GB2397019A

GB2397019A - Combined fungicidal and insecticidal composition comprising disodium octaborate, ethylene glycol, solvent and contact active insecticide/insect growth regulator

Info

Publication number: GB2397019A
Application number: GB0229213A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael John Dunn
Original assignee: TRITON CHEMICAL Manufacturing CO Ltd
Current assignee: TRITON CHEMICAL Manufacturing CO Ltd
Priority date: 2002-12-14
Filing date: 2002-12-14
Publication date: 2004-07-14
Also published as: GB0229213D0

Abstract

Compositions with combined fungicidal and insecticidal activity, comprising disodium octaborate (a fungicide), ethylene glycol, a contact insecticide or contact active insect growth regulator, and a solvent for the contact insecticide or contact active insect growth regulator which is miscible with ethylene glycol, have shown good combined fungicidal and insecticidal properties. When used on wet timber, these compositions have shown good penetrating properties into the body of the timber. The solvent used for the contact insecticide and/or contact active insect growth regulator is preferably selected from <SL> <LI>(a) ethanolamines (mono-, di-, and tri-); <LI>(b) non-ionic surfactants, for example alcohol alkanoates, e.g. alcohol ethoxylates, alcohol phenyl alkanoates, e.g. alcohol phenyl ethoxylates, and polyalkylene oxides, e.g. propylene oxide block copolymers, particularly preferred being iso-nonyl phenyl ethoxylate; and <LI>(c) cationic surfactants, for example benzalkonium chlorides. </SL> The solvent solubilises the contact insecticide and/or contact active insect growth regulator in the presence of disodium octaborate and ethylene glycol. The contact insecticide may be an insecticidal pyrethroid selected from permethrin, cypermethrin, cyfluthrin or deltamethrin. The contact active insect growth regulator may be flufenoxuron.

Description

Chemical Compositions This invention concerns compositions having

fungicidal and insecticidal activity for the treatment of building materials and especially timber and other wood-based materials.

Fungal and insect infestations of building materials, for example timber and other wood-based materials, cause widespread damage resulting in costly repairs.

Various fungicidal and insecticidal compositions have been proposed for treating such infestations, either before or after the infestation takes place.

Boron-containing compounds are known to have rapid fungicidal activity but relatively slow acting insecticidal activity as they generally have to be eaten to be effective insecticidally.

One particular boron-containing compound used in fungicidal compositions for the treatment of building materials is disodium octaborate which has a high boron content combined with - 2 solubility in ethylene glycol, the latter being used to promote penetration of the compositions into damp and wet wood.

EP0046380-A describes the use of liquid compositions consisting of disodium octaborate dissolved in ethylene glycol, and optionally some water, to provide fungicidal protection of wood and wood products, for example by immersion, spraying or brushing. High concentrations of the boron containing compound are desirable in order to achieve good fungicidal action, 40% by weight of disodium octaborate and 60% by weight of ethylene glycol being specifically described, with a preference being given for the same percentage of disodium octaborate with 51% by weight of ethylene glycol and 9% by weight of water.

Whilst good resistance to fungal infection can be imparted to wood using such compositions, boron containing compounds are relatively ineffective against infestation by insects because they have to be eaten to be effective and are relatively slow acting. Such infestations are generally treated using contact insecticides or in the case of laval attacks using compounds which block pupation.

A wide variety of insecticidal compounds is available which act by direct contact with insects, but particularly preferred insecticides for treating infestations of wood-based materials by the common furniture beetle' the house longhorn beetle and deathwatch beetle, for example, are the natural and synthetic pyrethroids, and compounds. Compositions containing combinations of boron containing compounds and a pyrethroid would therefore be expected to have both fungicidal and insecticidal properties. However, although disodium octaborate is soluble in ethylene glycol and mixtures thereof with water, the pyrethroids and other contact insecticides are generally soluble in hydrocarbons but insoluble in ethylene glycol.

In order to overcome this problem, a different boron-containing compound, in particular tri-hexylene glycol biborate, has been combined with the pyrethroid permethrin in a hydrocarbon - 3 - solvent. Although the permethrin is soluble in the solvent at levels which provide good insecticidal protection, the boron containing compound is relatively insoluble and so only relatively low concentrations of boron can be achieved, for example 3.3% by weight of tri-hexylene glycol biborate.

Furthermore, although such compositions are dispersible in water, they are not miscible, and in addition they are highly flammable due to the use of the hydrocarbon solvent. In addition, the hydrocarbon solvent makes it difficult for the composition to penetrate timber, especially when the timber is wet.

Furthermore, the volatility of the hydrocarbon solvents can result in their evaporation before deep penetration of the compositions into the wood-based materials can occur. However, glycols are generally less volatile than hydrocarbon solvents used in compositions for treating infestations of wood-based materials and they also allow deeper penetration into wood-based materials over longer periods of time. Glycolbased compositions are therefore generally preferred to hydrocarbon-based compositions.

According to the present invention there are provided compositions with combined fungicidal and insecticidal activity comprising disodium octaborate, ethylene glycol, a contact insecticide or contact active insect growth regulator, and a solvent for the contact insecticide or contact active insect growth regulator which is miscible with ethylene glycol.

Compositions in accordance with the present invention, which are in general substantially hydrocarbon solvent free, have shown good combined fungicidal and insecticidal properties.

Furthermore, when used on wet timber, the compositions have good penetrating properties into the body of the timber.

The disodium octaborate content of compositions of the present invention is preferably at least 5% by weight. However, the disodium octaborate will in general be present amounts of not - 4 more than 60% by weight of the compositions. A preferred range of amounts of disodium octaborate in the compositions of this invention is from 8 to 50% by weight.

Any of a wide range of contact insecticides can be used in compositions of the present invention, for example natural or synthetic insecticidal pyrethroids, e.g. permethrin, cypermethrin, cyfluthrin or deltamethrin, permethrin being particularly preferred by virtue of its spectrum of insecticidal activity and its speed of action in treating insectivorous infestations of wood.

Compositions of the present invention can include a contact active insect growth regulator either instead of or in addition to a contact active insecticide. An example of an insect growth regulator which can be used in compositions of the present invention is flufenoxuron.

The amount of contact insecticide and/or contact active insect growth regulator present in compositions of the present invention should be sufficient to achieve the desired insecticidal and/or growth regulating effect having regard to their respective spectra of activity and the ability of the solvent used for these materials to solubilise them in the compositions. Compositions of the present invention will usually contain at least 0.1% by weight of these materials, but they will usually contain not more than 10% by weight thereof.

A preferred range is from 0.25 to 5.0% by weight of the compositions.

The solvent used for the contact insecticide and/or contact active insect growth regulator is preferably selected from non-ionic and cationic surfactants, and ethanolamines (mono-, di-' and tri-).

Non-ionic surfactants can be selected from a wide variety of such materials, for example alcohol alkanoates, e.g. alcohol ethoxylates, alcohol phenyl alkanoates, e.g. alcohol phenyl ethoxylates, and polyalkylene oxides, e.g. propylene oxide block copolymers. Alcohol phenyl ethoxylates are preferred, a particularly preferred non-ionic surfactant being iso-nonyl phenyl ethoxylate.

Cationic surfactants can also be selected from a wide variety of such materials. A preferred group of cationic surfactants includes benzalkonium chlorides.

The amount of solvent present in compositions of the present invention should be sufficient to solubilise the contact insecticide and/or contact active insect growth regulator which is also present. In general compositions of this invention will contain at least 1% by weight of such a solvent and not more than 10% by weight, a preferred range being from 3 to 7% by weight.

Compositions of the present invention can contain other materials, for example other glycols, e.g. propylene glycol, to modify the physical properties of the compositions, and water, for example to modify the viscosity of the compositions and/or to reduce the ethylene glycol content of the compositions for economic reasons. However, it should be appreciated that high water contents may lead to stability problems with the compositions.

Compositions in accordance with the present invention can also contain a thickening agent, for example provide the compositions with the consistency of a gel, a preferred thickening agent being xanthan gum.

Compositions in accordance with the present invention can be prepared by simply mixing the ingredients together. However, it is generally preferred to dissolve the disodium octaborate in the ethylene glycol with other components of the compositions except the contact insecticide and/or contact active insect growth regulator and the solvent therefor, and then to add a solution of the contact insecticide and/or contact active insect growth regulator in the solvent to the resulting solution.

The following Example is given by way of illustration only. All parts are by weight.

Example

Disodium octaborate (20 parts) were dissolved in a mixture of ethylene glycol (45.0 parts), propylene glycol (27.1 parts) and water (3.0 parts) containing xanthan gum (0.5 part).

Permethrin (0.4 part - 25:75 cis:trans isomers) was dissolved in isononyl phenyl ethoxylate (4.0 parts), and resulting solution was then dispersed in the solution of sodium octaborate to form a thick gel.

Application of this gel to damp timber gave good inhibition of fungal growth combined with good and rapid insecticidal activity against timber infecting insects. - 7

Claims

Claims 1. Compositions with combined fungicidal and insecticidal activity

comprising disodium octaborate, ethylene glycol, a contact insecticide or contact active insect growth regulator, and a solvent for the contact insecticide or contact active insect growth regulator which is miscible with ethylene glycol.
2. Compositions according to claim 1, wherein the disodium octaborate is present in amount of at least 5% by weight of the compositions.
3. Compositions according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the disodium octaborate is present in amount of not more than 60% by weight of the compositions.
4. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the disodium octaborate is present in amount of from 8 to 50% by weight of the compositions.
5. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contact insecticide comprises an insecticidal pyrethroid selected from permethrin, cypermethrin, cyfluthrin or deltamethrin.
6. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contact active insect growth regulator comprises flufenoxuron.
7. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contact insecticide or contact active insect growth regulator is present in an amount of at least 0.1% by weight of the compositions.
8. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contact insecticide or contact active insect growth regulator is present in an amount of not more than 10% by weight of the compositions.
9. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contact insecticide or contact active insect growth regulator is present in an amount of from 0.25 to 5.0% of the compositions.
10. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the solvent for the contact insecticide or contact active insect growth regulator coomprises a non-ionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant or an ethanolamine.
11. Compositions according to claim lO, wherein the non-ionic surfactant comprises an alcohol alkanoate, an alcohol phenol alkanoates, or a polyalkylene oxide.
12. Compositions according to claim 10, wherein the non-ionic surfactant comprises an alcohol ethoxylates, an alcohol phenyl ethoxylate or a propylene oxide block copolymer.
13. Compositions according to any of claims 10 to 12, wherein the nonionic surfactant comprises iso-nonyl phenyl ethoxylate.
14. Compositions according to claim 10, wherein the cationic surfactant comprises a benzalkonium chloride.
15. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the solvent for the contact insecticide or contact active insect growth regulator is present in an amount of at least 1% by weight of the compositions.
16. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the solvent for the contact insecticide or contact active insect growth regulator is present in an amount of not more than 10% by weight of the compositions.
17. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the solvent for the contact insecticide or contact _ 9 _ active insect growth regulator is present in an amount of from 3 to 7% by weight of the compositions.
18. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, containing propylene glycol.
19. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, containing water.
20. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, containing a thickening agent.
21. Compositions according to any of the preceding claims, substantially free of hydrocarbon solvent.
22. Compositions having combined fungicidal and insecticidal activity, the compositions being substantially as herein described with reference to the Example.