~ to contain for controlled release the pheromones 8 were fabricated ~rom ultraviolet radiation permeable materials , such as ultraviolet radiation permeable, synthetic, polymeric resins like polyethylene terephthalate. The improvement of the present invention comprises the placement of an ultraviolet i radiation barrier in association with the micro capillary conduit 2. The means of association may be carried out in a plurality of ways. In the preferred way, the material selected for the conduit 2 is one which is impermeable to ultraviolet radiation. Synthetic, polymeric resins may be rendered , impermeable to ultraviolet radiation by compounding the resin with, for example, ultraviolet radiation absorbers. A wide variety of ultraviolet radiation absorbers are known as is the method of their preparation.

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For example, the U. S. Defensive Publication T998, 013 (Sept.

2, 1980) describes compounds of the formula:-OH
wherein Rl is H or alkoxy group of 1 to 12 carbon atoms, R2 is ' H, sulphonic acid or its sodium salt, R3 is H, OH, and R4H, OH, or methoxy group.
,I These compounds are compatible with and protective of pheromones, ,i preventing their degradation by ultra-violet radiation. The compounds may be compounded with the resins using conventional compounding techniques and apparatus; for example by milling, melt dispersion and like techniques. A sufficient portion of ,j the ultra-violet light absorber is mixed with the resin to render the latter impermeable to ultra-violet radiation.
, Other additives which may be compounded with the ~ synthetic polymeric resins for forming the hollow fibers 2 ` include charcoal, carbon blacks, and like dyes or pigments which are opaque to ultra-violet radiation and which will by , their presence render the resin material- in the form of a micro i capillary conduit impermezble to ultraviolet radiation. Many of I the resins so compounded are available commercially.
; In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the resin material containing the ultra-violet radiation impermeable o barrier for formation of the micro capillary conduit also contains an antioxidant.
An alternative means of associating an ultravioiet radiation barrier with the micro capillary conduit is to coat the fiber with an ultraviolet radiation impermeable coating, for example, of a dark pigment.
The-following example describes the manner and process of making and using the invention and sets forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor but is not to be construed as limiting.
Example Provision is made of a quantity of a polyoxymethylene thermoplastic polymer obtained by anionic polymerization of formaldehyde to obtain a linear polymer having repeating moieties of the formula:

(CELCON*, Celanese Chemical Co., Division of Celanese Corp., N.Y., N.Y.). Provision is also made of a ~uantity of OELCON
containing a black pigment (BLACK CELCON*) which renders the thermoplastic polymer impermeable to ultraviolet radiation.
Provision is also made of a BLACX CELCON resin compounded with 1 percent by weight of an antioxidant, e.g. BAMOX 20 BA*, (Swift & Co.) whose major active ingredient is 2,~-di-(t-butyl)-p-cresol.

* trade mark .~

Following the general procedures described in U. S.
Patent 4,017,030, micro capillary conduits are made from each of the CELCON and BLACK CELCON resins and the fibers are filled with (Z) - 11 - tetradecenal. The micro capillary conduits are exposed to the sun at a location in Arizona, for 21 days. At 7 day intervals during the period, representative micro capillary conduits are removed and analyzed for their content o~ active (Z) - 11 - tetradecenal. The results are shown below.

PERCENTAGE OF ACTIVE
PHEROMONE REMAINING_ Day CELCON Fiber BLACK CELCON BLACK CELCON
with AntioxidantFiberwith Antioxidant 21 1.8 4 51

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclu-sive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A device for the dissemination of an ultraviolet radiation degradable pheromone, which comprises: a micro capillary conduit fabricated from a composition which comprises a synthetic polymeric resin which is permeable to ultraviolet radiation, an antioxidant and sufficient of an ultraviolet radiation absorber to render the resin impermeable to said radiation, and an ultraviolet radiation degradable pheromone contained in the conduit.