Wetting of water repellent soil by low HLB EO/PO block copolymers and enhancing solubility of same

1. A process for increasing the wetting rate of water repellent soil which comprises the steps of:

i) preparing an aqueous wetting agent composition consisting of

a) an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymer wherein the copolymer has an HLB value of less than or equal to 2; an average molecular weight of greater than 3,000; and a percent hydrophile of less than or equal to 10; and

b) water; and

ii) intimately contacting water repellent soil with an amount of said wetting agent composition such that the block copolymer will provide a measurable increase in the wetting rate of the soil.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the total concentration of the block copolymer in the wetting agent composition is from 200,000 ppm to 2 ppm.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymer is selected from the group consisting of:

i) straight block polymeric glycols obtained by the addition of ethylene oxide (EO) on a condensation product of propylene oxide (PO) with propylene glycol;

ii) reverse block polymeric glycols obtained by the addition of propylene oxide (PO) on a condensation product of ethylene oxide (EO) with ethylene glycol;

iii) tetra functional block copolymers obtained by the sequential addition of initially propylene oxide and then ethylene oxide to ethylene diamine; and

iv) tetra functional reverse block copolymers obtained by the sequential addition of initially ethylene oxide and then propylene oxide to ethylene diamine.

4. A process for increasing the wetting rate of water repellent soil which comprises the steps of:

i)preparing a solid granular or powder wetting agent composition with the wetting agent consisting of an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymer wherein the copolymer has an HLB value of less than or equal to 2; an average molecular weight of greater than 3,000; and a percent hydrophile of less than or equal to 10 being added to inert filler material and/or blended with fillers and additives; and

ii)contacting water repellent soil with an amount of said solid wetting agent composition such that the block copolymer will provide a measurable increase in the wetting rate of the soil.

5. A process for increasing the wetting rate of water repellent soil which comprises the steps of:

i) preparing a solid granular or powder wetting agent composition with the wetting agent consisting of an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymer wherein the copolymer has an HLB value of less than or equal to 2; an average molecular weight of greater than 3,000; and a percent hydrophile of less than or equal to 10 being added to inert filler material and/or blended with fillers and additives;

ii) adding said solid wetting agent composition to water to form an aqueous wetting agent composition; and

iii) intimately contacting water repellent soil with an amount of said aqueous wetting agent composition such that the block copolymer will provide a measurable increase in the wetting rate of the soil.

6. A process for increasing the wetting rate of water repellent soil which comprises the steps of:

i) preparing an aqueous wetting agent composition consisting of

a) an ethylene oxide propylene oxide block copolymer wherein the copolymer has an HLB value of less than or equal to 2; an average molecular weight of greater than 3,000; and a percent hydrophile of less than or equal to 10;

b) an ethylene-propylene oxide block copolymer having an HLB, value greater than 2 and an average molecular weight of from 2,000 to 8,000; and

c) water; and

ii)intimately contacting water repellent soil with an amount of said wetting agent composition such that the block copolymer having an HLB value of less than or equal to 2 will provide a measurable increase m the wetting rate of the soil.