Oxidized Vegetable Oil Adhesive Particles for Plant Pest Trapping
Solution Overview
Problem
Current adhesive compounds used for trapping plant pests are often non-biodegradable, toxic, and can hinder plant growth, posing environmental and ecological risks.
Innovation Solution
An aqueous suspension of adhesive particles is produced by oxidizing vegetable oil with a specific iodine value and polyunsaturated fatty acid content, then suspending it in an aqueous phase with surfactants under mechanical shear to achieve a suitable particle size distribution for trapping insects and other plant pests without harming plants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If chemical pesticides are used to trap plant pests, then pest control effectiveness is improved, but environmental contamination and toxicity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters by using oxidized vegetable oils with specific iodine values (80-125) and polyunsaturated fatty acid content (at least 15 wt%), transforming traditional chemical pesticides into biodegradable adhesive particles that maintain pest trapping effectiveness while eliminating toxic environmental effects
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates composite adhesive particles by combining oxidized vegetable oil with surfactants in an aqueous suspension system, producing a multi-component material that achieves both effective pest adhesion and environmental compatibility through the synergistic interaction of biodegradable oil-based adhesive and surface-active agents
2Reliability
If adhesive compounds are applied to plant leaves to trap pests, then pest immobilization is improved, but plant growth may be retarded due to hampered oxygen uptake
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies adhesive particles with specific local properties - hydrophobic oxidized vegetable oil particles (at least 50% have diameter at most 1,000 μm) suspended in aqueous phase with surfactants - that provide pest-trapping adhesion on plant surfaces while maintaining plant respiratory function through controlled particle size and surface characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The aqueous suspension system with surfactants creates a porous, non-film-forming adhesive particle coating that allows oxygen penetration to plant stomata while providing sufficient adhesive surface area for pest immobilization, eliminating the suffocation effect of continuous films
3Reliability
If non-bio-based adhesives are used for pest trapping, then adhesive performance is improved, but biodegradability and environmental persistence worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fundamental chemical parameter from synthetic polymer composition to oxidized vegetable oil composition with controlled iodine value (80-125) and fatty acid profile, achieving both adequate adhesive performance for pest trapping and complete biodegradability through natural oil oxidation products
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs short-living, biodegradable oxidized vegetable oil particles that perform their adhesive function temporarily for pest trapping then naturally decompose in the environment, replacing persistent synthetic adhesives with renewable, disposable biobased alternatives
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 adhesive particles are biobased, non-toxic, and hydrophobic, allowing for the slow release of insect repellents and effective trapping of pests without retarding plant growth or causing environmental harm.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the aqueous phase with added oxidized vegetable oil to mechanical shear to obtain a suspension of adhesive particles
Implementation Method 2
adding the cooled oxidized vegetable oil to an aqueous phase comprising a surfactant
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing an aqueous suspension of adhesive particles comprising: a) providing a vegetable oil comprising fatty acids chains, wherein the vegetable oil has a iodine value in the range of from 80 to 125, and wherein at least 15 wt% of the fatty acid chains are polyunsaturated; b) contacting the vegetable oil with an oxygen-containing gas at an oxidation temperature in the range of from 50 °C to 180 °C to obtain oxidized vegetable oil; c) allowing the oxidized vegetable oil to cool to a temperature in the range of from 15 to 35 °C to obtain cooled oxidized vegetable oil; and d) adding the cooled oxidized vegetable oil to an aqueous phase comprising a surfactant and subjecting the aqueous phase with added oxidized vegetable oil to mechanical shear to obtain a suspension of adhesive particles of oxidized vegetable oil, wherein the adhesive particles have a particle size distribution such that, based on the total number of particles with a largest diameter of at least 40 µm, at least 90 % of the particles have a largest diameter of at most 3,000 µm, preferably at most 2,000 µm, and at least 50 % of the particles have a largest diameter of at most 1,000 µm. The invention further relates to an aqueous suspension of adhesive particles obtainable by such method, and to a method for trapping plant pests comprising applying such aqueous suspension of adhesive particles, optionally after dilution with water, on a plant.