GB2417725A

GB2417725A - Organic fertiliser based on the potassium salt of a phosphated hydrolysed protein

Info

Publication number: GB2417725A
Application number: GB0419769A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John William Carson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-09-07
Filing date: 2004-09-07
Publication date: 2006-03-08
Also published as: GB0419769D0

Abstract

An organic fertiliser based on the potassium salt of a phosphated hydrolysed protein which can be made into and applied in the form of a nutrient foam. The protein may comprise horns, hooves, skin, fur, feathers or bones. The protein may be solubilised by adding a potassium alkali and then treating the resulting solution with an acid source of phosphate. The protein may also be solubilised using calcium and/or magnesium carbonate. The fertiliser may be in the form of a concentrated aqueous solution which when diluted with water and aerated becomes an aqueous foam. Other secondary and trace elements may be included as can grass and other seeds and carriers such as humus and clays.

Description

241 7725

IMPROVED ORGANIC FERTILISER

The present invention relates to a product and system for the nutrification of soil, sand or land to be used for horticultural, agricultural or forestry purposes.

There is a body of opinion that maintains that healthy pisnt growth is best achieved by providing nutrients in organic rather than inorganic form.

This may be because such organics act primarily as a food source for micro organisms, the by products from which then provide plants with their nutrients. In this way organic fertilisers provide controlled release nutrification.

However organic fert risers are difficult to manufacture consistently and are difficult to apply.

The present invention provides a novel approach to a new organic fertilizer, a convenient manufacturing approach and a versatile system by which the product may be applied.

Conventionally, organic fertilisers are derived from byproducts of the animal farming industries. The hoofs, horns, sons, feathers, blood and bones of various farmed animals, fish and birds have been used as sources her organic fertilizers. Typically these materials are presented for use in the form of comminuted solids such as ground powders.

All of these organic fort risers are difficult to manufacture consistently and are difficult to apply. The result can be inconsistent plant growth.

It has now bean discovered according to the present invention that there is a cost effective alternative product, manufacturing process, physical form and application system for an organic fertilizer.

The invention described herein provides for the formulation, manufacture, physical form and application of a new type of organic fertilizer. This is to say a product and system for the nutrification of soil, sand or land with an organic fertilizer that supports healthy plant germination and growth.

The basis of the present invention is the recognition that this particular organic fertilizer can be manufactured and applied in the form of an aqueous foam.

An aqueous foam is herein defined as a physical state in which an active ingredient is held in a froth composed of water and air which is maintained in this state by the presence of a foaming agent.

In the present invention the nutrifn'ng ingredient and the foaming agent are the same material namely potassium salts of phosphated hydrolyzed proteins.

There are three principle raw materials involved in the formulation of the proposed organic fertilizer.

The first raw material is a protein derived from, among other sources, animal hoofs and horns and fur and bird feathers.

The second raw material is an alkaline salt of potassium such as potassium carbonate.

The third raw material is an acidic source of phosphate such as phosphoric acid.

Other materials and additives may be included in the product and these are described later in this application.

The basic process by which this organic fertiliser is manufactured involves three principle stages.

The first stage is the solubilisation of the protein. This involves treating the protein source with a strong alkali in water at or near boiling point, either at atmospheric pressure or at elevated pressures in an autoclave. The preferred alkali is potassium carbonate because this not only solubilises the protein but also adds potassium to the formulation.

The second stage is the filtration of the solubilised potassium salt of the protein. This can be achieved via plate and frame filters or rotary vacuum filters. This second stage of the process removes any undissolved protein.

The third stage is the addition of phosphoric acid. This neutralises any excess alkalinity and adds phosphate to the formulation.

The result ng product is a concentrated solution of the potassium salt of a phosphated hydrolysed protein. This is a dark brown liquor that can be concentrated further by boiling. This concentrate, which is normally the final manufactured form of the product is known herein as the Standard Product.

The Standard Product is a concentrated aqueous solution of the potassium salt of a phosphated hydrolyzed protein. It has a pH of between 6.5 and 7. 5. It has a viscosity between 1.0 and 10.0 centipoise.

The Standard Product contains between 25% and 45% dissolved solids. Therefore when 1 litre of Standard Product is evaporated to dryness a solid residue weighing between 250 grams and 450 grams is produced, typically 350 grams. Thus the Standard Product may be said to contain approximately 35% of the active ingredient is the potassium salt of a phosphated hydrolyzed protein.

One litre of Standard Product contains primary plant nutrients at the following approximate levels: 5% Nitrogen as N lN] 5% Phosphorus as Phosphorus pentoxide (Pa 05] 5% Potassium as Potassium oxide lKa O] Thus each lithe of Standard Product contains approximately 50 grams of each of the above primary nutrients, is a total of 150 grams per lithe of primary plant nutrients.

This standard product is intended to be applied to soil, sand or land to be used for horticultural, agricultural or forestry purposes.

Moreover this Standard Product is designed to be applied in a novel form.

The standard product is designed to produce a foam when mixed with water and air. 4.

The foam produced is the novel form in which this organic fertilizer is applied.

The physical consistency of the foam can be varied by increasing or decreasing the volumes of air and water used in creating the foam.

Typically the standard product is diluted so that each litre of diluted solution contains between 1.5 grams and 0.15 grams of primary plant nutrients.

Such diluted solutions are then aerated to produce foamed versions of the product. Typically each lithe of foam contains between 0.015 grams and 0. 00015 grams of primary plant nutrients. This is the novel form in which this organic fertiliser is applied.

The generation of the foam from the standard product may be achieved by drawing the concentrate through a venturi into a stream of water passing through a hose or pipe.

Similarly air may be introduced by drawing it into the stream via vents in the nozzle at the discharge end of the water hose or pipe.

Foamed diluted Standard Product may be conveniently applied in a range of horticultural, agricultural and forestry situations, the following are examples.

Foamed diluted Standard Product may be used in the technique known a hydro-seeding. In this application various grass and other seeds may be added to the standard product in concentrate form immediately prior to foam generation. The result ng seeded foam adheres well to sloping soil surfaces which can otherwise be problematical in hydro-seeding.

shamed diluted Standard Product may be used in the technique known as aerial spraying. In this application field grown crops for example potatoes may be nutrified by aerial eg helicopter spraying. In this case it is an advantage that the foam adheres to the crop foliage as nutrification takes place via foliar feeding as well as root feeding. This application is of particular value in draught situations.

Foamed diluted Standard Product may be applied in arid or desert situations. In this application Beet or other humus may be added to the concentrate prior to foaming and A. spraying. The peat or other humus provides texture to the arid or sandy soil thus improving growing condiditions, which are nutrified by the foamed version of the standard product.

Foamed diluted Standard Product may be applied to lawns sports fields and amenity grass land. This application is particularly beneficial at the end of the growing and playing season as it acts to rejuvenate turf.

Lamed diluted Standard Product may be used in young forests via either aerial spraying or at ground level. This application is particularly useful in the nutrification and soil pH adjustment for sapling tree growth. Calcium salts may for eg be added to the formulation to increase its pH.

Lamed Standard Product may be used in advanced horticultural propagation and growing where in the crops are grown in the foam, which is continuously generated.

The Standard Product may be further improved by the addition of secondary nutrients to the primary nutrients containing nitrogenphosphorus and potassium. Such secondary nutrients as calcium, magnesium and sulphur may be conveniently added in the form of soluble salts.

These will enter into either ionic or covalent bonds with the potassium salt of phosphated hydrolysed protein.

The Standard Product may be still further improved by the addition of trace elements which promote healthy plant growth. Such trace elements as boron, iron, manganese and copper may be conveniently added in the form of soluble salts such as chelates. These will enter into either ionic or covalent bonds with the potassium salt of phosphated hydrolysed protein. Tt

he concentrated standard product can be processed hether, the following are examples.

The Standard Product may be absorbed onto a porous substrate such as a clay or a humus such as peat. The resultant product can then be conveniently granulated to form a dry easily applied multi purpose organic fertilizer.

The Standard product may be diluted to form an easy to apply soluble organic fertilizer eg in an irrigation system.

The Standard Product may be evaporated to dryness eg in a falling film evaporator. The resultant product is an organic slow release fertiliser or fertiliser component.

The Standard Product can have varying amounts of potassium and phosphate thus providing products with differing NPK ratios.

The Standard Product can be made without potassium and or phosphate. This is achieved by using calcium and/or magnesium carbonate to solubilise the protein. The resulting product is an organic nitrogen fertiliser.

Taken together, this novel composition of matter and novel application system constitutes a major advance in horticultural, agricultural, forestry and desert soil nutrification.

As such this invention has major economic potential in the organic fert riser industry.

A typical formula for the Standard Product form of NPK fertilizer based on the potassium salt of a phosphated hydrolysed protein covered by this patent is as follows: 5% nitrogen as N 5% phosphorus as Pa 0a 5% potassium as Kit O Agronomocally, the basis of the present invention is that the novel composition of matter defined above is applied in the novel form of an aqueous foam where in the above composition is present at concentrations that are suitable for uptake by growing plants. Typically, foams contain between 0.015 and 0.00015 grams of primary plant nutrients per litre of foam as applied. Agronomically, the basis of the present invention is a foam containing plant nutrients at concentrations that stimulate healthy growth.

It should be noted that this organic fertiliser product system are economically advantageous because it is designed to be applied to crops at significantly lower concentrations than conventional fern risers.

Chemically, the basis of the present invention is the economic manufacture of the potassium salt of a phosphated hydrolysed protein.

Physically, the basis of the present invention is an economic physical form, namely an aqueous foam, for the application of plant nutrients in horticulture, agriculture, forestry and desert situations.

Claims

1. An organic fertiliser based on the potassium salt of phosphated hydrolyzed protein which can be made into and applied in the form of a nutrient foam.

2. An organic fertiliser according to claims made by solubilising a protein with a Potassium based alkali and then treating the resulting solution with an acidic source of phosphate.

3. An organic fertiliser according to claim 1 where in the potassium salt of phosphated hydrolysed protein acts as an aqueous foaming agent.

4. An organic fertiliser according to claim 1 which is applied to the growing surface in the form of an aqueous foam.

5. An organic fertiliser according to claim 1 when in the foam provides the primary plant nutrients Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium.

6. An organic fertiliser according to claim 1 where in secondary plant nutrients such as calcium magnesium and sulphur are also provided.

7. An organic fertiliser according to claim 1 where in trace elements such as boron iron manganese and copper are also provided.

8. An organic fertiliser according to claim 1 where in grass and/or other seeds are also provided.

9. An organic fertiliser according to claim 1 where in a carrier such as a clay or humus are also provided.

10. An organic fertiliser according to claim 1 where in a pH modifier such as calcium or magnesium salts are also provided.

11. An organic fertiliser according to claim 1 where in additional phosphates and/or potassium is provided so as to alter the N:P:K ratio.

12. An organic fertiliser according to claim 1 which is applied in concentrated form eg via an irrigation system.

13. An organic fertiliser according to claim 1 which is provided in the form of a dry powder, having been evaporated to dryness.

14. An organic fertiliser according to claim 1 which is provided in the form of a liquor absorbed into a carrier such as a clay or a humus and then provided in granulated form.

15. An organic fertiliser according to claim 1 where in the protein is solubilised using calcium and/or magnesium carbonate and then provided as a nitrogen fertiliser.

16. An organic fertiliser substantially as described here in.

17. A method of applying an organic fertiliser substantially as described here in.