Fatty Acid Ester Agrochemical Adhesion Rain Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional agrochemicals lack sufficient rain resistance, leading to reduced effectiveness and increased costs due to runoff and peeling under humid conditions, necessitating frequent reapplication and increased environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural composition comprising a fatty acid ester with specific properties, such as saturated fatty acids and a tetrahydric or higher polyol, combined with an unsaturated fatty acid salt, which provides high rain resistance when emulsified or dispersed in water, forming a stable coating on crops.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional agrochemicals are sprayed on crops, then disease control and pest management effects are achieved, but the agrochemical is easily peeled, run off, or fell under rainfall and wind, causing loss of effect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a fatty acid ester as an intermediary substance that mediates between the agrochemical and the plant surface. This ester forms a bridging layer that enhances adhesion, preventing the agrochemical from being easily peeled or run off by rainfall and wind, thus resolving the contradiction between achieving control effect and maintaining adhesion stability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite formulation by combining fatty acid esters with agrochemicals. This composite structure integrates the adhesion-enhancing properties of the ester with the biological activity of the agrochemical, resulting in a unified composition that simultaneously achieves effective control and stable attachment to plant surfaces
2Reliability
If additional agrochemical spraying is performed to compensate for runoff and peeling, then control effect is maintained, but control cost increases and work efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies fatty acid esters beforehand to create an adhesion-promoting layer on the plant surface before agrochemical application. This preliminary action ensures that subsequent agrochemical spraying achieves maximum retention with a single application, eliminating the need for re-spraying and thereby improving work efficiency while maintaining reliable control effects
3Stability of the object's composition
If cationic quaternary ammonium salt surfactant is used to improve adhesion, then agrochemical rain resistance is improved, but biotoxicity increases and environmental load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces persistent, toxic synthetic surfactants with biodegradable fatty acid esters derived from natural sources. These esters perform their adhesion function effectively but break down into harmless fatty acids and alcohols, providing a short-lived, environmentally benign alternative that maintains rain resistance without accumulating toxic effects in the ecosystem
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the decomposition products of the fatty acid esters, which would normally be considered waste, into beneficial substances. The esters break down into fatty acids and alcohols that are low in toxicity and can even benefit plant health, thus converting what could be a harmful byproduct into a beneficial outcome that reduces environmental load
4Object-affected harmful factors
If surrounding type cultivation method using plastic greenhouse or net is used, then infection risk from plant pathogenic bacteria is reduced, but cultivation cost increases and workability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and addresses the specific problem of pathogen transmission through spray runoff without implementing the entire surrounding cultivation system. By focusing on enhancing agrochemical adhesion and rain resistance, the solution targets the infection risk pathway directly while avoiding the complexity and cost of physical barriers like greenhouses or nets
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 composition ensures excellent adhesion and rain resistance, maintaining agrochemical efficacy even in rainy conditions, reducing the frequency and amount of applications, and minimizing environmental impact while ensuring safety for humans and the environment.
Implementation Method 1
an agricultural composition obtained by emulsifying or dispersing a fatty acid ester (a)... and an unsaturated fatty acid salt (b) in water
Implementation Method 2
a fatty acid ester (a)... which acts as a surfactant... combining hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties
Implementation Method 3
adhesion of an agrochemical to a plant is improved... by using a cationic quaternary ammonium salt surfactant... adhesion properties
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide an agricultural composition capable of reducing influence of rainfall or the like in agrochemical spraying and obtaining a stable control effect. Another object of the present invention is to reduce adverse effects of natural environments such as rainfall and wind on crops, to assist the growth of crops, and to stabilize food supply.The agricultural composition is an agricultural composition comprising (a) a fatty acid ester, (b) an unsaturated fatty acid or a salt thereof, and water, wherein the fatty acid ester (a): (i) comprises at least one fatty acid selected from a group consisting of saturated fatty acids having 12 to 22 carbon atoms as a fatty acid constituting the fatty acid ester, (ii) in which an alcohol produced by hydrolyzing the fatty acid ester is a tetrahydric or higher polyol, (iii) has an HLB of 5 or less, and (iv) is solid at 20° C. under normal pressure; and wherein the fatty acid ester (a) and the unsaturated fatty acid or a salt thereof (b) are emulsified or dispersed in water.