Method for mitigating solid precipitation in fertilizer dispensing system
View Patent ↗A method for applying an agricultural fertilizer to a field through an irrigation system connected to a source of hard water, includes providing a fertilizer composition comprising a mixture of (i) a fertilizer component comprising an ammonium phosphate or an ammonium sulfate, and (ii) an acid comprising one or more of a phosphoric acid, a citric acid, a malic acid, a formic acid, and an oxalic acid; combining the fertilizer composition with hard water from the hard water source and providing the mixture to an irrigation system; and using the irrigation system to apply the mixture of fertilizer composition and hard water to the field.
1. A method for applying an agricultural fertilizer to a field through an irrigation system using hard water from a source of hard water, the method comprising:
(a) providing a fertilizer composition comprising a mixture of (i) a fertilizer component comprising an ammonium phosphate or an ammonium sulfate, and (ii) an acid comprising one or more of a citric acid, a malic acid, a formic acid, and an oxalic acid;
(b) combining the fertilizer composition with hard water from the source of hard water and providing the mixture to an irrigation system; and
(c) using the irrigation system to apply the mixture of fertilizer composition and hard water to the field;
wherein the acid in the fertilizer composition inhibits the cations in the hard water from forming insoluble precipitates in the irrigation system and further wherein the acid comprises a combination of an organic acid and an inorganic acid.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fertilizer component is ammonium phosphate and comprises a monoammonium phosphate.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fertilizer component is ammonium sulfate.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acid comprises a citric acid.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the molar ratio of the fertilizer component to the acid in the fertilizer composition is not greater than 25:1.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the molar ratio of the fertilizer component to the acid in the fertilizer composition is about 10:1.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the molar ratio of the fertilizer component to the acid in the fertilizer composition is in the range of 5:1 and 25:1.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acid comprises a binary mixture of any two of the formic acid, the citric acid, the malic acid, and the oxalic acid.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acid comprises a dicarboxylic acid or a tricarboxylic acid.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acid comprises an inorganic acid.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the fertilizer composition further comprises a phosphoric acid.