Process for the production of mineral fertilizers with a coating containing biological powder

Abstract

The present invention relates to a powder coating for granular fertilizers incorporating a dry or powder substrate comprising a biological additive, to a fertilizer product comprising granules having said coating thereon, and to a method for producing a fertilizer product having said coating. The fertilizer product comprises a plurality of fertilizer granules, and a powdered biological agent covering the outer surface of the fertilizer granules. A sticking additive or binder can be incorporated to adhere the powdered biological agent to the outer surface of the fertilizer granules.

Description

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This disclosure claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 606,441, filed December 5, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure describes a method for adhering a biopowder matrix to the surface of a mineral granular fertilizer. The biopowder is used as a soil bioactivity inducer. Background Technology

[0004] Traditionally, coatings have been used in mineral fertilizers to control dust generated by material shedding from the particle surface due to mechanical abrasion during material handling and storage. One example of a commercially available dust control coating is Arkema's DUSTROL®.

[0005] Biological agents can consist of fermentation products used for microbial proliferation, bacterial or fungal proliferation products, co-products of the production and / or proliferation of these bacteria or fungi, organic compounds from biomass composting processes, algal extracts, substrates for microbial proliferation based on plant extracts, starch, enzymes, amino acids, proteins, lignin, cellulose, sucrose and other sugars, and carbon compounds such as biochar, peat, compost peat, fulvic acid, humic acid, and humic acid. Biological agents are typically commercially available as solids (e.g., powders) or liquids.

[0006] Mineral fertilizer coatings that offer the advantages of biological reagents are still needed. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This disclosure relates to coatings, such as powder coatings, for granular fertilizers incorporating a dried or powdered matrix containing a biological additive; fertilizer products comprising granules having said coating thereon; and methods for producing fertilizer products having said coating. In one embodiment, the powdered matrix used in the method is a proprietary biological additive manufactured by MicrobiolIndústria e Comércio LTDA. This additive, commercially available as ENZYFERT®, typically consists of a combination of mineral and organic compounds with another organic compound produced from a proprietary microbial composting and fermentation process, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022 / 0024831A1 (titled “Use of a biological additive inducing microbiome for use in combination with mineral fertilizers”), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The final material is subjected to heat treatment and physical processing to produce a very fine powder. Other suitable additives may include, for example, fermentation products for microbial proliferation, bacterial or fungal proliferation products, byproducts of the production and / or proliferation of such bacteria or fungi, organic compounds from biomass composting processes, algal extracts, substrates for microbial proliferation based on plant extracts, starch, enzymes, amino acids, proteins, lignin, cellulose, starch, sucrose and other sugars, and carbon compounds such as biochar, peat, compost peat, fulvic acid, humic acid, humic acid, or any combination thereof.

[0008] The powder matrix has a particle size of less than 50 μm and a moisture content of about 0.5% to about 50% by weight, more particularly about 1.5% to about 25% by weight. The powder matrix is ​​introduced into a mixing container (e.g., a drum mixer) containing multiple fertilizer granules, such as any of a variety of fertilizer NPK compositions, including phosphate fertilizers (e.g., monoammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, and combinations thereof), nitrogen fertilizers (e.g., urea fertilizer), and / or potassium fertilizers (e.g., potassium carbonate). Optionally, the granular fertilizer may contain one or more micronutrients, secondary nutrients, or additional major nutrients.

[0009] In one instance, a powder matrix containing bio-additives is added to mineral fertilizer in a drum mixer without any binder. In other instances, due to the coarse-particle size characteristics of the inductor, electrostatic attraction alone is insufficient to ensure uniform adhesion of the powder to the surface of the mineral fertilizer. To promote adhesion of the powder inductor to the fertilizer surface, adhesive coating additives in the form of mineral oil, vegetable oil, wax, and / or resin are added.

[0010] The above overview is not intended to describe every illustrative instance or every implementation of the subject matter. The following figures and detailed embodiments illustrate the various instances in more specific terms. Attached Figure Description

[0011] A more complete understanding of this disclosure can be achieved by taking into account the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of examples of this disclosure, wherein: Figure 1 This is a process flow diagram according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and Figure 2-8 It is a graph depicting the test results according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0012] While the various examples are readily adaptable to different modifications and alternatives, their specific details have been shown through examples in the accompanying drawings and will be described in more detail. However, it should be understood that this is not intended to limit the claimed invention to the specific examples described. Rather, it is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter defined by the claims. Detailed Implementation

[0013] Granular fertilizer products according to embodiments of this disclosure include fertilizer granules incorporated with a dry or powdered matrix containing biological additives. The granular fertilizer may include, for example, any of a variety of NPK (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) fertilizer compositions, including phosphate fertilizers (e.g., monoammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, superphosphate, etc., or combinations thereof), nitrogen fertilizers (e.g., urea fertilizer), and / or potassium fertilizers (e.g., potassium hydroxide, potassium chloride, potassium sulfate, etc., or combinations thereof). Optionally, the granular fertilizer may contain one or more micronutrients such as boron (B), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), and chlorine (Cl), one or more secondary nutrients such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S) in elemental form and / or sulfate form, one or more additional major nutrients, or any combination thereof.

[0014] In one embodiment, the powder matrix used in this method is a proprietary bio-additive manufactured by Microbiol Indústria e Comércio LTDA. This additive, commercially available as ENZYFERT®, is typically composed of mineral and organic compounds in combination with another organic compound, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022 / 0024831A1 (titled "Use of a Bio-additive for Inducing Microbiome in Combination with Mineral Fertilizers"), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. More specifically, the bio-additive may comprise a total organic fraction of 89.00% (organic matter (37.94%); organic carbon (16.24%); other (51.06%)) and a total mineral fraction of 11.00% (nitrogen (0.61%); phosphorus (0.24%); potassium (0.16%); calcium (2.04%); magnesium (0.24%); sulfur (0.04%); other (7.67%)). In an embodiment, the powder matrix has a particle size of less than 50 μm and a water content of about 0.5% by weight to about 50% by weight, more particularly about 1.5% by weight to about 25% by weight.

[0015] Optionally, an adhesive coating agent may be incorporated to aid in the adhesion of the powdered bio-additive. This adhesive coating agent may include, for example, a liquid oil-based adhesive additive originally designed to coat powdered fertilizer onto the surface of granular fertilizer in a blending facility. The choice of adhesive additive is based on its physicochemical properties, such as viscosity, heating temperature for flux, application dosage, and different solid-liquid ratios. Commercially available adhesive additives may include, for example, MICROSTICKER 2300 from Arkema and MEGAMICRO from Advert. Various coating techniques have been considered to ensure that the powder matrix adheres to the fertilizer surface while retaining its bioactive inducing properties.

[0016] An industrial process flow diagram according to one embodiment is shown in [the diagram]. Figure 1In this embodiment, a powdered matrix containing a bio-additive and granular fertilizer are weighed and fed simultaneously, such that the bio-additive is 1 kg / ton to 30 kg / ton of fertilizer (“kg / t”), and added to a belt mixer or drum mixer and rotated. An adhesive additive is added to the mixture at a dosage of 1 kg / ton to 20 kg / ton of fertilizer, depending on the required dosage of the powdered matrix in the final product. The ratio of adhesive additive to bio-agent can be in any range from 0:1 to 5:1, more specifically 0:1, 1:5, 1:4, 1:3, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, and 5:1. The adhesive additive can be mineral-based oil or vegetable oil, wax, or resin-based. In one embodiment, the adhesive additive comprises a mineral-based or mineral oil coating with a viscosity of 120-220 cP at a maximum temperature of 60°C. The mixing time can range from 5 seconds to 10 minutes, and can be heated or not.

[0017] In one instance, refer to Figure 2-4 The study compared the applicant's commercially available MicroEssentials® sulfur-enhanced phosphate-based fertilizer (MAP) containing 15% sulfur or MES15® with a powder matrix (ENZYFERT) containing bio-additives (without dust control agent) to a combination of MES15® with ENZYFERT and a dust control agent (DUSTROL). Dust retention and emissions, as well as hygroscopicity, were measured.

[0018] Now for reference Figure 5-8 Various fertilizer products (MAP, MES15®, MES9®) were used in the experimental design, with variations in the amount and type of additives, and the amount of powder matrix (ENZYFERT) containing bio-additives. The control consisted of fertilizer granules (MAP, MES15®, MES9®) coated with 2 kg / t DUSTROL 5012, without bio-additives. The products coated and tested are as follows:

[0019] Dust emissions and retention were measured and compared. Figure 5-8 Based on the results shown, MICROSTICKER additive appears to outperform DUSTROL and MEGAMICRO in most fertilizer products with powdered matrices containing biological additives.

[0020] This disclosure may be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its essential nature. Therefore, the illustrated examples should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive in all respects. Any claims provided herein are intended to ensure the adequacy of this application in establishing foreign priority and have no other purpose.

[0021] This document has described various examples of systems, apparatuses, and methods. These examples are provided by way of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed disclosure. Furthermore, it should be understood that the various features of the described examples can be combined in various ways to produce many additional examples. In addition, while various materials, sizes, shapes, constructions, locations, etc., for use with the disclosed examples have been described, others besides those disclosed may be used without exceeding the scope of the claimed disclosure.

[0022] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the subject matter herein may include fewer features than those shown in any of the individual examples above. The examples described herein are not intended to exhaustively represent how the various features of the subject matter can be combined. Therefore, the examples are not mutually exclusive combinations of features; rather, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, individual examples may include combinations of different individual features selected from different individual examples. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, an element described with respect to one example may be implemented in other examples, even if not described in those examples.

[0023] The inclusion of any of the foregoing documents in this document by reference is further limited such that none of the claims contained in those documents are incorporated herein by reference. The inclusion of any of the foregoing documents by reference is further limited such that any definitions provided in the documents are not incorporated herein by reference unless expressly included herein.

[0024] For the purposes of interpreting the claims, it is expressly intended that the provisions of 35 USC § 112(f) not be invoked unless the specific terms “means for…” or “steps for…” are recited in the claims.

Claims

1. A fertilizer product comprising: Multiple fertilizer granules; and A powdered biological reagent covering the outer surface of the fertilizer particles.

2. The fertilizer product of claim 1, further comprising an adhesive for fixing the powdered biological agent to the outer surface of the fertilizer particles.

3. The fertilizer product as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The average particle size of the powdered biological reagent is less than 50 μm.

4. The fertilizer product as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The water content of the powdered biological reagent is from about 0.5% by weight to about 50% by weight.

5. The fertilizer product as described in claim 4, wherein, The moisture content is from about 1.5% by weight to about 25% by weight.

6. The fertilizer product as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The plurality of fertilizer granules contain phosphate fertilizer.

7. The fertilizer product as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The plurality of fertilizer granules contain potassium fertilizer.

8. The fertilizer product as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The plurality of fertilizer granules contain urea fertilizer.

9. The fertilizer product as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The plurality of fertilizer granules contain phosphate fertilizer.

10. The fertilizer product as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The plurality of fertilizer granules also contain micronutrients selected from the group consisting of boron (B), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), chlorine (Cl) and combinations thereof, and secondary nutrients selected from the group consisting of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S) and combinations thereof, or both.

11. The fertilizer product as described in claim 2, wherein, The ratio of adhesive additive to biological reagent is 0:1; 1:5; 1:4; 1:3; 1:2; 1:1; 2:1; 3:1; 4:1; or 5:

1.

12. A method for preparing a fertilizer product containing biological reagents, the method comprising: granular fertilizer is blended with powdered biological additives; An adhesive additive is added to the granular fertilizer and the powdered biological additive; as well as Mixing causes the powdered biological additive to adhere to the outer surface of the particles.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the amount of the biological additive added is from about 1 kg / ton of fertilizer to about 30 kg / ton of fertilizer.

14. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein, The amount of the adhesive additive added is approximately 1 kg / ton of fertilizer to approximately 20 kg / ton of fertilizer.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein, The ratio of adhesive additive to biological reagent is 0:1; 1:5; 1:4; 1:3; 1:2; 1:1; 2:1; 3:1; 4:1; or 5:

1.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein, The adhesive additives comprise mineral oil, vegetable oil, wax, or resin-based materials.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein, The viscosity of the adhesive additive at 60°C is approximately 120 to 220 centipoise (cP).

18. The method of claim 12, wherein, The mixing time is from about 5 seconds to about 10 minutes, with or without heating.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein, The mixing takes place in a rotating belt mixer or drum mixer.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein, The average particle size of the powdered biological reagent is less than 50 μm.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein, The water content of the powdered biological reagent is from about 0.5% by weight to about 50% by weight.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, The moisture content is from about 1.5% by weight to about 25% by weight.

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