Methods of controlling chemical self-heating of organic-containing materials
Disclosed herein are methods of inhibiting chemical self-heating in organic-containing materials by the addition of phosphate and or other buffering agents which control the pH of the organic-containing material and alter the organic nature of the material such that self-heating reaction is inhibited, and fertilizer produced by these methods. Also disclosed are methods for producing an improved, i.e., self-heating resistant, organically-enhanced inorganic fertilizer and methods for improving the management of soil pH and the interaction of fertilizers with the soil and associated agricultural crops.
1. A method of controlling self-heating in organic-containing materials comprising:
providing an organic-containing material, having a dryness exceeding 90% by weight, in which pH of the material changes as the material is chemically self-heated; and
adding a buffer to the organic-containing material to minimize chemical self-heating within the material.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic-containing material is an organically-enhanced inorganic fertilizer.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic-containing material comprises biosolids.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic-containing material comprises granules, pellets, extrusions, grains or particles.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic-containing material is stored for over 14 days.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein organic-containing material comprises an ammonium salt.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the buffer comprises a buffering agent selected from the group consisting of mono- and dibasic-phosphate salts, metal carbonates, other carbonates, bicarbonates, phthalates, citrates and mixtures and combinations thereof.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic-containing material has a dryness of or exceeding 95% by weight.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of buffer is between 0.1 wt. % and 50 wt. % of the dry mass of the total material.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pH of organic-containing material after the addition of the buffer is between pH 5.0 and pH 9.0.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pH of organic-containing material after the addition of the buffer is between pH 6.0 and pH 8.0.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic-containing material has a dryness of or exceeding 98% by weight.
13. An organically-enhanced inorganic fertilizer, having a dryness exceeding 90% by weight, comprising: an organic component; an inorganic component; and an amount of a buffer effective to prevent self-heating of said fertilizer when stored in bulk for greater than two weeks.
14. The fertilizer of claim 13 , wherein the organic component comprises biosolids.
15. The fertilizer of claim 13 , wherein the inorganic component comprises an ammonium salt selected from the group consisting of ammonium sulfate, mono-ammonium phosphate, di-ammonium phosphate, ammonium nitrate, urea, and combinations thereof.
16. The fertilizer of claim 13 , wherein the buffer is a mono- or dibasic-phosphate salt, metal carbonate, other carbonate, bicarbonate, phthalate, citrates or other organic buffer, or mixtures or combinations thereof.
17. The fertilizer of claim 13 , wherein the effective amount is sufficient to prevent unwanted chemical self-heating.
18. The fertilizer of claim 13 , wherein the fertilizer stored in bulk is greater than 10 tons.
19. An organically-enhanced inorganic fertilizer comprising: an organic component; an inorganic component; and an amount of a buffer effective to prevent self-heating of said fertilizer when stored in bulk for greater than two weeks, which has a pH when stored that does not vary by more than one pH unit of a pH when manufactured.
20. An organically-enhanced inorganic fertilizer comprising: an organic component; an inorganic component; and an amount of a buffer effective to prevent self-heating of said fertilizer when stored in bulk for greater than two weeks, wherein the organically-enhanced inorganic fertilizer is stored for over 14 days.
21. A method of producing an organically-enhanced inorganic fertilizer, having a dryness exceeding 90% by weight, that is resistant to self-heating comprising:
mixing an organic material with an amount of a phosphate; and
reacting the organic material and phosphate mixture with an acid and a base to produce an organically-enhanced inorganic fertilizer,
wherein the amount of the phosphate is an amount that is effective to prevent self-heating of the organically-enhanced inorganic fertilizer.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the phosphate is phosphoric acid.
23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the acid is sulfuric acid.
24. The method of claim 21 , wherein the base is ammonia.
25. A method of producing an organically-enhanced inorganic fertilizer, having a dryness exceeding 90% by weight, that is resistant to self-heating comprising:
reacting an organic material with an acid and a base to produce an organically-enhanced inorganic fertilizer; and
adding an amount of a phosphate to the organically-enhanced inorganic fertilizer,
wherein the amount of the phosphate is an amount that is effective to prevent self-heating of the organically-enhanced inorganic fertilizer.
26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the phosphate is phosphoric acid.
27. The method of claim 25 , wherein the acid is sulfuric acid.
28. The method of claim 25 , wherein the base is ammonia.
29. A method for producing a fertilizer comprising:
providing an organic-containing material, wherein the organic-containing material contains biosolids and ammonium;
combining the organic-containing material with an acid such that the pH of the acid-containing material is less than 6.0;
combining the acid-containing material with an amount of buffer that is effective to enhance the nutrient content of the material; to provide the material with a pH of between about 6 and 8; and to prevent chemical self-heating when stored;
drying the material to produce the fertilizer, and
storing the dried fertilizer wherein the stored fertilizer resists chemical self-heating and does not vary in pH during storage by more than 1 pH unit within a 14 day period.
30. The method of claim 29 , wherein the bio-solid material is municipal or industrial waste-water or sludge.
31. The method of claim 29 , wherein the acid is a sulfuric acid.
32. The method of claim 29 , wherein the ammonium is anhydrous ammonium.
33. The method of claim 29 , wherein the material is dried to a dryness of at least 90%.
34. The method of claim 29 , wherein dryness is at least 95%.
35. The method of claim 29 , wherein dryness is at least 98%.
36. The method of claim 29 , wherein dryness is at least 99.5%.
37. The method of claim 29 , wherein one or more of a hardening agent, a de-dusting agent, a granulating agent or an odor control agent are combined with the organic-containing material before or after drying.
38. The method of claim 29 , further comprising combining the organic-containing material with one or more additional chemicals before or after drying to enhance a nutrient content of the fertilizer.