CH657119A5 - GRINED FERTILIZER PRODUCT. - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a granular fertilizer product which is a source of nitrogen in the soil and is suitable for use by mechanical distribution in the soil. The invention also relates to a method of providing a source of fertilizer nitrogen for arable soil as a nutrient source for a harvest, whereby the granular fertilizer product according to the invention, which is a source of nitrogen fertilizer values in the soil, on or in the soil to a depth of approximately 35.56 cm there.

Ammonia, ammonium nitrate and urea are the most common sources of nitrogen, but all of these nitrogen fertilizer materials are readily soluble in water. They are therefore subject to leaching and their use results in the rapid release of their nitrogen. Because this necessitates repeated applications for assisted growth or an application with higher leaching losses, many efforts have been made relating to the slow release of nitrogen from fertilizer materials. In general, such materials sacrifice nitrogen content to a certain degree of control over nitrogen availability.

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Melamine and its hydrolysis products ammeine, ammelide and cyanuric acid have been considered as potential sources of nitrogen for incorporation in fertilizer compositions or for use as nitrogen sources per se. Melamine has a nitrogen content of 66.6%. If it could be used as a fertilizer material, it would provide a good amount of nitrogen per unit weight applied. However, it is currently more expensive than urea. In addition, commercially manufactured melamine is only as a fine

(a) particles of melamine or particles of acid addition salts of melamine or particles of mixtures of melamine and acid addition salts thereof, the individual particles in their largest dimension having a particle size of not more than 400 microns, and

(b) contain a sufficient amount of a binder which binds the particles into granules, the binder having the ability, after the granules have been distributed in the earth, to dissolve crystalline powder with the release of the particles. It is in the form of very fine 10 and so it allows water and microorganisms to enter

Crystals are manufactured because small particles are required in the current commercial end markets for melamine, such as for the production of melamine formaldehyde resins and for the production of fire protection paints.

A typical sieve analysis of a commercially available melamine, carried out using “United States Standard Sieve” sieves, gives the following result:

Sieve analysis

Percent, held back

40 mesh

0-0.1

40- 50 mesh

0-0.1

50-60 mesh

0-0.3

69-80 mesh

0.5-5.0

80-100 mesh

1.0-5.0

100-200 mesh

13-30

200-325 mesh

13-30

through 325 mesh

40-60

25th

30th

The commercially produced small melamine crystals are desired by the resin manufacturers because the small crystals dissolve better and because all larger particles, if present, would require a longer processing time; therefore the larger particles are less desirable. In the fire protection paint market, the melamine crystals are dispersed in the paint, where the fine particle sizes currently used give a smoother texture in the dried paint than larger particles would.

The fine particle sizes of the commercially available melamine products make melamine a product that is not very attractive for agricultural applications. The fine particle sizes of commercial melamine as it is currently made also make it impossible to

to use this as a fertilizer material. The fine particles, if applied to the surface of the earth, would be blown away even by light winds. If they were applied from the air, such as from an airplane or a helicopter, blowing them off would be a serious problem and would become one causes uneven application. If distributed by mechanical applicators, the fine particles would tend to form bridges and clog transfer and discharge lines. These difficulties in handling the commercially available melamine solids would make any agricultural application on a larger scale impossible.

In one of its aspects, this invention provides a fertilizer product in granular form. The fertilizer granules have strengths, sizes and weights that are suitable for mechanical distribution on and into the soil. The preferred size range is from about 1 mm to about 10 mm, and the most preferred size range is from 3 mm to 5 mm.

The granular fertilizer product according to the invention, which forms a source of nitrogen in the earth and which is suitable for use by mechanical distribution in the earth, is characterized in that the grains can act on the particles, and the grains in terms of their strength and their strength Weight are suitable for a mechanical distribution in the earth and that the average compressive strength of a sample of the said body, which have a grain size 15 of 3-4 mm, is at least 0.4536 kg per grain.

These fertilizer granules according to the invention contain a particulate nitrogen source and a binder. The nitrogen source is in the form of fine particles and they usually have a size not above about 10 mesh, 20 they are characterized by low solubility in water at a pH of 7 and at a temperature of 20 ° C and they generally transform very slowly in the soil into a form in which they are valuable for plant life growth in the soil. The nitrogen source is selected from the group consisting of melamine particles, particles of acid addition salts of melamine or a mixture of both. The acid addition salts are formed with organic or inorganic acids. The binder is present in an amount which is at least sufficient to bond the fine crystals or the powdered particles of the nitrogen source to form grains which have the desired strength. It is preferably a readily soluble material which, after the granules have been distributed in the earth, releases the particles from the nitrogen source in order to enable the action of water and microorganisms on the particles. Above all, the binder is selected so that it is compatible with the soil, and any residue of the binder should either be inert, biodegradable, or conditioner for the soil, or it should have a plant nutritional value.

The binder is preferably selected from the group of materials consisting of urea, ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, potassium nitrate, potassium chloride, ammonium chloride, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, lignin sulfonate, urea-formaldehyde resin, mela-45 min formaldehyde resin, starch, latex and Mixtures of these.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the granules contain up to 80 parts by weight of the particulate nitrogen source and at least 20 parts by weight of binder.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the granules comprise 60-80 parts by weight of melamine and 20-40 parts by weight of urea. In yet another preferred embodiment of this invention, the granules comprise 67-80 parts by weight melamine and 20-33 55 parts urea. In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the granules contain about 67 parts by weight of melamine and about 33 parts by weight of urea.

The fertilizer of the invention can be made by a process that includes a melting or annealing step to achieve improved granule strength and to adapt it for use as a source of nitrogen for fertilizer application. This method usually involves mixing the particulate nitrogen source with an effective amount of a binder sufficient to combine the melamine particles into granules having sizes and weights that are suitable for mechanical applications. The mixture can then with a water spray or an aqueous

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Solution of the binder can be brought into contact. The moistened mixture is usually agglomerated, dried and annealed or melted. In a preferred embodiment, this method requires a drying temperature of less than 93 ° C and an annealing temperature between 135 and 149 ° C. In the most preferred embodiment, these granules are made from a mixture of 50-80 parts by weight of melamine and 50-20 parts by weight of urea.

The granular fertilizer of the present invention can also be obtained by mixing a sufficient amount of the molten binder selected from the group of binder materials as defined above with finely pulverized particles of the particulate nitrogen source. Drops of this mixture can then be quenched to form granules. In a preferred embodiment, these granules contain from 40-65 parts by weight of melamine as a particulate nitrogen source and from 35-60 parts by weight of urea binder, the mixture of the two components having been heated to the melting point of urea and then cooled; the urea solidified and the grains were found within the urea.

According to a further preferred embodiment, these granules contain 50-60 parts by weight of melamine and 40-50 parts by weight of urea.

In a further preferred method for producing the granular fertilizer product according to the invention, the particles of the nitrogen source and an effective amount of the binder are mixed together. The mixture obtained can then be brought into contact with a water spray or an aqueous solution of the binder; the agglomerate is formed from the moistened mixture and is finally dried. The agglomerates are usually sieved to obtain granules, which preferably have sizes in the range of 1 mm to 10 mm. Oversized granules can be crushed to suitable sizes and granules that are too small can be reused.

In another preferred embodiment, 50-80 parts by weight of melamine are mixed with 50-20 parts by weight of urea binder, and the most preferred embodiment of this process involves mixing about 67 parts by weight of melamine with about 33 parts by weight Urea.

The fertilizer product according to the invention can also be produced by first forming a granular agglomerate from the nitrogen-containing particles, subjecting it to a melting or annealing step and mixing, contacting, agglomerating and drying the product obtained, as described above, with the other constituents . It is preferably dried at less than 93 ° C and the dried agglomerate can be melted or annealed at a temperature between 135 and 149 ° C. Another preferred embodiment of this method involves mixing 50-80 parts by weight of melamine and 50-20 parts by weight of urea. As a rule, crushing strengths of 1000 g or greater can be achieved if the annealing step is carried out at a temperature of 135-149 ° C and the granules are made from melamine and urea.

The invention further relates to a method of providing a source of fertilizer nitrogen for agricultural soil as a nutrient source for a harvest, wherein the granular fertilizer product defined above, which is a source of nitrogen fertilizer values in the soil, on or in the soil up to about 35.56 cm deep. This method is characterized in that grains of the said granular fertilizer product, which have a size of 1 to 10 mm, are distributed in the arable soil.

In a preferred embodiment of this method, a granular product that is up to 80

Contains parts by weight of the particulate nitrogen source and at least 20 parts by weight of binder. The most preferred embodiment of this method involves distributing a granular product containing up to 80 parts by weight of melamine and at least 20 parts by weight of urea.

The method described is particularly suitable for fertilizing grain, corn, potato or rice crops.

As already mentioned above, the fertilizer nitrogen source has a low solubility in water with a pH of 7 and at a temperature of 20 ° C. After applying the solid form of the nitrogen source to the surface of the earth, part of the earth is usually turned over in order to introduce and distribute the fertilizer in the desired depth range.

The term “slightly water-soluble” is intended here to refer to materials which dissolve in water at a temperature of 20 ° C. and at a pH of 7 to an extent of 5 g or less per 100 g; i.e. Materials that form solutions with a concentration of 5% or less. The expression “low solubility” in water with a pH of 7 at a temperature of 20 ° C has the same meaning.

The term "readily water-soluble" primarily refers to materials that dissolve in water at a temperature of 20 ° C and at a pH of 7 to such an extent of 20 g or more per 100 g, i. H. Materials that form solutions with a concentration of 20% or greater.

Based on available information, the solubilities in water at a temperature of 20 ° C at pH 7 of various materials that can be used in connection with this invention are, in grams per 100 g, the following:

Table I Solubility data

Material g / 100g

melamine

0.50

Ammonium nitrate

192

Ammonium sulfate

75.4

Diammonium phosphate

131 (at 15 °)

Potassium hydrogen sulfate

51.4

Potassium sulfate

11.1

urea

119.3 (at 25 °)

The fertilizer products in accordance with the present invention are in granular form and preferably have sizes in the range from about 1 mm to 10 mm, preferably from 3 mm to 5 mm. They are usually manufactured in such a way that they are easy to penetrate into the earth, have a desired specific weight and are essentially dust-free. The granules are also made to be suitable for mechanical distribution and for use on and in the ground, usually using modern equipment.

The granular fertilizer products according to the invention are in the form of agglomerates or granules. The agglomerates can be made by any conventional technique for agglomerating fertilizer products, using poorly or readily soluble fertilizer nitrogen sources, followed by melt treatment to achieve sufficient compressive strength. The slightly or slightly soluble nitrogen source in the agglomerate contains melamine, acid addition salts thereof with inorganic or organic acids or mixtures of melamine and salts. These salts are preferably selected from the group

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consisting of the hydrochloride, hydroiodide, metaphosphate, solution can be applied. If the binder is a material

Nitrate, orthophosphate, orthophosphate dihydrate, polyphosphate, such as lignin sulfonate, urea-formaldehyde resin or

Potassium dihydrogen phosphate, bisulfate and sulfite, and also made of melamine-formaldehyde resin, then the most convenient application is usually in the form of acetate, cyanurate, chloroacetate, format, benzoate, fumarate, a solution. The binder can

Lactate, maleate and phthalate and mixtures thereof. This 5 can also be a material, such as a phenolic resin, that is in the mold

Materials are characterized by a small to massive solution applied, but such a material that

Has no solubility in water with a pH of 7 and with excellent characteristics as a binder

Temperature of 20 ° C, and contribute through a slow conversion into nutritional value and is therefore less preferred. That of the earth in a form in which the nitrogen is useful for the same reasoning applies to synthetic polymer latices.

the plant growth in the earth. 10 In another preferred embodiment for manufacturing

These nitrogen source materials, as are usually used in the formation of granules, melamine powder becomes a melted

Are commercially available or are usually manufactured, a binder material, preferably urea, added

are in the form of very fine particles. In the case of ben, a slurry of the melamine powder particles in the

Melamine, for example, has to give the commercially available product molten urea. Drops of this melted

typically crystalline particles, which are smaller in size, can be solidified by having them as a 10 mesh, US standard sieve size, and generally by a granule tower in the conventional manner they are usually less than 40 mesh . This very fine drops. While urea is the preferred material powdery nitrogen source materials can be used for the manufacture of granules,

agglomerated using a binder. Generally due to its nitrogen content and the good solubility in it, the binder makes up at least 1% by weight of the powdered water, and also because melamine is somewhat soluble in the molten particle, preferably at least 2% by weight of the urea, other materials, such as powder particles, and more preferably at least 5 sulfur, could also be used, as well as mixtures

% By weight of the powdery particles. The binder can be made of materials. In the formation of the urea-bound granules selected from a wide range of materials, it is preferred that the granule product have little

however, it is preferably selected to contain at least 25% by weight of urea, at least 33% by weight. If less urea is so that it itself and any residue of it is present, it is difficult to make a flowable slurry that is inert, biodegradable, and soil-conditioning to form. The urea content of the granules can be up to 90% by weight.

has a plant nutritional value. %, so the melamine content is in the range of 10-67

The binder that is used must be as strong as can be by weight of the granules. When the granular agglomerates 30 harden or harden, the urea content is preferably 35-60% by weight of the granules, and

or grains a compressive strength of at least 454 g zuzug it is 40-50 wt .-%.

lend how this is done by testing to 10 indiscriminately while preferred granular products using agglomerated

selected agglomerates, which sizes and granules are produced can be satisfactorily

have in the range of 3 mm to 4 mm. The compressive strength of these products is also made using other techniques

Grains are preferably at least 680 g, and especially 35, including extrusion techniques, pressing and milling.

908 g or more. A compressive strength of at least 454 g is necessary and briquetting. For example, melamine powder can be compared with conventional, commercially available, granular or powdered melamine salt or the like with a small urea, and is adequately combined with a starch for the urea-formaldehyde resin in powder form,

Use in most forms of common applications to form a mixture. The mixture can be pressed at an elevated level, including wide-throw devices, atomizers, litter-40 temperature, to cure the resin, and that

Devices and for distribution resulting from aircraft and heli- product can be granulated to copter with particles. the desired size, or the pressed hardened

Preferred binders are lignin sulfonate and its salts, the mass can be converted into flake form. The seven

Starch, urea, urea-formaldehyde resins, melamine form and recycle can be used if maldehyde resins, and latices of synthetic polymeric materials are necessary to produce granules of the desired sizes. Such binders are most preferred to form.

have a plant nutritional value, as is the case with readily soluble binders such as urea, and salts such as urea, urea-formaldehyde resins and melamine-formal ammonium nitrate allow the binding agent to be dissolved quickly.

dehyde resins. of the fertilizer granules in the earth with the release of the

In a preferred agglomeration technique, the mela- 50 fine melamine particles or other fine particles. This may be desirable together with 5-25% by weight of powdered powder if the composite is not only melamine,

Urea combined to form a mixture. This is also a quick-dissolving, quick-releasing nitrogen

Mixture is then usually sprayed with water containing fertilizer material. Where slow release or with a solution of urea is desired, as is usually the case, a conventional agglomeration device binder, such as a rotating one, is used, which binds more slowly in the earth or in a disk rotating drum. In case one loses, such as a urea or formaldehyde resin

Binder solution, the particles are coated. In the case of a melamine-formaldehyde resin.

In a water spray either the urea goes into solution or urea is a preferred binding agent for agglomerates it is moistened and becomes sticky, and in one of these or for the production of granules because it is not just that

It covers the powdery melamine particles 60 Production of fertilizer granules of sufficient size,

enough to cause agglomeration to occur. Strength and weight for conventional use

The agglomerates are usually dried and cooled, light, but also because urea is easily soluble and to form hard composites, which primarily sizes prefer valuable rapid food material delivery to the earth in the range from 1 mm to 10 mm, and especially from 3 mm to 5 guaranteed. If urea together with a powdery-mm. These composites have good compressive strength and use 65 gen nitrogen source, which is characterized by essentially no dusts. by a low or moderate solubility and by a

Any of the conventional agglomeration tech- slow transformations in the earth into a usable form,

techniques are used. The entire binder can then dissolve quickly and release the fine particles

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the poorly soluble nitrogen source into the earth for slow dissolution or for biodegradation.

When an agglomerate is made from powdered melamine and a readily water soluble binder such as urea, preferred proportions in the dried granular product obtained are from 60-85% by weight melamine and from 40-15% by weight urea, or more preferably from 67-80% by weight melamine and 33-20% by weight urea. The most preferred granules contain about 67 parts by weight of melamine and about 33 parts by weight of urea.

In a preferred embodiment, 85-99 parts by weight of particulate nitrogen source are combined with 1-15 parts by weight of a resinous binder which is selected from the group consisting of lignin sulfonate, urea-formaldehyde resin, melamine-formaldehyde resin, latex or mixtures from that. In a more preferred embodiment, 95 parts by weight of melamine and 5 parts by weight of the resinous binders given above are combined.

If e.g. an agglomerate is made using an insoluble or only slightly soluble binder, such as starch, a derivatized starch, or a modified starch, lignin sulfonate, urea formaldehyde, or melamine formaldehyde, or one of the non-nutritive materials, such as a phenolic resin, or a synthetic polymer in the form of a latex, then a very slow release of nitrogen from the melamine particles (or particles from another poorly soluble nitrogen source) can be achieved.

Rapidly releasing nitrogen fertilizer materials, generally an ammonium salt or urea, can advantageously be used as the binder of the agglomerate or the grains for the production of an agglomerate which enables a single application per growing season. Examples of such salt-like binder materials are ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, diamonium phosphate, the potassium phosphates, ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, potassium chloride and ammonium chloride. When used as a binder material in the formation of an agglomerated composite, the proportion of such a salt-like binder material can be from 15-40% by weight of the agglomerate, and preferably from 20-33% by weight of the agglomerate.

In addition, other materials can be incorporated into a granular fertilizer product according to the invention. Such materials can be micronutrient materials, zinc, magnesium, iron and boron.

One of the advantages of using the granular fertilizer compositions according to the invention is that the amount used is much less, expressed in nitrogen, applied per m2 than is the case with standard fertilizers. Because less active material is actually required, it may be desirable, in order to simplify the application, to incorporate an inert filler material in some cases. Any conventional filler material can be used, such as gypsum, clay, sand, milled sea shells, milled dolomite and milled limestone.

Another important advantage of using the granular fertilizer products in accordance with the present invention is that because of the slow release characteristics, it is possible to use only one application per growing season. It also appears that after initial application, in the particular case of melamine based fertilizer products, the release of nitrogen levels in the soil continues during two growing seasons. Accordingly, in the second and subsequent growth seasons, even lower application amounts can be used for given values than is the case for the initial application.

The granular fertilizer product according to the invention can be used for seeds, fruits, flowers, vegetables, vegetable fibers, tubers or the like. The application of the fertilizer according to the invention leads to an overall yield of 5 plant units, which are comparable to those obtained when a conventional standard fertilizer practice is followed, but with the known fertilizers the nitrogen fertilizer application level used is significantly higher.

By using the fertilizer product according to the invention, the effectiveness of conventional, readily soluble, rapidly releasing nitrogen fertilizers in the production of productive units in agricultural crops is increased by supplementing their action with the use of a slowly releasing, weakly or moderately soluble fertilizer nitrogen source. For example, a combination of 10 to 50% by weight of nitrogen in a conventional, easily water-soluble, rapidly nitrogen-releasing fertilizer can advantageously be combined with 50-90% by weight of poorly soluble material indicated above.

The crops that are expected to respond to treatment with the new fertilizer product include essentially all crops, but especially those where fruits are harvested. Such harvests include, in particular, 25 food grains, feed grains, legumes, fibers, root vegetables, citrus fruits, tubers, oil-containing plants, including nuts, fruits and seeds, commercial vegetables, commercial melons, tree fruits, stick vegetables, bush fruits and flowers. Examples of food cereals include, in particular, wheat, rye and rice. Feed grain is e.g. B. corn, grain, oats, barley and sorghum (Chinese sugar cane). Legumes include e.g. B. cotton, hemp and jute. Root vegetables usually include sweet potatoes and sugar beets. Citrus 35 comp. B. oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, lemons and limes. Bulbs include potatoes. Cultures containing oil are e.g. B. flax, wild saffron, sunflowers and castor beans. Commercial vegetable crops mainly include lima beans, string beans, beets, 40 carrots, sweet corn, cucumbers, onions, green peas and tomatoes. Commercial melon crops are e.g. B. Wart melons, honeydew melons and watermelons. Tree crops include, in particular, apples, peaches, pears, cherries and plums. Wine fruits are e.g. B. grapes. Bush fruits include the many different types of berries, especially raspberries and blueberries. Comprehensive tree nut cultures. B. almonds, hazelnuts, pecans and walnuts.

The invention will be better understood with reference to the following examples. Here, all details, which relate to parts and percentages, relate to weight, and all details of temperatures are given in degrees Celsius; Exceptions are specified.

Examples of Granule 55 Formation In the following examples, the melamine used was the commercially available product from Melamin Chemicals, Inc., Donaldsonville, Louisiana. It was a fine, white, crystalline powder and had a sieve analysis which was essentially the same as that given above for the commercially available melamine. It was about 99.9% pure, with a maximum moisture content of 0.1%, maxilamer ash of 0.01% and a density of about 1.57 g / ml.

As indicated in some of the following examples, 65 the compressive strengths are 454 g or more. More preferably, compressive strengths of 1362 g or more have been developed to simplify use. The bulk density of the granules should also be 0.640 g / cm3 or more. The

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preferred combination of bulk density, compressive strength and particle size serves for flexibility and ease of use. Compressive strengths of 1000 g or more are usually obtained when the melting step comprises heating to a temperature of 135 to 149 ° C and carried out on the melamine-urea granules.

example 1

Melamine agglomerates using a urea binder

Three batches of composite granules were made, each containing different amounts of urea and melamine, and using urea as the binder. These batches of agglomerated granules were prepared in a 22.86 cm diameter shell agglomerator. The urea was first ground and then mixed with the melamine powder to form a homogeneous mixture. The powdery mixture was placed in the shell agglomerator and sprayed with an almost saturated solution of urea and water. The solution added about 7% urea to the dried agglomerate. The remaining part of the urea content was derived from the urea powder in the urea-melamine powder mixture.

Example 2 Melted Melamine Granules A batch of granules was made using 67 parts of melamine crystals and 33 parts of urea. The granules were made on a 45.72 cm plate crumb machine. The urea was first ground and then mixed with the melamine to give a homogeneous mixture. The mixture was placed in the crumb machine and sprayed with water. The granules were dried at a temperature of 94 ° C for about 20 minutes, 35 and then subjected to a further heating step in a laboratory oven at a temperature of 149 ° C for 3 minutes. After cooling, the compressive strength and the rate of breakup in water were measured. These values are given in Table I below.

Melting times are possible during manufacture if air circulation dryers or ovens are used instead of the laboratory oven used in these examples.

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Table II

Oven temperature ° C

Heating in min.

Compressive strength (g)

io 104

20th

560

149

4th

350

5

881

6

978

7

1333

15

8th

1290

9

1530

10th

1480

11

1780

12

1300

20th

13

1640

14

1445

15

1530

20th

1454

172

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763

25th

5

1125

6

1340

7

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1200 825

40

Example 4

Melamine agglomerated with urea powder; Water Spray A batch of agglomerated granules was made in a bowl agglomerator as described in Example 1, except that all of the urea was added as a powder and the spray applied to the bowls consisted only of water. The resulting composite contained 80% melamine and 20% urea, and after sieving to 3-4 mm it had a compressive strength of 953 g using the same test technique as in Example 1.

Table I

Compressive strength

Time for the dissolution

(G)

in water

example 1

dried granules

600

right away

Example 2

melted granules

2400

20-30 sec

Example 5

43 Use of Further Binding Agents for Agglomerating Melamine Granular agglomerates were produced with a 40.64 cm shell agglomerator using melamine with various 50 different binding agents. In each case, the binder was sprayed onto the melamine in liquid form. After drying, the compressive strength was determined as in Example 1. The results are summarized in Table III below.

This example illustrates the relationship between time and temperature in the melting step.

Example 3 Melted Melamine Granules Melamine granules, produced according to Example 2, were heated in separate batches to temperatures of 104.149 and 172 ° C. during varying times. A standard laboratory oven was used. After cooling, the compressive strength was measured. The results are shown in Table II. The maximum compressive strength at a temperature of 172 ° C appears after heating for 6 minutes. The maximum compressive strength appears at a temperature of 149 ° C after heating for 11 minutes. Shorter drying times and

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Table III Observed compressive strength melamine, agglomerated with various binders

60 binders

Compressive strength, g of 3-4 mm agglomerates

Calcium lignin sulfonate1 UCAR 368 latex1 65 melamine-formaldehyde resin1 urea-formaldehyde resin1 diammonium phosphate (DAP) 2 ammonium nitrate2

908 681 1544 454 91 150

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1 Applied as 30-50% solids. The dried agglomerates were about 5% binder.

2 Essentially saturated solutions were used. The dried agglomerates were approximately 93% melamine, 7% salt.

Example 6

Melamine, agglomerated with other fertilizer materials

Melamine, ammonium phosphate and potassium chloride were mixed together in a weight ratio of 70:15:15. The mixture was placed in a 40.64 cm dish agglomerator and sprayed with a 30% solids lignin sulfonate solution. The dried, screened granules had a compressive strength of 1000 g in a 3-4 mm size range and a binder content of 3%.

Example 7

Melamine in the matrix of solidified urea binder

Melamine and urea powder were mixed together in a 63-37 ratio. The mixture was heated until a molten slurry was obtained. The slurry was then poured onto a cooling plate so as to form a thin film and a thick film. After cooling, the thin film was broken into flakes.

The thick film, which was about 4 mm thick, was broken into granules. The compressive strength of the 3-4mm granules was extremely high, namely 2500 g.

Example 8

A pressed melamine-urea composite material

A melamine-urea mixture was formed as described in Example 7. This mixture was then placed in a heated plate press at a pressure of about 34.02 atm for 5 minutes at a temperature of 138 ° C. The resulting warm composite material in the form of a sheet approximately 4 mm thick was then removed from the press and cooled. The cooled sheet was granulated and the 3-4 mm granules of the composite had a crush strength of 2500 g.

Example 9 Melamine Urea 60/40 Granules

Melamine composite granules were prepared by heating 40 parts by weight of urea with 60 parts by weight of melamine. Heating was accomplished in an aluminum can using electrical heating tape. A slurry formed at a temperature of 135 ° C. Holes were then punched into the bottom of the can, excluding the slurry. A sheet of plastic, spread out on the floor, caught the falling objects as they dripped down from the fourth level.

The largest granules did not cool down before they landed and smashed. The smaller granules, however, cooled and solidified, and these were collected for starch testing. Quite good compressive strengths were obtained even though they were not measured. The compressive strength was assumed to be approximately similar to that of the granules of Example 7.

Example 10

Melamine, agglomerated with a latex binder

5% Union Carbide UCAR 368 latex, 15% water and 80% melamine were combined to form a closable slurry. A sheet of the slurry was formed and then dried. The result was an extremely strong composite material that could be granulated. The dried material contained 3% latex solids and 97% melamine. The compressive strength of the 3-4 mm granules was 2180 g.

Example 11

Pressed composite material of melamine and urea formaldehyde

25 g of urea, 70 g of melamine and 15 ml of a 27% formaldehyde solution were mixed together and pressed at a temperature of 149 ° C and a pressure of 34.02 atm to form a thick sheet. The compressive strength of the 3-4 mm granules was 680 g.

Example 12

Melamine-urea agglomerates for field trials

For field trials, 7257.6 kg of melamine / urea composite material was made using a shell agglomerator with a diameter of 1.21 m. Various composite materials were made, with melamine / urea ratios of 80 / 20.75 / 25 and 67/33. About 7% of the composite material was added as urea in the form of an aqueous binder solution, and the remaining urea was added as powdered urea, which was mixed with the melamine powder prior to agglomeration.

In the previous examples, the granular fertilizer products were made from commercially available fine melamine crystals. Similar granular fertilizer products can be obtained in substantially the same way from the hydrolysis products of melamine, i.e. Ammeiin, Ammelid and cyanuric acid, and from salts made from these and from melamine. Among the salts, the reaction product of nitric acid and melamine is the preferred material.

Example 13

Experiments with maize using melamine-urea agglomerates; Evaluation of different application techniques

Test plots with a total area of 161,874 m2 of sandy to slightly loamy and muddy soil were treated with different amounts of melamine agglomerates to have several different levels of nitrogen applied per 4046 m2. Melamine-urea agglomerated composite materials were used, which were produced according to Example 1 and had the following compositions: 67 parts of melamine and 33 parts of urea binder; 75 parts of melamine and 25 parts of urea binder; 80 parts of melamine and 20 parts of urea binder. The composite materials have been successfully applied using various techniques: 1) spreading with a barber modulus; 2) spread with a barber spreader and plow into the ground; 3) Airborne application using an airplane; 4) Sprinkle in the ground during planting.

The results observed are summarized in Table IV below.

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Table IV

Trials with corn effect of the application method

Amount of nitrogen

Melamine / urea

Application technology

Number of corn cobs /

0 number of corn cobs

(kg / 1000 m2)

1.12-lÛ "1

100 plants per plant

140-150

75/25

(1)

155

1.55

140-150

75/25

(2)

147

1.47

140-150

75/25

(3)

155

1.55

150

80/20

(4)

153

1.53

0

(Control)

132

1.32

400

UN-32

**

129

1.29

400 *

# •

145

1.45

* Standard fertilizer practice, various uses during the growing season.

** A total of 400 lbs.N in the form of UN-32 used in various applications during the growing season to simulate standard fertilizer practice.

20th

All comparisons of the tests described in these examples, which were fertilized using method (4) (littering into the corn plants were carried out within one week or cultures already planted); these corn plants looked yellow. made early. To estimate those harvests that occur later in the year

The maize plants that grew in the plots and that would be available with the 25 were counted the corn cobs, using fol method (2) fertilized (wide throw and subsequent adjustments were made: plowing whole corn cobs), looked green, robust and healthy . The corn plants are referred to as 1, small corn cobs are referred to as vizs that grew in the plots and were only designated with the broad cast, and undeveloped corn cobs are fertilized as 0 drive (1) and (3) had a yellow as well a designated. These counts are given in Table IV as effective green foliage, but they were greener than the corn plants, 30 numbers of corn cobs.

Table V

Trials with corn effect of the application method

Amount of nitrogen (kg / 1000 m2)

Melamine / urea 1.12-10-1

Application technology

Effective number of corn cobs / 100 '**

Number of plants / 100 ft.

Average effective number of corn cobs per plant

140-150

75/25

(1)

109.5

109

1.0

140-150

75/25

(2)

118

126

0.94 ***

140-150

75/25

(3)

120.5

115

1.05

150

80/20

(4)

60

134

0.45

0

(Control)

40.5

95

0.43

400

UN-32

(1)

124.5

128

0.97

400 *

145.5

159

0.92

* Standard fertilizer practice, various uses during the growing season.

** Whole corn cobs are rated as 1, small corn cobs are rated as' /:, and undeveloped corn cobs are rated as 0.

*** The corncob size was also of interest: at 150 lbs. N, applied as 75/25 melamine / urea granules: 5 / 2-6 cm in diameter; SFP: 4 / 2-5 cm diameter

In a further evaluation, the maize plants 60 from approx. 159 to 180 kg N per year per 4046 rrr were used, harvested and weighed, the maize cobs were counted and this is achieved in three separate steps. First weight of corn on the cob was recorded. Two test zones were used for this evaluation - an early application of approx. 90 kg N / 4046 m2 of water-free ion. The first zone was ammonia. Secondly, approx. 180 kg 4046 m2 on 16-20-0 with 75/25 melamine / urea agglomerates are applied by spreading the (based on monoammonium phosphate). Third, agglomerates were fertilized, and then a harrow was used to harrow UN-32, containing urea and ammonium nitrate. The second zone was made using the local turns with an irrigation sprinkler system. This Resul standard fertilizer practice fertilized with approx. 180 kg N / 4046 m2. Tates are summarized in Table VI below. In standard fertilizer practice there is a total amount. All samples taken were pre-dent.

657 119

10th

Table VI

Determination of the response of the maize in the unripe state

fertilization

sample

Selection technique

plants

Weight

Corn cobs

Weight

Ratio number

Number in kg

number

Corn weight for plant weight

Melamine / urea

1

Sample 1

10th

17.7

20th

18.5 lbs.

0.475

75/25 agglomerates

2nd

Sample 1

10th

16

20th

16

0.45

with approx. 68 kg N / 4046 m2,

3rd

all plants from one

58

55

59

47.5

0.39

Long cast and harrowed

15 m long row taken

75/25 agglomerates with

4th

all plants from one

69

55

73

49.5

0.41

approx. 106 kg N / 4046 m2,

15 m long row

Long cast and harrowed

taken

75/25 agglomerates with

5

all plants from one

64

61

67

47.5

0.35

approx. 68 kg N / 4046 m2,

15 m long row

let in

taken

Standard fertilizers

1

Sample 1

10th

18.6

20th

14

0.34

practice

approx. 159-180 kg

2nd

Sample 1

10th

18.6

20th

16.5

0.40

N / 4046 m2

3rd

all plants taken from a 15 m long row

79

64

77

47

0.33

1 In the random selection process, large plants had two corn cobs, and each plant was taken from the ends of rows in open places where there was minimal competition among the corn plants.

M

Claims (21)

657 119 2nd PATENT CLAIMS 1. A granular fertilizer product which forms a source of nitrogen in the soil and which is suitable for use by mechanical distribution in the soil, characterized in that that the grains 5 (a) particles of melamine or particles of acid addition salts of melamine or particles of mixtures of melamine and acid addition salts thereof, the largest size of the individual particles having a particle size of not more than 400 microns, and 10 (b) contain a sufficient amount of a binder that binds the particles into grains, the binder having the ability, after the grains have been distributed in the earth, to dissolve to release the particles, thereby allowing water and 15 microorganisms which can act on the particles, and where the grains are suitable in terms of their strength and weight for mechanical distribution in the earth and that the average compressive strength of a sample of the said grains which have a grain size of 3-4 mm, is at least 0.4536 kg per grain. 20 2. Granular fertilizer product according to claim 1, characterized in that the binder is urea. 3. Granular fertilizer according to claim 2, characterized in that the particle material makes up 40 to 65 wt .-% of the total product and that 35-60 wt .-% of the binder is present. 4. Granular fertilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains 10 to 67 wt .-% of the particle material and 33 to 90 wt .-% of the binder. 5. Granular fertilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that the particles consist of melamine and make up 40-65% by weight of the grains and that the binder is urea and makes up 35-60% by weight of the grains. 6. Granular fertilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that the grains contain at least one salt which has at least one N, P or K value which is useful for the plants. 7. Granular fertilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that the binder is a readily water-soluble material which is selected from the group consisting of ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, potassium nitrate, potassium chloride, ammonium chloride, potassium dihydrogen phosphate and mixtures thereof and urea. 8. Granular fertilizer according to claim 7, characterized in that the grains consist of 60-80 wt .-% melamine and that the binder is present in an amount of 20-40 wt .-%. 9. Granular fertilizer according to claim 8, characterized in that the grains consist of 67-80 wt .-% melamine and that the binder is present in an amount of 20-33 wt .-% in the grains. 10. Granular fertilizer according to claim 7, characterized in that the binder contains ammonium nitrate and in an amount of 15-40 wt .-%, based on the grains, is present. 11. Granular fertilizer according to claim 7, characterized in that the binder contains a mixture of ammonium phosphate and potassium chloride. 12. Granular fertilizer according to claim 1, characterized in that the binder is an insoluble resin which connects the particles into grains and that it is present in an amount of at least 1% by weight, based on the grains. 13. Granular fertilizer according to claim 12, characterized in that the binder is present in an amount of at least 65 at least 2 wt .-%, based on the grains. 14. Granular fertilizer according to claim 13, characterized in that the amount of binder at least 25th 30 t 35 40 45 5 wt .-%, based on the grains, and that it is selected from the group of urea-formaldehyde resin, melamine-formaldehyde resin and lignin sulfonate salt. 15. Granular fertilizer according to claim 13, characterized in that the binder makes up at least 5% by weight, based on the grains. 16. A method of providing a source of fertilizer nitrogen for agricultural soil as a nutrient source for a harvest, wherein a granular fertilizer product according to any one of claims 1 to 15, which is a source of nitrogen fertilizer values in the soil, on or in the soil to a depth of about 35.56 cm, characterized in that grains of said granular fertilizer product, which have a size of 1 to 10 mm, are distributed in the soil. 17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the grains are applied to the surface of the earth with the aid of an irrigation spray device and then the earth is torn by harrows or plows, such as disc harrows, peeling plows, etc., in order to bring the material used to the desired depths to distribute in the earth. 18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the grains are distributed in the soil to be treated. 19. The method according to any one of claims 16, 17 or 18, characterized in that the application amount of the grains for a single growing season is such that the particles are provided with an amount of nitrogen which is 10-75% of the practical standard amount of fertilizer Application for the entire growing season, based on the nitrogen content in weight of a conventional, rapidly nitrogen-releasing fertilizer which is soluble up to 20 g or more per 100 g of water at a pH of 7 and at 20 ° C. 20. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the granular fertilizer product in the root zone of a harvest in the soil and distributed, wherein the granular fertilizer product provides 50 to 90% of the fertilizer nitrogen applied to the soil. 21. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the harvest of a food grain crop, a feed grain crop, a pod crop, a fiber crop, a root crop, a citrus crop, a tuber crop, a fruit tree crop, a walnut crop, a commercially available vegetable crop, a grape crop, a shrub crop or is a commercial melon harvest. 50 55 60