Granule

Abstract

To provide a granule that has an appropriate particle size allowing enhancement of uniformity of an application amount while avoiding a scattering risk, has an appropriate apparent specific gravity enabling improvement of workability, and has an appropriate hardness allowing prevention of crushing during transportation.SOLUTION: A granule characterized by comprising at least one organic extender and an active ingredient. The granule may further comprise a binder, a surfactant, and / or an inorganic extender.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to granules that can be used for soil application of pesticides, etc. More specifically, the present invention relates to granules that are lightweight and can prevent atomization due to impacts during transportation or mechanical application, thereby reducing uneven application. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, various forms, such as powders and granules, have been used for soil application of pesticides and other chemicals. These forms are required to have various characteristics, such as ease of handling, ease of measurement, high workability (e.g., applicability to mechanical application), and uniformity of application amount. Generally, when granules with large particle sizes are used, the number of granules applied per unit area decreases, resulting in variations in the concentration of the active ingredient due to a decrease in the concentration of the active ingredient depending on the distance from each granule (so-called "uneven application"), which may result in variations in the effectiveness of the active ingredient. On the other hand, when fine powders with small particle sizes are used, application becomes difficult and there is a risk of scattering to the surrounding area or the desired application amount not being achieved.

[0003] Furthermore, when spraying what is commonly referred to as granular pesticides, reducing the mass per granule increases the number of granules per mass, which contributes to improving the uniformity of the amount sprayed.

[0004] Furthermore, when using granules, it is important to prevent atomization due to impacts during transportation or mechanical spraying. This is because, in granules in which the active ingredient of a pesticide is attached to carrier particles, the particles rub against each other during transportation, and if a fine powder is formed by grinding, the aforementioned fine powder may fly off.

[0005] Granules have been proposed that can suppress deterioration of hardness and caking of the formulation even under high temperature, high humidity, and load conditions through the synergistic effect of polyvinyl alcohol, organic bentonite, and acid clay and / or activated clay (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-069503 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In view of the current situation described above, there is a need for granules that have an appropriate particle size to increase the uniformity of the application amount while avoiding the risk of scattering, and that have an appropriate hardness to prevent crushing during transportation or mechanical application. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A first embodiment of the present invention is a granule comprising an active ingredient and an organic filler.

[0009] In this embodiment, the organic bulking agent may be a powder derived from plants. More specifically, the organic bulking agent may be a powder derived from wood such as sawdust and plant fiber; bamboo; pine cones (cones); tea leaves and wheat leaves; wheat flour; seeds, seed coats, pericarp, germs, etc. of wheat, barley, corn, coffee, soybeans, beans, rice, buckwheat, and millet; corn cobs; husks obtained when beverages are extracted from leaves or seeds; peat moss; nut shells such as peanuts and walnuts; the outer husks of rice, millet, wheat, beans, buckwheat, and sesame; stalks such as rice straw, wheat straw, and rush; and burned or carbonized products thereof. The organic bulking agent may be present in an amount of 1% to 40% by mass based on the mass of the granules.

[0010] In this embodiment, the granules may further comprise one or more ingredients selected from the group consisting of binders, surfactants, and inorganic fillers.

[0011] In this embodiment, the active ingredient may include one or more substances selected from the group consisting of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, insecticides and fungicides, plant growth regulators, fertilizer components, rodenticides, repellents, and attractants, and may be present in an amount of 0.01% to 30% by weight based on the weight of the granules. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] Granules according to the present invention containing at least one organic filler exhibit superior resistance to crushing compared to granules without an organic filler, effectively suppressing the formation of fine powder during transportation, mechanical application, and storage. Furthermore, granules according to the present invention exhibit superior water disintegration compared to granules without an organic filler, allowing the active ingredient to be dispersed more quickly into the soil. Granules according to the present invention can have smaller dimensions (number of particles per gram, particle length, particle diameter) compared to granules without an organic filler. As a result, granules according to the present invention can be applied more uniformly to the soil. Additionally, the smaller dimensions and lower apparent gravity of granules according to the present invention contribute to a reduction in the mass per particle, allowing them to be applied to the soil with less force. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] Photographs showing the spraying conditions of the granules of Comparative Example 1, Example 2 and Example 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A first embodiment of the present invention is a granule comprising an active ingredient and an organic filler.

[0015] The organic bulking agent in this embodiment is preferably a powder derived from plants. Examples of organic bulking agents that can be used include powders derived from wood such as sawdust and plant fibers; bamboo; pine cones (cones); tea and barley leaves; wheat flour; seeds, seed coats, pericarp, and germs of wheat, barley, corn, coffee, soybeans, beans, rice, buckwheat, and millet; corn cobs; husks from extracts made from leaves or seeds; peat moss; nut shells such as peanuts and walnuts; the outer husks of rice, millet, wheat, beans, buckwheat, and sesame; and stalks such as rice straw, wheat straw, and rush; as well as powders derived from burned or carbonized materials thereof. The granules of this embodiment may contain 1% to 40% by mass, preferably 5% to 25% by mass, of the organic bulking agent based on the mass of the granules.

[0016] The granules of this embodiment may further contain one or more components selected from the group consisting of binders, surfactants, and inorganic fillers. Usable inorganic fillers include kaolin, talc, calcium carbonate, perlite, diatomaceous earth, shirasu, zeolites, clay, etc. The granules of this embodiment may contain 5% to 85% by mass, preferably 20% to 60% by mass, of the inorganic filler based on the mass of the granules.

[0017] Binders that can be used in this embodiment include clay minerals, water-soluble polymeric materials, and the like. Clay minerals that can be used include bentonite, acid clay, montmorillonite, hectorite, and attapulgite. Water-soluble polymeric materials that can be used include starch, sugars (dextrin, glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose, etc.), celluloses (carboxymethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, etc.), thickening polysaccharides (sodium alginate, gum arabic, guar gum, xanthan gum, bean gum, carrageenan, gluten, etc.), lignin sulfonates, polyvinyl alcohol, styrene-maleic acid copolymers, their half esters and salts, and polyacrylic acid and its salts. The granules of this embodiment may contain 0.1% to 50% by weight, preferably 0.5% to 40% by weight, of the binder based on the weight of the granules.

[0018] Surfactants that can be used in this embodiment include anionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, nonionic surfactants, etc. Usable anionic surfactants can be selected from, for example, alkyl sulfates, polyoxyalkylene alkyl sulfates, naphthalene sulfonates and alkyl naphthalene sulfonates, condensates of naphthalene sulfonates and alkyl naphthalene sulfonates, alkyl sulfosuccinates, alkyl benzene sulfonates, alpha olefin sulfonates, lignin sulfonates, polyoxyethylene allyl phenyl ether sulfonates, and polyoxyethylene alkyl ether phosphate salts. Usable amphoteric surfactants can be selected from, for example, alkyl betaines, alkyl amido betaines, etc. Usable nonionic surfactants can be selected from, for example, polyoxyalkylene alkyl ethers, glycerin esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, polyoxyalkylene allyl phenyl ethers, etc. The granules of this embodiment may contain 0.05% to 10% by weight, preferably 0.2% to 5% by weight, of the surfactant based on the weight of the granules. The addition of a surfactant is effective in improving the resistance of the granules to crushing and in improving the disintegration properties of the granules when applied to the soil.

[0019] When the granules of this embodiment contain one or more organic fillers and one or more inorganic fillers, the ratio of the total mass of the organic fillers to the total mass of the inorganic fillers may be within the range of 0.01:1 to 8:1, preferably 0.01:1 to 1.5:1.

[0020] The active ingredient of this embodiment includes one or more ingredients commonly used in pesticides, etc. Examples of the active ingredient of this embodiment include herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, insecticides and fungicides, plant growth regulators, fertilizer components, rodenticides, repellents, attractants, etc. The granule of this embodiment may contain 0.01% to 30% by mass, preferably 0.01% to 20% by mass, of the active ingredient based on the mass of the granule.

[0021] The granules of this embodiment may further contain one or more additional ingredients commonly used in the agricultural chemicals field. The additional ingredients can be blended into the granules of this embodiment in amounts commonly known in the agricultural chemicals field.

[0022] The granules of this embodiment may contain 800 to 5,000 particles, preferably 1,500 to 3,500 particles per gram of granules. The granules of this embodiment may have an apparent specific gravity of 0.4 to 1.5, preferably 0.6 to 1.1. The granules of this embodiment may have a shape such as a roughly cylindrical, roughly spherical, or irregular shape. When the granules of this embodiment are produced by the extrusion granulation method described below, the granules often have a roughly cylindrical shape. When the granules of this embodiment have a roughly cylindrical shape, the length of the granules (generally the maximum dimension of the granules) may be within the range of 0.6 to 3.0 mm, preferably 0.8 to 2.0 mm, and the barrel diameter of the granules (generally the minimum dimension of the granules, often measured in a direction perpendicular to the maximum dimension) may be within the range of 0.4 to 1.2 mm, preferably 0.5 to 1.0 mm. Even when the granules of this embodiment have a different shape, it is desirable that the maximum and minimum dimensions of the granules be within the aforementioned ranges. It is believed that the number of particles, apparent specific gravity, and dimensions (length, body diameter) within the aforementioned ranges contribute to improving the uniformity of the amount of spray when the granules of this embodiment are sprayed.

[0023] The granules of this embodiment can be produced using any method known in the art, such as extrusion granulation, fluidized bed granulation, stirring granulation, spray-drying granulation, or tumbling granulation. From the perspective of reducing production costs, it is preferable to produce the granules of this embodiment using extrusion granulation. The mixture used for extrusion granulation can be produced by mixing and kneading the components of the granules using a mixer / kneader such as a kneader, Nauta mixer, ribbon mixer, Spartan mixer, universal mixer, or Lödige mixer. The resulting mixture can be fed into an extrusion granulator such as a screw-type extrusion granulator, roll-type extrusion granulator, basket-type extrusion granulator, blade-type extrusion granulator, or push-up granulator with a screen on the front or side, to perform extrusion granulation. The granules obtained by extrusion granulation can be dried using a dryer such as a vertical fluidized bed dryer, fluidized bed dryer, tray dryer, ventilated band dryer, or spray dryer to obtain the granules of this embodiment.

[0024] In producing the granules of this embodiment, the active ingredient may be added in advance to the mixture used for extrusion granulation (pre-addition), or may be added to the granules obtained by extrusion granulation (post-addition).

[0025] Pre-addition may be carried out, for example, by adding a solid active ingredient to the mixture to be used for extrusion granulation, or, alternatively, when organic fillers, inorganic fillers, and / or binders having active ingredient adsorption and / or oil absorption properties are used, a liquid active ingredient may be added to the mixture to be used for extrusion granulation.

[0026] As an alternative to pre-addition, the organic and / or inorganic filler may be brought into contact with the liquid active ingredient and / or a solution of the active ingredient before mixing and kneading to support the active ingredient on the filler. In this case, it is preferable that the organic and / or inorganic filler used has the ability to adsorb the active ingredient and / or absorb oil.

[0027] Post-addition can be carried out, for example, by spraying a liquid active ingredient and / or a solution of the active ingredient onto the granules in the form of a mist. Spraying may be carried out while stirring the granules using a non-destructive mixer such as a concrete mixer. When a solution is used, a second drying step may be carried out after spraying. The second drying step can be carried out using the dryer described above. [Example]

[0028] Example 1 0.5 parts by weight of condensate of sodium naphthalenesulfonate, 30.0 parts by weight of bentonite, 53.55 parts by weight of dry clay, 3.2 parts by weight of bromacil, and 15.0 parts by weight of wood flour were mixed in a vertical mixer. Next, 2.5 parts by weight of polyoxyethylene alkyl ether phosphate salt and 20.0 parts by weight of water were added to the mixture and kneaded. The resulting kneaded mixture was extrusion-granulated using a screw-type extrusion granulator equipped with a 0.7 mm mesh screen. The resulting granules were manually crushed to obtain pellets with a particle length of approximately 1 mm. The pellets were dried at 70 °C using a fluidized bed dryer to obtain granules.

[0029] Example 2 Granules were obtained by repeating the procedure of Example 1, except that 48.55 parts by mass of dry clay and 20.0 parts by mass of wood flour were used.

[0030] Example 3 Granules were obtained by repeating the procedure of Example 1, except that 15.0 parts by mass of corn cob powder was used instead of wood flour.

[0031] Example 4 Granules were obtained by repeating the procedure of Example 1, except that 48.55 parts by mass of dry clay was used and 20.0 parts by mass of corn cob powder was used instead of wood flour.

[0032] (Comparative Example 1) Granules were obtained by repeating the procedure of Example 1, except that 68.55 parts by mass of dry clay was used and no wood flour was used.

[0033] The number of particles per gram, particle length, and particle diameter of the obtained granules were measured using methods known in the art. Here, particle length and particle diameter are the average values ​​of measurements of 10 randomly selected particles. The apparent specific gravity of the granules was measured using the specific gravity cup method. Furthermore, the moisture content of the granules was measured using the loss on drying method. Furthermore, a 5% aqueous suspension was prepared using the obtained granules, and the pH of the suspension was measured. The results are shown in Table 2.

[0034] The crush resistance of the granules was evaluated according to the following procedure (based on the "Hardness (Disintegration Rate)" procedure in the Pesticide Formulation Guide (published October 30, 1997, Japan Plant Protection Association). First, a sample was prepared by removing powder that passed through a 500 μm mesh sieve from the granules. 100 g of sample and three magnetic balls (diameter 30 ± 2 mm, weight 35 ± 3 g) were placed in a roughly cylindrical magnetic ball mill pot (inner diameter 100 × inner depth 100 mm). The weight of the three magnetic balls was adjusted to 105 g. After the lid was closed, the pot was rotated at a speed of 75 revolutions per minute for 15 minutes with the side of the pot placed on a roller. The sample was then recovered, and the weight of the powder that passed through the 500 μm mesh sieve was measured. The crush resistance (%) was calculated using the following formula: Crush resistance (%) = (weight of powder that passed through the sieve) ÷ (weight of test sample) × 100 The results are shown in Table 1.

[0035] Furthermore, the disintegration in water of the granules was evaluated according to the following procedure (based on the procedure for "disintegration in water" in the Pesticide Formulation Guide (published October 30, 1997, Japan Plant Protection Association)). 50 mL of water (hardness 3) was placed in a 9 cm diameter glass petri dish and allowed to stand, and five test granules were added so that they were distributed uniformly. The time from immediately after addition until the test granules lost their original shape was measured and used as the standard for disintegration in water.

[0036] [Table 1]

[0037] As shown in Table 1, the granules of Examples 1 to 4 containing organic bulking agents had lower apparent specific gravity and smaller dimensions (number of particles per gram, particle diameter) than the control granule (Comparative Example 1) that did not contain an organic bulking agent. As a result, the granules of these Examples allow for more uniform application to the soil with less force. Furthermore, the granules of these Examples exhibit superior disintegration in water compared to the control granules, allowing the active ingredient to diffuse more quickly into the soil. Furthermore, the granules of these Examples exhibit superior resistance to crushing compared to the control granules, effectively preventing the formation of fine powder during transportation, mechanical application, and storage.

[0038] The granules of Comparative Example 1, Example 2 and Example 4 were sprayed manually from a height of about 40 cm, and the spraying conditions are shown in Figures 1(a) to 1(c), respectively. The spraying amount was 5 g / m 2 It can be seen that, compared to the granules of Comparative Example 1 shown in Figure 1(a), the granules of Example 2 shown in Figure 1(b) and the granules of Example 4 shown in Figure 1(c) were sprayed more uniformly, with a shorter average distance between granules and less unevenness in spraying. From these results, it is believed that the granules of this example can exert a uniform biological effect with little variation throughout the entire spraying area.

Claims

1. A granule comprising an active ingredient and an organic filler.

2. 10. The granule of claim 1, further comprising one or more ingredients selected from the group consisting of binders, surfactants, and inorganic fillers.

3. The granule according to claim 1, wherein the organic bulking agent is a powder derived from a plant.

4. The granules described in claim 1, characterized in that the organic filler is selected from the group consisting of wood such as sawdust and plant fiber; bamboo; pine cones (cones); leaves of tea, wheat, etc.; wheat flour; seeds, seed coats, pericarp, germs, etc. of wheat, barley, corn, coffee, soybeans, beans, rice, buckwheat, millet, etc.; corn cobs; husks left over when beverages are extracted from leaves or seeds; peat moss; nut shells such as peanuts and walnuts; the outer husks of rice, millet, wheat, beans, buckwheat, and sesame; stems such as rice straw, wheat straw, and rush; and powders derived from burned or carbonized products thereof.

5. 2. A granule according to claim 1, characterized in that the organic filler is present in an amount of 1% to 40% by weight based on the weight of the granule.

6. The granules according to claim 1, characterized in that the active ingredient comprises one or more substances selected from the group consisting of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, insecticide-fungicides, plant growth regulators, fertilizers, rodenticides, repellents, and attractants.

7. 2. A granule according to claim 1, wherein the active ingredient is present in an amount of 0.01% to 30% by weight based on the weight of the granule.

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