Gum-Based Agrochemical Adjuvants for Drift Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agrochemical adjuvants are often toxic and non-biodegradable, leading to environmental issues and inefficiencies in spray application, such as spray drift and reduced effectiveness due to evaporation and wash-off, necessitating the need for more environmentally friendly alternatives that enhance agrochemical activity without increasing active ingredient usage.
Innovation Solution
Development of gum-based adjuvant compositions comprising blends of gums like xanthan gum, konjac, carboxymethylcellulose, and propylene glycol alginate, which are added to aqueous solvents with optional polyols, translocation aids, emulsifiers, and surfactants to improve agrochemical deposition, adhesion, resistance to evaporation, and reduction of spray drift.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional adjuvants (latex, silicone, nonylphenol ethoxylates) are used to bind water and resist evaporation, then the effectiveness of agrochemicals is improved, but environmental toxicity increases and biodegradability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of adjuvants by using biodegradable polymers (polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethyl cellulose, starch derivatives) instead of conventional toxic adjuvants. This substitution maintains the water-binding and evaporation-resisting functions while fundamentally altering the environmental impact parameters to achieve biodegradability and reduced toxicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite adjuvant formulations combining multiple biodegradable polymer components (e.g., polyvinyl alcohol with carboxymethyl cellulose, or starch derivatives with natural gums). These composite materials synergistically provide effective water binding and evaporation resistance while maintaining environmental friendliness, resolving the contradiction between performance and eco-compatibility.
2Reliability
If spray formulations are applied to control weeds and pests, then crop production protection is achieved, but spray drift causes off-target application and economic loss
Solution Approach 1:
The biodegradable polymer adjuvants form flexible adhesive films on spray droplet surfaces and target foliage. These films enhance droplet cohesion and adhesion, preventing droplet breakup during drift and ensuring stable attachment to target plants, thereby reducing off-target deposition and substance loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The polymer adjuvants act as intermediary substances between the agrochemical active ingredients and the target foliage. They modify the physical properties of spray droplets, enhancing their resistance to environmental factors during transit and improving their attachment to target surfaces, thus reducing drift-related losses.
3Quantity of substance
If water is used as the major diluent for agrochemicals, then application cost is reduced, but solubility and volatility of active ingredients are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The biodegradable polymer adjuvants serve as intermediary substances that enhance the solubility and stability of hydrophobic agrochemical active ingredients in water-based formulations. These polymers interact with both water and the active ingredients, creating stable dispersions or micellar structures that improve solubility without requiring organic solvents.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite polymer systems (e.g., polyvinyl alcohol with natural gums, or carboxymethyl cellulose with starch derivatives) that provide synergistic effects in enhancing solubility. The composite structure creates multiple interaction sites for active ingredients, improving their dissolution and stability in aqueous environments while maintaining water as the primary diluent.
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 gum-based adjuvants enhance the effectiveness of agrochemicals by improving deposition and adhesion, reducing evaporation and wash-off, and minimizing spray drift, while being more environmentally friendly and biodegradable, thus reducing the amount of active ingredient required and minimizing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
adjuvants are needed to bind water and hold it in contact with the target thereby resisting evaporation and wash off
Implementation Method 2
The adjuvants improve coverage of the target foliage and exposure of the targeted weed, pest or plant pathogen to the active ingredient of the formulations without the need for increasing the amount of active ingredient applied while reducing spray drift and off-target application
Implementation Method 3
The gums may include gum acacia, modified gum acacia (MGA, gum acacia esterified with octenyl succinic acid (OSA)), guar gum, cellulosics (e.g. carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), ethylcellulose (EC) and methylcellulose (MC))
Data Source
AI summary
Adjuvant compositions for use with agrochemical solutions is provided; more specifically adjuvant compositions that may be used to prepare agrochemical formulations used in the field to control weeds, pests and plant pathogens that adversely affect crop production. The adjuvants improve coverage of the target foliage and exposure of the targeted weed, pest or plant pathogen to the active ingredient of the formulations without the need for increasing the amount of active ingredient applied while reducing spray drift and off-target application.