High Value Organic Containing Fertilizers and Methods of Manufacture
The invention is directed to manufacturing fertilizers having commercial levels of nitrogen reacted with organic substances. The process comprises treatment of organics with acid that acidifies and heats a mix causing the hydrolysis of polymers. The acidified organic mix is injected sequentially with a nitrogen base under conditions that result in a partially neutralized melt. The sterilized and liquefied organic matter is disbursed over recycled material for production of granules in a granulator before final drying. The process is green scalable, and safe for the location of community organics processing facilities in locations without generating a nuisance to local communities. Fertilizers also provide a green, dual nitrogen-release profile when applied to crops releasing a bolus of nitrogen over one to two weeks following application followed by a continued slow or enhanced efficiency release of nitrogen over a growing season.
1 . A fertilizer manufactured with a slow release nutrient profile comprising:
conditioning an amount of an organic material to a predetermined degree of wetness forming a mixture, wherein the type and/or amount of organic material establishes the slow release nutrient profile of the fertilizer;
transferring the mixture to a first vessel to which is added a concentrated acid creating an exothermic reaction, wherein the amount of acid added creates a predetermined temperature forming a liquid mixture;
agitating the liquid mixture for a first period of time;
transferring the liquid mixture under pressure to a second vessel to which is added an amount of anhydrous ammonium sufficient to further increase the temperature and pressure of the liquid mixture such that the liquid mixture contains a predetermined amount of nitrogen;
agitating the liquid mixture in the second vessel for a second period of time; and
discharging the liquid mixture from the second vessel to form the fertilizer with the slow release nutrient profile.
2 . The fertilizer of claim 1 , wherein the organic material comprises one or more of municipal biosolids, heat-dried biosolids, pharmaceutical fermentation wastes, microbial digests of organic products, agricultural waste products, food stuffs and digested food stuffs, food byproducts, animal manures, digested animal manures, organic biosolids, biosolids containing microorganisms, wastewater plant biosolids, extracted liquid organic fractions from municipal solid waste, animal residuals and digested animal residuals, algae harvested from eutrophic surface water sources, iron humates containing fulvic and/or humic acids, and combinations thereof.
3 . The fertilizer of claim 1 , wherein an odor control agent is added to the organic material.
4 . The fertilizer of claim 3 , wherein the odor control agent comprises one or more of calcium ferrate, sodium ferrate, potassium ferrate, ferrous sulfate heptahydrate, rozenite, melanterite, ferric chloride, ferrous sulfate, ferrous sulfate monohydrate, hydrogen peroxide, ozone and salts, derivatives and combinations thereof.
5 . The fertilizer of claim 1 , wherein the slow release nutrient profile comprises the rate, amount and/or differential of release of one or more nutrients of the fertilizer.
6 . The fertilizer of claim 5 , wherein the one or more nutrients comprise one or more of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, iron, manganese, magnesium, copper, calcium, selenium, boron, zinc and combinations thereof.
7 . The fertilizer of claim 5 , wherein the one or more nutrients comprises nitrogen, sulfur and/or phosphorous.
8 . The fertilizer of claim 5 , wherein the one or more nutrients are chelated or electrostatically bound to the organic matter of the fertilizer.
9 . The fertilizer of claim 1 , which, when applied to a crops, releases nitrogen to soil at a rate slower than nitrogen release by fertilizer containing urea as the nitrogen source.
10 . The fertilizer of claim 1 , which, when applied to a crops, releases nutrients to soil at a rate slower than nitrogen release by non-organic fertilizer.
11 . The fertilizer of claim 1 , in which is homogenous, non-hydroscopic and black in color.
12 . The fertilizer of claim 1 , which improves soil tilth, stress resistance of crops to heat and drought, and the micro-ecology of soil as compared to non-organic fertilizer.
13 . The fertilizer of claim 1 , which has a hardness of between 4 and 9 pounds or between 6 and 8 pounds and/or a bulk density of between 52 and 56 pounds/cubic foot.
14 . The fertilizer of claim 1 , which has a content of from 8-17% nitrogen, from 0-10% phosphorus, from 0-10% potassium, from 5-20% sulfur 5 to 20%, from 0-5% iron and from 5-20% organics.
15 . The fertilizer of claim 1 , which, once applied to a crop, provides one or more nutrients to the crop sufficient for all or a portion of a single growing season.