Suspension Concentrate Formulation to Prevent Herbicide Crystallization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing formulations of metribuzin and diflufenican suffer from issues such as crystallization, caking, and instability at high temperatures, leading to storage stability problems and agglomeration, especially when combined, which affects their efficacy and handling.
Innovation Solution
A combination of specific surfactants, including sodium lignosulfonates and non-ionic block copolymers, with rheology modifiers like hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and synthetic amorphous silica, stabilizes the suspension concentrates, preventing crystallization and settling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If high concentrations of metribuzin and diflufenican are combined in a single aqueous formulation, then transport and storage costs decrease and mixing errors are reduced, but storage stability deteriorates due to crystallization and caking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces specific intermediary substances (surfactants and rheology modifiers) to mediate between the active ingredients and water. The surfactant combination (anionic + nonionic) acts as an intermediary to wet and disperse the hydrophobic active ingredients, while rheology modifiers (hydrocolloids or inorganic compounds) serve as intermediaries to control water movement and prevent crystal growth, thereby maintaining stability in highly concentrated formulations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material strategies by combining multiple types of additives (anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, and rheology modifiers) to create a synergistic formulation system. This composite approach allows the formulation to simultaneously achieve high active ingredient concentration (600 g/L) and storage stability by distributing multiple functions across different additive components.
2Device complexity
If conventional single surfactant formulations are used, then formulation complexity is reduced, but storage stability deteriorates due to insufficient prevention of crystallization and agglomeration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple surfactant types (anionic and nonionic) and rheology modifiers into a single formulation system. This combination creates synergistic effects where the anionic surfactant provides initial wetting and dispersion, the nonionic surfactant enhances stability and prevents agglomeration, and the rheology modifiers control water mobility to prevent crystallization, collectively achieving superior storage stability compared to single additive systems.
3Loss of energy
If high concentrations of active ingredients are used, then packaging and transport expenditures decrease, but physical stability worsens due to increased tendency toward crystallization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the concentrations and ratios of multiple additives (anionic surfactant, nonionic surfactant, and rheology modifiers) to optimize the formulation's physical stability. By adjusting these parameters within specific ranges, the formulation maintains stability even at very high active ingredient concentrations of 600 g/L, preventing crystallization and caking during storage.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to the technical field of surfactant combinations combined with rheological modifiers combinations for crop protection formulations with increased shelf life and reduced crystallization, in particular herbicidal formulations, and formulations containing said surfactant combinations, as well as methods for producing said formulations.