AU2005100090A4 - Improving Fertilisers (with Zeolite) in Potting Mixes & Less Environmental Damage - Google Patents

Description

13/02/2005 16:34 95875042 PLANTNET PAGE 03 Complete Specification c Innovation Patent

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F'Improving Fertilizers (with Zeolite) in Potting Mixes n and Less Environmental Damage'.

Technology Category; (Hotcultura)-Biotechnology/hysicsChemistry 0 STechnical field of the invention 0 The present invention relates to fertilizer formulations and nutrient release, with less O environmental impact as a by product, when used in potting mixes/mediums.

O Background of the Invention Plants require at least 16 elements to maintain health and complete their life cycle. These essential elements are obtained chiefly by the roots from the water held in the growing medium. This means that fertilizer must first dissolve in water before the nutrients it contains become available to the plant Fertilizers that are very water soluble, release a large proportion of their nutrient content in the first few days afterthey have been applied. Unless small amounts are used, the concentration of nutrients in the soil solution/growing medium will be greater than the plant requires. This is both wasteful becaue the dissolved frtilzer can be readily washed out of the root zone by rain or irrigation water and potentially damaging to the plant due to salinity and nutrient toxicity.

Water soluble fertilizers must be applied little and often for best results.

Slow release fertilizers are made from materials that are not immediately water soluble and therefore available for plant uptake. These are of two types: 1. Materials of low solubility that must undergo a chemical or biological breakdown before they will dissolve in water. Urea-formaldehydes and sulphur coated urea are two of the most common fertilizers in this category.

2. Materials treated with an inhibitor to delay biological decomposition. Slow release fertilizers telease nutrients over a period of weeks or months. Organic fertilizers including animal manures and composts are in this group. ince their decomposition is mediated by chemical and biological processes, soil temperature and moisture conditions influence the pattern of release. In dry or very cold conditions, nutrients are released more slowly than in moist, warm conditions. Since plant growth responds in a similar way, availability and plant requirement are more closely matched.

1 COMS ID No: SBMI-01118310 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:39 Date 2005-02-13 13/02/2005 16:34 95875042 PLANTNET PAGE 04 0 Ci Controlled release fertilizers (CRFs) are water soluble compounds which are prilled and have a coating to make them dissolve more slowly. The coating is permeable to water o and the fertilizer begins to release nutrients once sufficient moisture has penetrated the F4 prill. pr.

Nutrients are excreted from the prill through pores or cracks in the coating_ The rate of release is related to the solubility of the fertilizer salts, the (osmotic) pressure that develops in the prill and the size and number of pores in the coating.

O The rate of dissolution of the nutrient salts is substantially reduced because the solution o within the prill quickly becomes saturated.

In warm conditions, the release rate increases because the coating softens allowing the Spore size to increase. Higher temperatures also increase chemical solubility.

Ci Controlled release fertilizers release nutrients over periods of months and even years.

Controlled release fertilizers have greatly simplified nutrient management for horticultural crops. In this form, enough fertilizer can be applied at planting to last the entire production period or at least a substantial part of it without risk of fertilizer bum.

This is largely because the nutrients are released slowly and because the coated fertilizer cannot be easily washed out of the root zone by irrigation water or by heavy rain.

These two qualities mean that less fertilizer is needed to grow a crop and the environmental damage caused by over fertilizing is reduced.

Even though CRFs have many advantages over other types of solid fertilizers their use does not ensure ideal growing conditions because the rate of nutrient release is determined more by environmental conditions than by plant need.

These fertilizers do not release nutrients at a constant rate. The most rapid release occurs in the first 2 3 weeks after application. This ensures that plants are well supplied with nutrients during establishment. However, because young plants have small root systems much of the nutrient is unavailable for uptake and easily lost from the root zone. As much as 40% if the itrogen in a 3 5 month CRF can be lost in the first 10 weeks as a result of leaching.

After the initial flush, the rate of nutrient release falls abruptly and then steadily declines until the fertilizer is exhausted, This is at a time when plant size and the requirement for nutrients is increasing. As a consequence, the growth of plants is commonly limited by nutrient deficiency during the later stages of the production cycle.

Supply is also inadequate in cold weather because the rate of release is restricted moe by the temperature drop than is plant growth.

2 COMS ID No: SBMI-01118310 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:39 Date 2005-02-13 13/02/2005 16:34 95875842 PLANTHET PAGE o Under very hot conditions, CRZFs ill often release too qluickliy causing krtiierbtn and ci salinity ~ffcts.

en 0c 0\ 3 COMS ID No: SBMI-01118310 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:39 Date U-M-d) 2005-02-13 13/02/2005 16:34 95875042 PLANTNET PAGE 86 The present invention is a composite fertilizer made by combining specific soluble, slow C and controlled release nutrient sources in a zeolite matrix. Or using a blend of Zeolite Swith Humie compounds as a base to coat the granulated/prilled fertiliser. The inventor o has observed that these materials interact in a synergistic way to improve the availability of the fertilizer for plant uptake, being particularly more effective when used in -n combination with a typical potting medium, (known to be very low in Cationic Exchange Capacity, CEC), and the strength of the invention revolves around, two elements a) Incorporating Zeolite and/or Humic based compounds with the fertiliser, particularly Urea fertilisers and o b) Using the aboveZeolite/Humic compounds in conjunctlio with poor moisture holding, poor nutrient holding potting mies, those with low CEC potting mediums. As explained under the heading, 'Description of the Invention'.

Furthennore, in commercial trials, growers have obtained excellent results using only rA 50% of the rate normally recommended for controlled release fertilizers. This is a Giant o Leap forward compared to existing fertiliser technology. This implies that losses of c- nutrients by leaching and volatilization are considerably lower from this product than from conventional CRFs. The effect is in part attributable to the zeolite matrix, and in some cases the inclusion of Humic compounds as explained on the next page, 'Description of the Invention'.

Zeolite is a natural silicate mineral with a molecular structure which gives it both an enormous surface area (>400 m per gram) and an extremely high cation exchange capacity.

When placed in close contact with fertilizer, zeolite has the capacity to regulate the availability of some nutrients for plant uptake. Also, once held in the Zeolite framework the nutrients are held by a natural negative electrical charge and not lost through heavy rainfall or irrigation.

Two mechanisms are involved: I. NH, Ca% Mg and K+ are adsorbed onto cation exchange surfaces where they remain available to plant roots but are less subject to leaching. The ammonium held deep within the molecular porosity of the rock is also less available to nitrifying bacteria This slows down the oxidation of ammonium to nitrate which is the most readily leached form of nitrogen.

Nutrients held on the cation exchange are released into the soil solution as their concentration is depleted by root uptake. The process is therefore driven by plant demand.

To take maximum advantage of this plant regulated rlease, the present invention uses organic, urea and ammonium based nitrogen sources. When used in conventional fertilizers, these compounds can cause ammonium toxicity.

However, this is prevented in the present invention by the exchange absorption of ammonium onto the zeolite.

4 COMS ID No: SBMI-01118310 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:39 Date 2005-02-13 13/02/2005 16:34 95875042 PLANTNET PAGE 07 0 0 Ci 2. The supply of phosphate and other plant essential anions is increased and ^p regulated by the zoolite. This is because sparingly soluble calcium compounds D like calcium phosphate dissolve more rapidly when calcium is removed from the 1 soil solution to the cation exchange.

The supply of phosphorus and other anions is under some plant control because calcium adsorption by the zeolite is promoted by the root uptake of competing cations (NH 4 Mg and Consequently, when plants are growing actively and 0 absobing relatively large amounts of nitrogen from the soil solution the availability of pophosphorus increases.

0 0 To take maximum advantage of this plant regulated release, the present invention uses rock phosphate as a principle phosphorus source.

0 COMS ID No: SBMI-01118310 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:39 Date 2005-02-13 13/02/2005 16:34 95875042 PLANTNET PAGE 08 (N Description of the Invention The fertilizer is a composite material made from soluble compounds including nitrate salts and other nutientafs (140% by weight of the total product weight), slow release en compounds including rooc phosphate, ammonium salts, urea and organic materials (1-80 by weight), controlled release fertilizers containing ammonium salts and/or urea and clinopilotite tuff an activated zeolite crystal or a similar cation exchange material# mcq/100g [CECJ (1-80% by weight).

Where the invention has the strongest economy of scale is with Potting Mixes.

o Most potting mixes used by commercial growers don't hold fertilizers very well. By the O incorporation of natural cinoptilolite tuff (reolite crystals) in/on the fertilizer and keeping the composite material at all time heaped together, the positively charged cations being in contact with the negatively charged natual clinoptilolie tu, they become attached and held, rather than as normal, being washed through the potting mix and away CA from the plant roots and out into the drains and waterways and the sirounding environment.

By incorporating the natural clinoptilolite tuff zeolite crystals with the controlled release fertiliser and or other slow release fertilisers i.e. whilst the clinoptilolite zeolite crystal is physically in contact with the fertiliser the excess/active fertiliser is held in the zeolite material and therefore fertiliser is not wasted or Icached away. Being more efficient than the usual wastage as described above. Trials have demonstrated that between 30% and up to 50% les fertiliser is required, This is a large leap forward in reducing costs to the grower and by reducing by half, the amount of fertilisa into our environment A significant extra outcome, also as a result of less fertiliser and the ability of the natural clinoptilolite tuff crystal to adsorb nutrients and reduce dramatically the leaching into the waterways is, after prolonged use of the invention, no algal blooms or algae growth was found in the nursery dams and or water ways. The difference and improvement in water quality after using the natural clinoptilolite htuff, incorporated in the feriliser, was dramatic.

The fertilizer is designed to be used exclusively with and for growing mediums, e.g.

Potting mixes or media, and is a specific custom blend of composite materials made from 6 COMS ID No: SBMI-01118310 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:39 Date 2005-02-13 13/02/2005 16:34 95875042 PLANTNET PAGE 09 o Speciflcaton Details: Ci A) Quick and slow releas soluble NPK compound fertilisers including nitrate SSalts and other nutrients (1-80% by weight of the total product weight), and C) B) slow or Controlled Release compounds containing ammonium salts and/or F- Urea including rock phosphate, Humic acids inc. Leonardite Ore, other Cr organic materials (1.80% by weight), and C) Clinoptilolite tuff an activated zeolite crystal or similar cation exchange meq/100gm [CEC] (1-80% by weight).

o Where the invention has the strongest economy of scale is with Potting Mixes.

Most potting mixes used by commercial growers don't hold fertilizers very well. By the incorporation of natural ciinoptilolite tuff (zeolite crystals) in/on the fertilizer and keeping Sthe composite material at all time heaped together, the positively charged cations being in contact with the negatively charged natural clinoptilolite tuff, they become l t attached and held, rather than as normal, being washed through the potting mix and away Sfrom the plant roots and out into the drains and waterways and the surrounding c environment The inventor uses a combination of A and or B with C as set out above.

By incorporating the natural clinoptilolite tuff zeolite crystals with the controlled release fertiliser and or other slow release fertilisers i.e. whilst the clinoptilolite zeolite crystal is physically in contact with the fertiliser the excess/active fertiliser is held in the zeolite material and therefore fertiliser is not wasted or leached away. Being more efficient than the usual wastage as described above. Trials have demonstrated that between 30% and up to 50% less fertiliser is required. This is a large leap forward in reducing costs to the grower and by reducing, by half, the amount of fertiliser into our environment. A significant extra outcome, also as a result of less fertiliser and with the extra ability of the natural clinoptilolite tuffcrystal to adsorb nutrients and reduce dramatically the leaching into the waterways is, after prolonged use of the invention, no algal blooms or algae growth was found in the nursery dams and or water ways. The difference and the improvement in water quality after using the natural clinoptilolite tuff, incorporated in the fertiliser, was dramatic.

7 COMS ID No: SBMI-01118310 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:39 Date 2005-02-13

Claims (3)

1. More Economical Fertiliser. Unlike any other currently available 'slow or controlled release' fertilizer, with the incorporation of the electrically charged 'activated zeol ite' [negatively charged cliooptilolite tuffcrystals] in/on or around the fertiliser prill and with nutrients being positively charged, trials have demonstrated that because the nutrients are strongly held and don't escape, even in rain or Sheavy irrigation, grower are able to reduce their fertiliser applications by between 30% and 50% less. o

2. More Environmentally Safe Fertiliser. The fertiliser with Humic components and/or Zeolite as claimed in Claim 1 t will reduce leaching by up to 80% therefore making it possible by less 0 wastage of fertiliser and by the reduced application rate as claimed in Claim 1 Sabove,

3. Less algal blooms, clearer and cleaner water. The fertiliser was trialed with a number of independent growers in NSW and found, as in Claim 1 and 2 above, to produce less nutrient runoff, less leaching of nutrients into their dams and waterways and therefore less polluted, less algal blooms, clearer and cleaner water as a result of using the fertiliser over a period of 12 months. 9 COMS ID No: SBMI-01118310 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:39 Date 2005-02-13