Glyphosate DMA Potassium Salt Formulation Viscosity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
High strength glyphosate formulations, particularly those with dimethylamine (DMA) and potassium (K) salts, face issues with high viscosity, incompatibility with surfactants, and flammability, making them difficult to handle and apply effectively as herbicides.
Innovation Solution
A high strength herbicidal formulation comprising a combination of DMA and K salts of glyphosate, with optional surfactants and humectants, that achieves concentrations above 350 gae/L, maintaining stability and low viscosity, and compatibility with a wide range of surfactants, including alkyl polyglucosides and polymeric quaternary ammonium compounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If high strength formulations of glyphosate are prepared, then shipping and handling costs are reduced and packaging material is reduced, but viscosity increases making the formulation difficult to measure and pump
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines dimethylamine salt and potassium salt of glyphosate in specific proportions to create a composite salt formulation. This composite approach allows achieving high glyphosate concentrations (310-560 gae/L) while maintaining acceptable viscosity levels, as the potassium salt component helps control viscosity compared to using only dimethylamine salt
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the ratio of dimethylamine salt to potassium salt of glyphosate to control viscosity. By adjusting the proportion of potassium salt (which has lower viscosity contribution) in the mixture, the formulation achieves high concentration while maintaining pumpability and measurability, especially at lower temperatures
2Reliability
If surfactants are added to enhance herbicidal activity, then herbicidal effectiveness is improved, but compatibility issues arise and viscosity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dimethylamine/potassium salt combination creates a chemical environment (pH, ionic strength) that is more compatible with a broader range of surfactants. This allows inclusion of surfactants with higher ethoxylation degrees or different chemical structures that would be incompatible with conventional glyphosate formulations, expanding surfactant selection for enhancing herbicidal activity
Solution Approach 2:
The potassium salt component acts as a compatibility mediator between glyphosate and surfactants. It buffers the interaction between glyphosate and surfactant molecules, preventing unwanted reactions or precipitations that would occur with other glyphosate salts, thus enabling broader surfactant compatibility
3Reliability
If certain surfactants are combined with glyphosate salt to increase herbicidal activity, then effectiveness is improved, but viscosity increases making handling difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The composite salt system (dimethylamine/potassium) creates a formulation matrix with optimized viscosity characteristics. This matrix can accommodate surfactants at effective concentrations without experiencing the excessive viscosity increases seen with other glyphosate salt formulations, maintaining ease of handling while achieving enhanced herbicidal activity
4Quantity of substance
If MEA or K salts of glyphosate are used, then high strength formulations are achieved, but compatibility with surfactants is limited
Solution Approach 1:
By combining dimethylamine salt and potassium salt in specific ratios, the formulation achieves synergistic compatibility with surfactants. The dimethylamine component provides high solubility for high strength formulations, while the potassium component provides compatibility with diverse surfactant chemistries, overcoming the limitations of using either salt alone
Data Source
AI summary
A high strength herbicidal composition including: water; glyphosate, predominantly in the form of a combination of dimethylamine salt and potassium salt, in solution in the water in an amount of about 350 grams or greater of acid equivalent per liter of the composition, wherein the composition is formulated to include dimethylamine in an amount to form a salt with about 5% or greater, by weight, of total glyphosate and to include potassium in an amount to form a salt with a percentage of total glyphosate so that the combined sum of glyphosate in dimethylamine and potassium salts is at least 45% of total glyphosate; and optionally, one or more surfactants and/or one or more humectants.