Surfactant Combination for Foliar Fertilizer Adhesion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foliar fertilizer compositions face challenges in selecting surfactants that are effective on both smooth and pubescent plant leaves, maintaining solubility in water, and functioning across a wide pH range, while avoiding oily layer formation and separation during storage, with current surfactants often being ineffective on hairy leaves or too slippery for waxy leaves.
Innovation Solution
A liquid aqueous fertilizer composition combining a first surfactant of the formula R1-(OCH2CHR2)x(OCH2CHR3)yOR4 and a second surfactant of the formula R5-(OCH2CHR6)z-OR7, along with a mineral fertilizer ingredient and water, which provides effective adhesion and penetration on various leaf types without forming an oily layer or separating during storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single surfactant is used in foliar fertilizer, then the formulation is simple, but it cannot provide effective adhesion on both smooth and pubescent leaves
Solution Approach 1:
The surfactant system is segmented into two distinct components: a nonionic surfactant for general adhesion and an anionic surfactant for enhanced penetration. Each surfactant type targets specific leaf surface characteristics, with the nonionic surfactant providing baseline adhesion and the anionic surfactant enhancing performance on pubescent leaves. This segmentation allows the formulation to address multiple leaf types without requiring a completely different surfactant system for each plant variety.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs a composite surfactant system combining nonionic and anionic surfactants in specific proportions (0.1-10% nonionic and 0.01-5% anionic by weight of fertilizer). This composite approach leverages the complementary properties of different surfactant classes: nonionic surfactants provide stable adhesion on smooth surfaces while anionic surfactants enhance penetration through the waxy cuticle and interact with trichomes on pubescent leaves. The synergistic combination achieves universal effectiveness across diverse leaf types.
2Productivity
If oil is added to increase uptake of microelements, then absorption improves, but oily layer formation and separation occur during storage
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses surfactants as intermediary substances that enable oil and water to mix stably without forming separate phases. The nonionic and anionic surfactants act as emulsifiers, creating a stable emulsion system where oil-soluble microelements remain dispersed in the aqueous fertilizer solution. This intermediary approach allows the formulation to achieve both improved nutrient uptake (through oil vehicle) and storage stability (without separation), as the surfactants prevent oil droplet coalescence and phase separation during storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical-chemical parameters of the oil component by incorporating specific surfactants that modify the interfacial tension between oil and water phases. By adjusting surfactant concentration and type (nonionic and anionic in combination), the formulation achieves optimal emulsion stability with controlled droplet size distribution. This parameter control ensures that the oil remains finely dispersed and does not separate during storage, while still providing enhanced microelement uptake when applied foliarly.
3Reliability
If high amounts of surfactant are added to reduce surface tension, then adhesion improves, but the formulation becomes less economical and may cause phytotoxicity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the surfactant concentration parameters to achieve maximum adhesion effectiveness at minimal doses. The specific formulation (0.1-10% nonionic surfactant and 0.01-5% anionic surfactant by weight of fertilizer) represents the optimal parameter range where sufficient surface tension reduction and adhesion enhancement are achieved without excessive surfactant application. This parameter optimization prevents phytotoxicity while maintaining economical formulation costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite surfactant system achieves synergistic adhesion enhancement, where the combination of nonionic and anionic surfactants produces greater than additive effects. The nonionic surfactant provides baseline adhesion at low concentrations, while the anionic surfactant enhances this effect and provides additional penetration benefits. This synergistic interaction allows the formulation to achieve reliable adhesion on diverse leaf surfaces with lower total surfactant amounts compared to using single surfactant types at high concentrations.
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 surfactant combination ensures efficient adhesion and penetration on both smooth and pubescent leaves, resisting wind and maintaining activity under adequate humidity, with improved coverage and stability, and can be used in small amounts without compromising efficiency, making it suitable for a wide range of plants.
Implementation Method 1
A liquid aqueous fertilizer composition, comprising: a first surfactant of the formula (I) and a second surfactant of the formula (II)
Implementation Method 2
Diffusion and absorption are dependent on the dissolution of the nutrients in a solution and the time of residence of the nutrients dissolved in a solution on leaves surface
Data Source
AI summary
An aqueous fertilizer composition, comprising (a) a first surfactant of the formula R1-(OCH2CHR2)x(OCH2CHR3)yOR4 (I), wherein R1 represents linear or branched C8-C18 alkyl, R2 and R3 are selected from the group consisting of CH3 and CH2CH3, with the provision that R2 and R3 are different, R4 represents H or linear or branched C1-C8 alkyl, x is an integer from 1 to 10, y is an integer from 3 to 10, and the sum x+y is in the range from 5 to 20; (b) a second surfactant of the formula R5-(OCH2CHR6)z-OR7 (II), wherein R5 represents linear or branched C16-C18alkyl, R6 represents H or CH3, R7 represents H or linear or branched C1-C6 alkyl, and z is 8, 9 or 10; (c) a mineral fertilizer ingredient selected from a macronutrient fertilizer, secondary macronutrient fertilizer, micronutrient fertilizer, and mixtures thereof; and (d) water.