Homogeneous Biostimulant Fertilizer Particles for High-Temperature Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural practices face inefficiencies in combining biostimulants with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, as high-temperature processes degrade biostimulants, and separate application increases operational complexity.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating biostimulants like humic acids, fulvic acids, seaweed extracts, amino acids, peptides, polysaccharides, and lignosulfonates into the production process of nitrogen-containing fertilizers, ensuring even distribution and retention of biostimulant activity at high temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If biostimulants are added during high-temperature fertilizer production, then nutrient use efficiency is improved, but biostimulant activity is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The biostimulant is added to the molten fertilizer material during the production process, allowing it to be incorporated before the material solidifies. This preliminary incorporation ensures the biostimulant is distributed throughout the fertilizer particles while being exposed to high temperatures only briefly during the production process, thereby maintaining its activity while achieving homogeneous distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the temperature and viscosity changes of the fertilizer material during production. By adding the biostimulant to the molten state and allowing it to be incorporated as the material cools and solidifies, the process leverages parameter changes to achieve both homogeneous distribution and preservation of biostimulant activity, resolving the contradiction between temperature exposure and activity retention.
2Ease of operation
If biostimulants are applied separately from fertilizers, then application flexibility is maintained, but operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The biostimulant is directly incorporated into the fertilizer production process, merging two separate products (fertilizer and biostimulant) into a single integrated product. This eliminates the need for separate application operations, reducing operational complexity while maintaining the synergistic effects of both components, as they are delivered together to the soil in a single application.
3Stability of the object's composition
If biostimulants are evenly distributed in fertilizer, then release timing is synchronized, but manufacturing precision is challenged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent exploits the parameter changes of the fertilizer material during production, specifically the transition from solid to molten state and back. By adding the biostimulant to the molten material and allowing it to be incorporated during cooling and solidification, the process achieves homogeneous distribution through natural convection and mixing that occurs during phase change, thereby achieving stable composition without requiring extremely precise manufacturing control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resulting fertilizer particles enhance nutrient use efficiency, increasing shoot dry matter, root dry matter, leaf area, and phosphorus use efficiency, while reducing operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
optionally, mixing the molten material comprising the biostimulant
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a fertilizer particle. The fertilizer particle comprises from 1.0 to 30 weight% of nitrogen, based on the total weight of the fertilizer particle, and from 0.0001 to 5.0 weight% of a biostimulant, based on the total weight of the fertilizer particle, wherein the fertilizer particle is homogeneous.