EP2131876A1

EP2131876A1 - Apparatus and method for the application of soil conditioners

Info

Publication number: EP2131876A1
Application number: EP08735024A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dietmar Plate
Original assignee: Evonik Stockhausen GmbH
Current assignee: Evonik Operations GmbH
Priority date: 2007-04-05
Filing date: 2008-04-04
Publication date: 2009-12-16
Also published as: JP2010523092A; ZA200907740B; BRPI0809921A2; RU2009140322A; MX2009010637A; DE102007016919A1; KR20090129508A; MA31294B1; AU2008235040A1; WO2008122411A1; IL200691A0; US20100139159A1; AU2008235040B2

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for ground cultivation, in particular of green spaces and existing areas of vegetation, comprising the following steps: a.) production of a conveyable application form of a soil conditioner in which the soil conditioner is present as a dispersion of pre-swollen particles and/or as hydrogel; b.) conveyance of the application form of the soil conditioner produced in step a.) to a depositing device; c.) depositing of the soil conditioner by means of a depositing device, and a device for carrying out such a cultivation method.

Description

Apparatus and method for the registration of soil improvers

The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for recording soil improvers.

The intensive use of a vegetation area - here in particular a lawn or "turf" area and the necessary conservation measures often lead to a "turf wear", in particular for the connection of the solid microparticles in the soil. This compaction results from a reduction of the large or macroporous spaces or even the pore spaces of the soil as a whole. As a result, the water infiltration, the leakage and drainage in the soil is reduced, the capillary action is broken and the exchange of soil gases, in particular soil oxygen with the atmosphere is limited. Furthermore, this leads to a reduction of root growth and thus to a lack of development of the lawn (Turf) e.g. In some cases, a substantial reduction of the root system and often a death of the deeper roots is caused.

The appropriate cultivation of vegetation areas, e.g. Turf (turf), in particular to effect drainage but also vigorous root growth and to improve the soil-air-water ratio, has always been a gardening and landscaping problem, and agricultural machinery manufacturers have had a great deal in the past Number of devices built and tested to find a solution to this.

Core cultivation (aeration) is widely used as a long-term program to reduce compacted conditions in the root-root zone. Various different types of core cultivating machines are commercially available for this purpose.

However, it has been found that the use of such cultivation machines over a long period of time to a compaction of the soil below the processed layer, so the subsoil lead. These compacted lower soil layers disturb on the one hand the desired water circulation in the soil and on the other hand the desired root growth of the vegetation areas or of the lawn (Turf).

To solve this problem of so-called subsoil screeding ("subsoil culture"), EP 0 627 158 has proposed a culture device which injecting substantially incompressible fluids into the soil by means of sufficient pressure so as to cause rupture of the compacted soil layers. As incompressible liquids, incompressible Newtonian liquids or hydraulic fluids are explicitly called water or liquid fertilizers and weedkillers.

Although devices as described, for example, in EP 0 627 158 provide very good results in the aeration of the soil and thereby bring about improved water absorption of the soil, no measures are possible hereby which lead to a permanent storage of water and nutrients in the soil. A disadvantage is in particular that when carrying out the cultivation according to EP 0 627 158 in the aqueous shooting of the products, located in the soil sludge parts, so-called fines with a particle size less than 0.1 mm in the lower part of the shot balloon are stored permanently and so a closure of Subsoil effect, so that the capillary structure of the soil is not preserved.

In the case of measures which lead to a permanent storage of water and nutrients in the soil, these are, in particular, the incorporation of soil improvers in the form of water-swellable polymers which can advantageously be used, for example, as soil additives for water and nutrient storage and as root protection gels. Reference may be made by way of example to US Pat. No. 5,303,663, in which a method for promoting plant growth in soils is described and water-absorbable or water-swellable polymer particles in dry form are incorporated into the soil. Such soil conditioners for agricultural, forestry and gardening are also e.g. sold by Stockhausen GmbH, Krefeld under the brand name STOCKOSORB®.

These soil conditioners are always introduced into the soil, if due to the soil condition or due to climatic conditions, the water and nutrient storage is insufficient. Thus, for example, the storage of water and nutrients in sandy and well drained soils is extremely limited because the rainwater and irrigation water for the plants mostly seeps away unused and / or evaporates too quickly through the normal capillaries. In addition, the nutrients from the root area are easily washed out. In principle, however, the amount of plant-available water decides on the quality of plant growth, nonetheless, the water supply of plants is subject to strong fluctuations. For example, precipitation deficits and periods of drought ensure that the water content in the soil rapidly drops below the minimum needed for growth. In order to avoid dry damage and crop failures, then intensive irrigation is necessary, which is labor intensive. Especially in the dry zones of the earth, irrigation measures are extremely cost-intensive due to the scarcity of the natural water resources found there. In such dry zones, which are often also holiday regions, effective agricultural technology or agriculture, forestry and gardening, for example in the form of landscape care and maintenance in greenery of hotel and golf courses, lawns and equestrian sports etc. operate Therefore, a sophisticated water management is required, as often up to 50% of the water evaporates before it reaches the roots of the plants.

Disadvantageous for the use of such water-swellable soil conditioners as e.g. in the aforementioned US Pat. No. 5,303,663 or the water-swellable polymers sold by the company Stockhausen GmbH, Krefeld under the trade name STOCKOSORB®, the circumstance was, in particular on GoIf and all other vegetation and lawns, that the surfaces after application These funds could not be recorded immediately, which was contrary to an application of this otherwise very advantageous soil conditioner. In addition, it has been observed in practice that the incorporation of these water-swellable soil conditioners in dry form was extremely difficult, or the incorporation into the soil was very uneven or led to a destabilization of the soil. This immediately resulted in a change in the original relief of the vegetation area. However, such a change of the ground relief is completely unacceptable for sports and golf courses.

Thus, there is a need for a cultivation method, in particular for green plants and already existing vegetation cover, which ensures effective soil aeration (aeration), without thereby changing the original relief of the vegetation area and on the other hand leads to a permanent water and nutrient storage of the soil or to a device for recording soil conditioners for carrying out such a cultivation method. -A-

The task was therefore to develop such a method, which ensures a permanent increase in the usable water capacity of soils or plant-available water quantity and leads to a significant reduction in irrigation frequency, while ensuring a uniform water supply to the plants and ensures faster and better rooting, including a reduction of the nutrient discharge into the groundwater and so a cost reduction for irrigation and fertilization causes or provide a device for carrying out such a cultivation process.

Quite surprisingly, a cultivation process, in particular for existing green areas and existing vegetation areas could be found, comprising the steps

a.) Preparation of a deliverable application form of a water-swellable soil conditioner, in which the soil conditioner as

Dispersion of pre-swollen particles and / or present as hydrogel, b.) Conveying the application form of the soil conditioner prepared in step a) to a delivery device, c.) Introducing the soil conditioner by means of introduction device.

According to the invention, as soil conditioners, all agents can be used which are in the form of a conveyable application form, preferably as a dispersion and particularly preferably as hydrogels in agricultural or gardening, for example as soil adjuvants for water and nutrient storage, as well as in artificial soils Plant breeding, and can be used as root protection gels.

It is essential to the invention, however, that the conveyable application form of the soil improving agent is not introduced into the soil or vegetation area to be cultivated in dry form, but the water-swelling soil conditioners are pre-swollen so that they are present as a dispersion of pre-swollen particles and / or as hydrogels.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the soil conditioner is at least one water-insoluble, crosslinked polymer which is a three-dimensional polymeric network and is capable of swelling and forming Hydrogels to absorb large amounts of water or aqueous liquids and to be able to retain the absorbed amount of liquid even under the influence of an external pressure, such as all crosslinked carboxylate-containing poly (meth) acrylates, which can form hydrogels. In addition, these may also be water-swellable polymers based on natural substances such as, for example, polysaccharides, alginates, pectins, gelatin, guar, carboxymethylcellulose, etc., as well as synthetic substances such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylamide, acrylonitrile, styrene and derivatives thereof based water-swellable or hydrogel-forming polymers.

In particular, poly (meth) acrylates containing carboxylate groups which are to be used according to the invention are those which are composed primarily and preferably of the monomers acrylic acid, acrylamide, methacrylic acid and methacrylamide, but also other water-soluble monomers such as acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, N, N Dimethylacrylamide, vinylpyridine and other water-soluble polymerizable acids and their salts, especially the maleic, fumaric, itaconic, vinylsulfonic or acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonic acid; furthermore hydroxyl-containing esters of polymerizable acids, in particular the hydroxyethyl and hydroxypropyl esters of methacrylic acid; also aminogruppenhaltige and ammonium groups containing esters and amides of polymerizable acids such as dialkylamino, in particular the dimethyl- and Diethylaminoalkylester of acrylic and methacrylic acid, and the trimethyl and Trimethylammoniumalkylester and the corresponding amides.

The poly (meth) acrylates to be used according to the invention can be formed exclusively from the abovementioned carboxylate-containing monomers or else be combined with the monomers not carrying carboxylate groups in a copolymer. In the copolymers, the proportion of carboxylate monomers is 90 to 10 mol%, preferably 60 to 30 mol%.

In small amounts additionally low or completely water-insoluble monomers can be copolymerized with the above monomers such as vinyl esters and the esters of acrylic and / or methacrylic acid with C ^ to alcohols, styrene and alkylated styrenes. In general, the proportion of the water-soluble monomers is 80 to 100 wt .-%, based on the total of the monomers. The water-insoluble As a rule, monomers (hydrophobic) make up from 0 to 20% by weight of the monomers.

The acidic monomer components can be neutralized prior to polymerization, the degree of neutralization preferably being between 10 and 95 mol%, in particular between 50 and 90 mol%, and in particular between 70 and 95 mol%. Suitable bases for the neutralization are all customary inorganic and organic compounds, particular preference is given to sodium hydroxide solution, potassium hydroxide solution and ammonia or ammonium hydroxide.

Together with the o.g. Monomers are copolymerized in small proportions of crosslinking monomers having more than one reactive group in the molecule. This results in partially crosslinked polymers which are no longer soluble in water, but only swellable.

As crosslinking monomers are, for example, bi- or polyfunctional monomers, eg. B. amides such as Methylenbisacryl- or -methacrylamid or Ethylenbisacrylamid, further allyl compounds such as allyl (meth) acrylate, alkoxylated allyl (meth) acrylate reacted with preferably 1 to 30 moles of ethylene oxide, triallyl cyanurate, maleic acid diallyl esters, polyallylester, Tetraallyloxiethan, triallylamine, Tetraallylethylenediamine, allyl esters of phosphoric acid or phosphorous acid, furthermore crosslinkable monomers, such as the N-methylol compounds of amides such as methacrylamide or acrylamide and the ethers derived therefrom and esters of polyols and alkoxylated polyols, such as diacrylates or triacrylates, for example Butanediol or ethylene glycol diacrylate, polyglycol di (meth) acrylates, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, di- and triacrylate esters of (ethoxylated) trimethylolpropane preferably alkoxylated with 1 to 30 moles of alkylene oxide, acrylate and methacrylate esters of glycerol and pentaerythritol, and of preferably 1 to 30 moles of ethylene oxide ethoxylated glycerol and pentaerythritol.

Preference is given to using methylene or ethylenebis (meth) acrylamide, N-methylolacrylamides and triallylamine. The proportion of the crosslinking comonomers is 0.01 to 2.5 wt .-%, preferably 0.01 to 1, 0 wt .-% and particularly preferably 0.01 to 0.1 wt .-%, based on the totality of the monomers.

The carboxylate-containing polymers to be used according to the invention may contain water-soluble polymers as the graft base, amounts of up to 30% by weight being preferred. These include, for example, partially or completely hydrolyzed polyvinyl chloride. nyl alcohols, starch or strong derivatives, cellulose or cellulose derivatives, lignin or Gigninderivate polyacrylic acids, polyglycols or mixtures thereof.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the polymers to be used can be postcrosslinked. For postcrosslinking, which leads to a marked improvement in gel stability, fluid absorption under pressure and the rate of absorption, compounds are used which generally have at least two functional groups and which can crosslink the functional groups of the polymer on the surface of the polymer particles. In this context, preference is given to alcohol, amine, aldehyde, glycidyl and epichloro functions, it also being possible to use crosslinker molecules having a plurality of different functions.

The following postcrosslinking agents may be mentioned by way of example: ethyl glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, glycerol, polyglycerol, propylene glycol, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, polypropylene oxide, block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, sorbitan fatty acid esters, ethoxylated sorbitan fatty acid esters, ethoxylated sorbitan fatty acid esters, trimethylolpropane, ethoxylated trimethylolpropane, pentaethylene rythritol, ethoxylated pentaerythritol, polyvinyl alcohol, sorbitol, ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate and polyepoxides such as ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether.

Preference is given to using ethylene carbonate as a postcrosslinking agent. The postcrosslinking agent is used in an amount of from 0.01 to 10% by weight, preferably from 0.1 to 5% by weight, particularly preferably from 0.1 to 1% by weight, based on the polymer to be postcrosslinked.

The preparation of the poly (meth) acrylates to be used according to the invention can be carried out by customary processes; it is preferred to polymerize batchwise in aqueous solution in a polymerization vessel or continuously, for example on an endless belt. The initiation of polymerization is carried out using customary initiators or redox systems which trigger a radical polymerization. With a practically adiabatic course of the polymerization, an aqueous polymer gel is formed with a corresponding initial concentration of 15 to 50% by weight of the monomers. By selecting the initial monomer concentration and an appropriate low initial temperature ranging from 0 to 50 ⁰ C, preferably from 5 to 25 ° C, the Po can lymerisation so be made that the maximum temperature in the wässri- is easy to control gene polymer gel. After the polymerization has ended, the polymer mechanically marbled, dried, ground and optionally subjected to surface crosslinking.

Furthermore, for the preparation of the poly (meth) acrylates, the suspension polymerization process is also suitable in which the discrete polymer particles are already formed during the polymerization.

When adding surface postcrosslinkers, attention must be paid to thorough mixing of the polymer particles. Suitable mixing units for applying the postcrosslinking agent are e.g. Patterson-Kelley mixer, DRAIS

Rubbing mixers, Lödigemischer, Ruberg mixers, screw mixers, plate mixers and fluidized bed mixers as well as continuous vertical mixers in which the powder is mixed by means of rotating knives in rapid frequency (Schügi mixer). After the postcrosslinking agent, preferably in the form of a solution has been mixed with the polymer, is heated to temperatures of 80 to 250 ⁰ C, preferably to 135 to 250 ⁰ C and particularly preferably heated to 150 to 200 ⁰ C for carrying out the Nachvernetzungsreaktion, the optimum The duration of reheating can be easily determined for the individual crosslinker types with a few experiments. It is limited by the point at which the desired property profile of the superabsorber is destroyed again as a result of heat damage. For example, the cure times for temperatures of 180 ^° C. are usually less than 30 minutes.

The poly (meth) acrylates may further contain processing and conditioning aids such as potassium stearate, polyglycol, silicas, bentonites.

The residual monomer content of the poly (meth) acrylates to be used according to the invention is low and is less than 1000 ppm, for example less than 250 ppm. In particular, the residual content of ecotoxicologically questionable monomers, such as e.g. Acrylamide below 250 ppm, preferably below 100 ppm or more preferably below 50 ppm.

The absorption capacity of the poly (meth) acrylates to be used according to the invention for water and aqueous solutions can vary within wide limits and is set by the monomer constituents, the crosslinking agents and optionally the postcrosslinking agents. Preference is given to using those poly (meth) acrylates which absorb more than 30 g / g, preferably more than 50 g / g and particularly preferably more than 65 g / g of polymer from a synthetic soil solution having a conductivity of 2.5 μS. The synthetic soil solution containing 10 l of water 0.71 g NaCl, 0.065 g NaN ₃ , 1, 676 g KCl, 0.353 NH ₄ Cl, 3.363 g MgCl ₂ x 6H ₂ O, 10.5 g CaCl ₂ x 2H ₂ O and 0.019 g of FeCl ₃ × 6H ₂ O. 1 g of poly (meth) acrylate is stirred in 200 ml of this solution for 15 minutes with a magnetic stirrer, allowed to stand for 45 minutes and then filtered through a 100 mesh sieve. The absorption value results from the quotient of the amount of absorbed liquid and the weight of the polymer.

Poly (meth) acrylate copolymers prepared using carboxylate group-free comonomers, in particular acrylamide, have a higher long-term stability of absorption to frequently changing wet and dry phases during use.

The soluble fractions of the poly (meth) acrylates to be used according to the invention are usually below 20% by weight, preferably below 15% by weight and very particularly preferably below 10% by weight.

The grain size of the polymers to be used in the process according to the invention may vary depending on the application, it is usually in the range of 0.2 to 3 mm.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the poly (meth) acrylates may be loaded with active ingredients which release them back to the environment in the course of the application according to the invention. These agents include, but are not limited to, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.

Particularly preferred soil improvers according to the invention are those soil improvers for agricultural technology or agriculture, forestry and horticulture, which are sold by Stockhausen GmbH, Krefeld under the brand name STOCKSORB®. These are water-swellable, in particular superabsorbent polymers obtained by polymerization of the above-described components, in particular by

a.) 55 to 99.95 wt .-% monoethylenically unsaturated carboxyl group-carrying monomers, which are optionally partially neutralized b.) 0.05 to 5.0 wt .-% of at least one crosslinking agent, c.) O to 40 wt .-% of further, copolymerizable with a.) monomers, d.) 0 to 30 wt .-% of a water-soluble graft , and the ingredients a.) to d.) to 100 wt .-% complement, are available.

For the production of the conveyable application form of the soil improver to be used in step a.), The soil conditioner, preferably in the form of a water-swellable polymer such as e.g. STOCKOSORB® granules are introduced into a container in which a subset of at least one conveying or dispersing agent, usually water is introduced, and the soil conditioner is added with intensive stirring in the container, wherein at the same time the residual amount of the conveying or dispersing agent (Water) is supplied. It is also possible to introduce the total amount of the dispersing agent and then to mix the soil improver in the container. However, it is of great importance that the soil conditioner in the dispersant be homogeneously mixed, i. is present as a homogeneous suspension or dispersion, so that it can be applied in the soil of the vegetation area to be cultivated. According to the invention, the soil conditioner after the mixing process is particularly preferably in the form of a hydrogel.

The mixing ratio of soil improver in weight relative to the employed dispersing agent ranges from 0.5: 100 to 1:20. Preferred mixing ratios are in the range from 1: 100 to 1:50, in particular 1:80 and 1:60.

In step b.), The deliverable application form of the soil improvement agent produced in step a.) Is brought to a delivery device by means of a delivery device, preferably a pump device.

According to the invention, it is preferably a mechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic pressure introduction device having injection nozzles and / or metallic hollow rods or hollow tines for introducing the soil improver, which are at a defined distance from one another and ensure a uniform distribution of soil conditioner, preferably should 300 up to 900 injection sites per m ² grass or "turf area" are guaranteed. Furthermore, the introduction device must be able to place the soil conditioner in the for Soil cultivation required depth, especially in the main root zone in green areas, preferably to a depth of 3 cm to 25 cm to bring.

The introduction device preferably has a pressure device, in particular in the form of an injection device for introducing the soil conditioner into the soil (soil injection device).

In step c.), The introduction amount of the homogeneous dispersion or of the hydrogel of the soil improver necessary for soil cultivation is then introduced by means of introduction device into the soil depth region required for soil cultivation.

The amount of soil needed for cultivating the soil here depends on the nature of the soil surface to be cultivated and on the nature of the soil conditioner. According to the invention, an introduction amount, calculated on the basis of dry polymer granules, more preferably of those granules available under the trademark Stockosorb®, of from 10 to 50 g / m ² , preferably from 20 to 40 g / m ² , depending on the vegetation area to be treated , In a particularly preferred embodiment according to the invention, the annual introduction rate for the vegetation area to be cultivated when using Stockosorb® granules is 30 g / m ² or when using a mixing ratio of, for example 1:80, this corresponds to a dispersion or hydrogel amount of 0.8 up to 4.0 l / m ² .

Another object of the present invention is a device system for soil cultivation, especially of green areas and existing vegetation areas, the

a.) Container with stirring devices b.) dispersant or hydrogel feeds c.) conveying device d.) introduction device

comprises, as has been described above for carrying out the method according to the invention.

The method or device system according to the invention is advantageous for cultivating green areas and vegetation areas, in particular lawn areas. cher art suitable, for example, green and parks, sports fields, horse racing and golf courses, etc. suitable.

Thus, it was completely surprising that the incorporation of water-swellable soil improvers, e.g. Stockosorb®, which was extremely difficult to form in dry form, can now be incorporated evenly into existing vegetation areas, avoiding any change in the original relief of the vegetation areas. Moreover, after application of such water-swellable soil conditioners, especially on golf and all other lawn areas, the surfaces can be re-used immediately after the application of these agents, which leads to a significant expansion of the range of application of these otherwise very advantageous soil conditioner.

It is also particularly advantageous that a permanent increase in the usable water capacity of soils or the plant-available amount of water in the cultivation of green areas, especially in arid areas, is ensured with the method or device system according to the invention and leads to a significant reduction of the irrigation frequency , At the same time, it ensures a steady supply of water to the plants and ensures faster and better rooting, including a reduction in the nutrient supply into the groundwater. It can be seen that this results in a large cost reduction for irrigation and fertilization, which takes into account the scarcity of the resource water, especially in drylands.

Another advantage of the method or device system according to the invention is that the soil conditioner can be introduced in particular in the form of a dispersion or a hydrogel without Schlämmablagerungen in the lower region of the soil to be cultivated, whereby a closure of the subsoil by too aqueous injections, as for example in US Pat the culture method according to EP 0627158 are described, is avoided. To further clarify the method or device according to the invention serve the following examples:

Equipment:

2 water supplies

1 high-pressure apparatus with at least 100 bar and flat jet nozzle (cold device), 1 container 300 to 600 liters with stirrer, which is mounted on a vehicle "ready for use" to function as a complete delivery vehicle, or together with the pressure equipment on a mobile carrier as a holistic System is mounted or can be used as a complete unit for the inventive method.

1. Preparation of the deliverable form of application of the soil conditioner

In a 300 l stirred tank in which 100 l of water have been submitted, 3 kg Stockosorb® 500medium / micro (1: 100) or a part thereof are homogenized with intensive stirring. In addition to the stirrer, the use of a high-pressure apparatus for the stirring process is advantageous in order to ensure a secure homogenization of the dispersion or of the hydrogel of the soil conditioner to be used.

During the stirring and mixing process, the further required amount of water or the remaining amount of Stockosorb® polymer is added to the container in order to obtain the desired mixing ratio of the dispersion or of the hydrogel for the selected amount of feed for the lawn to be cultivated. The amount introduced here is 30 g / l, based on the defined container volume.

2nd step b.)

After preparation of the homogenous soil conditioner dispersion which is in the form of a hydrogel when Stockosorb® is used, this hydrogel is conveyed directly to a soil injection device with constant agitation and use of a pump to bring the dispersion or hydrogel of the soil conditioner to the required soil depth brings. 3rd step c.)

With the above-mentioned soil injection device, the soil improver is then introduced into the vegetation area to be cultivated by means of the injection nozzles, wherein 15 g / m ^{2 is introduced} at a distance of 5 x 7 cm in the ground when crossing with the soil injection device, the device per m ² ensures at least 300 injection sites. With a second crossing, which should be exactly cross, the desired Stockosorb® amount can be doubled, without damaging the existing vegetation area, ie the total input of 30 g / m ² is then in the ground to the desired depth, such as adjusted on the nozzle side, introduced or distributed.

The method according to the invention thus makes it possible to precisely define the amount of soil improver introduced and its distribution in the soil. This is necessary in order to take into account the different soil conditions and climatic conditions of the respective vegetation areas to be cultivated.

Finally, after incorporation of the water-swellable soil conditioner in the soil, the equipment used to clean immediately, since due to the swelling properties of the polymers used, the cleaning would be unnecessarily difficult.

The incorporation technique of water-swellable soil conditioners described herein is particularly advantageous because it ensures uniform water absorption and release and stabilizes the injection spaces created during the introduction of the agent. In this way, it is particularly ensured that optimal plant growth is ensured during longer stress and dry periods, and the aesthetic appeal of high-quality vegetation areas such as "green areas" (landscaping, golf and sports areas, recreation facilities) can be obtained.

Claims

claims

1. A method for cultivating soil, in particular of green areas and existing vegetation areas comprising the steps

a.) Production of a conveyable application form of a soil conditioner in which the soil conditioner is present as a dispersion of pre-swollen particles and / or as a hydrogel, b.) conveying the application form of the soil conditioner prepared in step a) to a delivery device, c.) introducing the soil conditioner by means of delivery device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyable application form of the soil conditioner is prepared by means of a mixing device.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the conveyable application form of the soil conditioner is a homogeneous dispersion or a hydrogel of soil conditioner.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the soil conditioner is a water-swellable, in particular superabsorbent polymer.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the grain size of the water-swellable, in particular superabsorbent polymer is in the range of 0.2 to 3 mm.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the water-swellable, in particular superabsorbent polymer by polymerization of the components

a.) 55 to 99.95% by weight of monoethylenically unsaturated carboxyl group-carrying monomers which are optionally partially neutralized b.) 0.05 to 5.0% by weight of at least one crosslinking agent, c.) 0 to 40% by weight of further monomers copolymerizable with a), d.) 0 to 30% by weight of a water-soluble graft base, and the constituents a.) to d.) to 100% by weight supplement, is available.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the water-swellable, in particular superabsorbent polymer on the

• surface is postcrosslinked at least once.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the homogeneous emulsion and / or dispersion of the soil improver is conveyed by means of a conveying device to a delivery device or in this.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the conveying device is a pump and / or a pump system.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the introduction device introduces the soil conditioner to a depth of 3 to 25cm.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the introduction device comprises a pressure device in the form of an injection device for introducing the soil improver in the ground.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the soil improver is introduced in the form of a hydrogel in the soil.

13. Device system for soil cultivation, especially of green areas and existing vegetation areas for carrying out the method according to one of claims 1 to 12.

REPORTED SHEET (RULE 91)

»SA / EP

14. Apparatus for cultivating soil according to claim 13, comprising a.) Container with stirring devices b.) Emulsion or dispersant supply c.) Conveying device d.) Introduction device

REPORTED SHEET (RULE 91) ISA / EP