Humectant-Stabilized Fertilizer Prevents Potassium Precipitation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current fertilizer compositions face challenges in providing stable and effective delivery of potassium, sulfur, and micronutrients during high-demand growth stages without forming insoluble precipitates or requiring chelated metals, which can lead to inefficient uptake and potential harm to plants.
Innovation Solution
A stable fertilizer composition is developed, comprising a sulfur-containing compound and a reaction product of a potassium-containing compound with a humectant, such as polyhydric alcohols or hydroxylated carboxylic acids, which remains soluble at pH levels relevant to plant application and does not form insoluble precipitates, allowing for efficient delivery of nutrients like potassium, sulfur, and micronutrients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional potassium salts are used in foliar fertilizer, then potassium can be supplied to plants, but the fertilizer becomes unstable and forms insoluble precipitates
Solution Approach 1:
A chelating agent is introduced as an intermediary substance that binds to metal ions (including potassium) to form stable chelate complexes. This mediator prevents the formation of insoluble precipitates by keeping metal ions in soluble form, thereby resolving the contradiction between potassium supply and fertilizer stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The chemical form of potassium is changed from simple salts to chelated complexes. This parameter change in molecular structure increases solubility and stability, allowing potassium to remain in solution at higher pH levels and preventing precipitate formation while maintaining nutrient availability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If chelated metal salts are used to improve stability, then solubility increases, but molecular size becomes too large for effective leaf tissue absorption
Solution Approach 1:
The chelating agent is selected to provide appropriate local properties: it forms stable complexes with metal ions but maintains a molecular size and structure that allows penetration through leaf cuticle. The chelate structure creates localized stability at the molecular level while preserving macroscopic absorptivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The molecular parameters of the chelate complex are optimized to balance stability and absorptivity. By selecting specific chelating agents with appropriate molecular weights and structures, the formulation achieves sufficient stability to prevent precipitates while maintaining small enough molecular dimensions for foliar uptake.
3Productivity
If aqueous fertilizer solutions are used, then nutrients are readily available for plant uptake, but pH must be kept below 3 to prevent metal oxide precipitates
Solution Approach 1:
Chelating agents serve as intermediaries that buffer the metal ions against pH changes. They form stable complexes that prevent metal oxide precipitation even at higher pH levels, thereby expanding the usable pH range of the fertilizer solution while maintaining nutrient availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The pH parameter flexibility is increased by introducing chelating agents that stabilize metal ions across a broader pH range. This allows the fertilizer to be applied at more physiologically favorable pH conditions while preventing precipitate formation and maintaining solubility.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a stable fertilizer composition including: a sulfur-containing compound; and a reaction product of a potassium-containing compound and a humectant selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, esters of polyhydric alcohols, polyalkylene glycols, and hydroxylated carboxylic acids. One version of the fertilizer composition also includes a nitrogen-containing compound; a phosphorous-containing compound; and at least one more additional macronutrient or micronutrient. The macronutrient may be selected from the group consisting of calcium and magnesium, and the micronutrient may be selected from the group consisting of zinc, manganese, iron, copper, calcium, magnesium, cobalt, boron, nickel, and molybdenum. The fertilizer composition may be essentially free of chelated metals and chelated metal salts. Methods of using a solution of the fertilizer composition for supplying plant nutrients to a plant are also disclosed.