SOLID HERBICIDE COMPOSITIONS CONTAINING FLUROXYPYR-MEPTYL
The present disclosure concerns herbicide granules and powders containing a high-load of fluroxypyr-meptyl. The granules exhibit good storage stability and good herbicidal efficacy when added to water and applied by spray application to control unwanted plant growth.
1 . A coated herbicide powder comprising crystalline particles of fluroxypyr-meptyl coated with a mixture of surfactants comprising:
a) a water soluble nonionic surfactant; and
b) a water soluble anionic surfactant.
2 . The powder of claim 1 comprising from about 350 grams active ingredient per kilogram (gai/kg) to about 800 gai/kg of fluroxypyr-meptyl.
3 . The powder of claim 2 comprising from about 500 gai/kg to about 700 gai/kg of fluroxypyr-meptyl.
4 . The powder of claim 2 comprising from about 600 gai/kg to about 700 gai/kg of fluroxypyr-meptyl.
5 . The powder of any one of claims 1 - 4 in which the water soluble nonionic surfactant is a polyvinyl alcohol with a degree of hydrolysis from about 87% to about 99%.
6 . The powder of claim 5 in which the polyvinyl alcohol has a degree of hydrolysis from about 87% to about 89%.
7 . The powder of any one of claim 5 or 6 comprising from about 1 g/kg to about 100 g/kg of the water soluble nonionic surfactant.
8 . The powder of claim 7 comprising from about 10 g/kg to about 50 g/kg of the water soluble nonionic surfactant.
9 . The powder of any of one of claims 1 - 8 in which the water soluble anionic surfactant is a lignosulfonate salt selected from a sodium lignosulfonate and/or a calcium lignosulfonate.
10 . The powder of claim 9 comprising from about 10 g/kg to about 600 g/kg of the water soluble anionic surfactant.
11 . The powder of claim 10 comprising from about 50 g/kg to about 500 g/kg of the water soluble anionic surfactant.
12 . The powder of claim 10 comprising from about 100 g/kg to about 400 g/kg of the water soluble anionic surfactant.
13 . The powder of claim 1 in which the fluroxypyr-meptyl has a degree of crystallinity of at least about 80 percent.
14 . The powder of claim 13 in which the fluroxypyr-meptyl has a degree of crystallinity of at least about 90 percent.
15 . The powder of claim 13 in which the fluroxypyr-meptyl has a degree of crystallinity of at least about 95 percent.
16 . The powder of any of claims 1 - 15 further comprising one or more additional inert ingredients.
17 . A high-load, herbicide granule which comprises:
a) crystalline particles of fluroxypyr-meptyl coated with a mixture comprising:
i. a water soluble nonionic surfactant; and
ii. a water soluble anionic surfactant. and
b) a particle agglomeration suppressant.
18 . The granule of claim 17 in which the herbicide granule is a water dispersible granule.
19 . The granule of any one of claim 17 or 18 comprising from about 350 gai/kg to about 700 gai/kg of fluroxypyr-meptyl.
20 . The granule of claim 19 comprising from about 350 gai/kg to about 600 gai/kg of fluroxypyr-meptyl.
21 . The granule of claim 19 comprising from about 400 gai/kg to about 550 gai/kg of fluroxypyr-meptyl.
22 . The granule of any one of claims 17 - 21 in which the water soluble nonionic surfactant is a polyvinyl alcohol with a degree of hydrolysis from about 87% to about 99%.
23 . The granule of claim 22 in which the polyvinyl alcohol has a degree of hydrolysis from about 87% to about 89%.
24 . The granule of any one of claims 17 - 23 comprising from about 1 g/kg to about 100 g/kg of the water soluble nonionic surfactant.
25 . The granule of claim 24 comprising from about 10 g/kg to about 50 g/kg of the water soluble nonionic surfactant.
26 . The granule of any one of claims 17 - 25 in which the water soluble anionic surfactant is a lignosulfonate salt selected from a sodium lignosulfonate and/or a calcium lignosulfonate.
27 . The granule of claim 26 comprising from about 10 g/kg to about 600 g/kg of the water soluble anionic surfactant.
28 . The granule of claim 27 comprising from about 50 g/kg to about 500 g/kg of the water soluble anionic surfactant.
29 . The granule of claim 27 comprising from about 100 g/kg to about 400 g/kg of the water soluble anionic surfactant.
30 . The granule of any one of claims 17 - 29 in which the particle agglomeration suppressant is an ionic compound selected from the group including an inorganic salt of an inorganic acid, an inorganic salt of an organic acid, and a nitrogen-containing compound such as a nitrogen fertilizer.
31 . The granule of claim 30 in which the particle agglomeration suppressant is selected from the group including ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and potassium chloride.
32 . The granule of any one of claims 17 - 31 comprising from about 20 g/kg to about 300 g/kg of the particle agglomeration suppressant.
33 . The granule of claim 32 comprising from about 20 g/kg to about 200 g/kg of the particle agglomeration suppressant.
34 . The granule of claim 32 comprising from about 50 g/kg to about 150 g/kg of the particle agglomeration suppressant.
35 . The granule of any one of claims 17 - 34 further comprising one or more additional inert ingredients.
36 . The granule of any one of claims 17 - 35 in which the fluroxypyr-meptyl has a degree of crystallinity of at least about 80 percent.
37 . The granule of claim 36 in which the fluroxypyr-meptyl has a degree of crystallinity of at least about 90 percent.
38 . The granule of claim 36 in which the fluroxypyr-meptyl has a degree of crystallinity of at least about 95 percent.
39 . A high-load, herbicide granule obtainable by a process comprising:
a) drying an oil-in-water emulsion comprising molten fluroxypyr-meptyl, a water soluble nonionic surfactant and a water soluble anionic surfactant to provide a coated herbicide powder comprising crystalline particles of fluroxypyr-meptyl coated with a mixture of the nonionic surfactant and the anionic surfactant or dry-milling a solid mixture comprising fluroxypyr-meptyl, optionally, a water soluble nonionic surfactant, a water soluble anionic surfactant and a particle agglomeration to provide a dry-milled herbicide powder;
b) adding a particle agglomeration suppressant to the coated herbicide powder prepared in step a); and
c) granulating the dry-milled herbicide powder prepared in step a) or the powder prepared in step b), and water.
40 . The granule of claim 39 in which the high-load herbicide granule is a water dispersible granule.
41 . The granule of any one of claim 39 or 40 wherein the water soluble nonionic surfactant is added to the dry-milled herbicide powder as a solution in water in step c).
42 . The granule of any one of claims 39 - 41 comprising from about 350 gai/kg to about 700 gai/kg of fluroxypyr-meptyl.
43 . The granule of claim 42 comprising from about 350 gai/kg to about 600 gai/kg of fluroxypyr-meptyl.
44 . The granule of claim 42 comprising from about 400 gai/kg to about 550 gai/kg of fluroxypyr-meptyl.
45 . The granule of any one of claims 39 - 44 in which the water soluble nonionic surfactant is a polyvinyl alcohol with a degree of hydrolysis from about 87% to about 99%.
46 . The granule of claim 45 in which the polyvinyl alcohol has a degree of hydrolysis from about 87% to about 89%.
47 . The granule of any one of claims 39 - 46 comprising from about 1 g/kg to about 100 g/kg of the water soluble nonionic surfactant.
48 . The granule of claim 47 comprising from about 10 g/kg to about 50 g/kg of the water soluble nonionic surfactant.
49 . The granule of any one of claim 39 - 48 in which the water soluble anionic surfactant is a lignosulfonate salt selected from a sodium lignosulfonate and/or a calcium lignosulfonate.
50 . The granule of claim 49 comprising from about 10 g/kg to about 600 g/kg of the water soluble anionic surfactant.
51 . The granule of claim 50 comprising from about 50 g/kg to about 500 g/kg of the water soluble anionic surfactant.
52 . The granule of claim 50 comprising from about 100 g/kg to about 400 g/kg of the water soluble anionic surfactant.
53 . The granule of any one of claims 39 - 52 in which the particle agglomeration suppressant is an ionic compound selected from the group including an inorganic salt of an inorganic acid, an inorganic salt of an organic acid, and a nitrogen-containing compound such as a nitrogen fertilizer.
54 . The granule of claim 53 in which the particle agglomeration suppressant is selected from the group including ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and potassium chloride.
55 . The granule of claim 53 or 54 comprising from about 20 g/kg to about 300 g/kg of the particle agglomeration suppressant.
56 . The granule of claim 55 comprising from about 20 g/kg to about 200 g/kg of the particle agglomeration suppressant.
57 . The granule of claim 55 comprising from about 50 g/kg to about 150 g/kg of the particle agglomeration suppressant.
58 . The granule of any one of claims 39 - 57 further comprising one or more additional inert ingredients.
59 . The granule of any one of claims 39 - 58 in which the fluroxypyr-meptyl has a degree of crystallinity of at least about 80 percent.
60 . The granule of claim 59 in which the fluroxypyr-meptyl has a degree of crystallinity of at least about 90 percent.
61 . The granule of claim 59 in which the fluroxypyr-meptyl has a degree of crystallinity of at least about 95 percent.
62 . A method of controlling undesirable vegetation comprising applying to the vegetation or an area adjacent to the vegetation, or applying to the soil to prevent the emergence of the vegetation, a herbicidally effective amount of a spray solution in water containing the granule of any of claims 17 - 61 .
63 . A method of preparing the coated herbicide powder of any claims 1 - 16 comprising:
a) preparing a heated oil phase containing molten fluroxypyr-meptyl;
b) preparing a heated aqueous containing the water soluble nonionic surfactant and the water soluble anionic surfactant;
c) adding the heated, liquid oil phase prepared in step a) to the heated aqueous phase prepared in step b) under high shear homogenization to provide a microemulsion; and
d) drying the microemulsion prepared in step c) to provide the coated herbicide powder.
64 . A method of preparing the high-load herbicide granule of any of claims 17 - 61 comprising:
a) mixing the coated herbicide powder of any of claims 1 - 16 or the dry-milled herbicide powder of any of claims 39 - 61 with one or more inert ingredients to provide a second herbicide powder;
b) adding water with mixing to the second herbicide powder prepared in step a) to provide a wetted powder or dough;
c) granulating the wetted powder or dough prepared in step b) by extrusion to provide wet granules; and
d) drying the wet granules prepared in step c) to provide the high-load, herbicide granule.