# US 11,299,435 B2 · Urea-based composition and method for the manufacture thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,299,435 B2 - Document ID: US11299435B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/480,442 - Filed: 2018-03-07 - Published: 2021-09-16 - Granted: 2022-04-12 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-07 - Assignees: Yara International Asa - Applicants: Yara International ASA - Inventors: Filip Colpaert; Ruud Van Belzen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11299435B2 ## CPC - C05C 9/005: {Post-treatment} - A23L 29/035: {containing oxygen as heteroatom (gums A23L29/25; sugar or sugar alcohols A23L29/30)} - A23L 29/045: {containing nitrogen as heteroatom} - C05G 3/90: for affecting the nitrification of ammonium compounds or urea in the soil - C05G 5/30: Layered or coated, e.g. dust-preventing coatings - Y02P 60/21: Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures - C05C: NITROGENOUS FERTILISERS - A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B) - C05G: MIXTURES OF FERTILISERS COVERED INDIVIDUALLY BY DIFFERENT SUBCLASSES OF CLASS C05; MIXTURES OF ONE OR MORE FERTILISERS WITH MATERIALS NOT HAVING A SPECIFIC FERTILISING ACTIVITY, e.g. PESTICIDES, SOIL-CONDITIONERS, WETTING AGENTS (organic fertilisers containing added bacterial cultures, mycelia, or the like C05F11/08; organic fertilisers containing plant vitamins or hormones C05F11/10); FERTILISERS CHARACTERISED BY THEIR FORM - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract The invention relates to a solid, particulate, urea-based composition comprising urea in particulate form and a urease inhibitor of the type phosphoric triamide, in particular N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nBTPT), wherein the urea-based composition is further characterized in that it comprises one or more alkaline or alkaline-forming inorganic compounds. The composition according to the invention has been stabilized against the degradation of a urease inhibitor of the type phosphoric triamide, in particular N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nBTPT) in the presence of urea. The invention further relates to a method for the manufacture of the claimed solid, particulate, urea-based composition. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A solid, particulate, urea-based composition comprising urea in particulate form, and a phosphoric triamide urease inhibitor, wherein the urea-based composition is further characterized in that it comprises 0.0001 to 5 weight %, relative to the total weight of the composition, of one or more alkaline or alkaline-forming inorganic compounds, wherein: the solid, particulate, urea-based composition is a homogeneous composition, or the phosphoric triamide urease inhibitor and the one or more alkaline or alkaline-forming inorganic compounds are present as coating on the urea in particulate form. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, wherein the alkaline-forming or alkaline inorganic compound is selected from the group consisting of metal oxides, carbonates, hydroxides, acetates, and any mixture thereof. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The urea-based composition according to claim 2, wherein the alkaline-forming or alkaline compound is selected from the group consisting of calcium oxide, sodium hydroxide, sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium carbonate, borax, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide, calcium carbonate, and any mixture thereof. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, further comprising an anti-caking and/or moisture repellent and/or anti-dust coating, applied onto the particulate components of the urea-based composition, wherein the coating comprises at least a non-polar material and is present in the composition at a level of 0.0001 to 1 weight % relative to the total weight of the composition. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The urea-based composition according to claim 4, wherein the coating comprises at least a non-polar material, being a liquid organic material selected from the group consisting of an oil, wax, resin and any mixture thereof and is present in the composition at a level of 0.0001 to 1 weight %, relative to the total weight of the composition. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, wherein the urea-based composition further comprises one of more further compounds, selected from the group consisting of ammonium nitrate, calcium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate, sodium nitrate, ammonium sulphate nitrate, potassium ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP) and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), calcium bis(dihydrogen orthophosphate), super phosphate, triple superphosphate, rock phosphate, potassium sulphate, potassium magnesium sulphate, ammonium sulphate (AS), potassium chloride (MOP), and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The urea-based composition according to claim 6, wherein the urea-based compound and/or the further compound is present in an amount that ranges from about 0 to 60 weight %. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the average particle size (dp50) of the urea in particulate form is between 1.0 mm and 5 cm, as determined by mesh sieve screening. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises an anti-caking and/or moisture repellent and/or anti-dust coating. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the phosphoric triamide urease inhibitor is a compound of formula: wherein: X is oxygen or sulphur; R1 is alkyl, cycloalkenyl, aralkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkynyl, or cycloalkyl; R2 is hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkenyl, aralkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkynyl, or cycloalkyl; or R1 and R2 together may form an alkylene or alkenylene chain which may optionally include one or more heteroatoms of divalent oxygen, nitrogen or sulphur completing a 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 membered ring system; and R3, R4, R5 and R6 are individually hydrogen or alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, wherein the phosphoric triamide urease inhibitor is N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nBTPT). ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, wherein the phosphoric triamide urease inhibitor is present at a level of 0.0001 to 1% weight % relative to the total weight of the urea-based composition. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, wherein the alkaline-forming or alkaline compound is present in the composition at a level of 0.02 to 1 weight % relative to the total weight of the composition. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of phosphoric triamide urease inhibitor to one or more alkaline or alkaline-forming inorganic compounds ranges from 1:20 to 1:1. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, wherein the urea-based composition is packaged without the presence of a head space. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, wherein the urea-based composition further comprises one of more urea-based compounds, selected from the group consisting of urea calcium sulphate (UCaS), urea calcium nitrate (UCaN), urea magnesium nitrate (UMgN), urea calcium phosphate (UCaP), urea magnesium phosphate (UMgP), urea superphosphate (USP), urea calcium ammonium nitrate (UCAN), urea ammonium sulphate (UAS), urea ammonium phosphate (UAP), urea potassium salts (UK), urea-based NPK's, and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition contains: 40 to 99 weight % of urea in particulate form; 0 to 60 weight % of one or more compounds in particulate form, selected from the group consisting of urea calcium sulphate (UCaS), urea calcium nitrate (UCaN), urea magnesium nitrate (UMgN), urea calcium phosphate (UCaP), urea magnesium phosphate (UMgP), urea superphosphate (USP), urea calcium ammonium nitrate (UCAN), urea ammonium sulphate (UAS), urea ammonium phosphate (UAP), urea potassium salts (UK), urea-based NPK's, ammonium nitrate, calcium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate, sodium nitrate, ammonium sulphate nitrate, potassium ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP) and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), calcium bis(dihydrogen orthophosphate), super phosphate, triple superphosphate, rock phosphate, potassium sulphate, potassium magnesium sulphate, ammonium sulphate (AS), potassium chloride (MOP), and mixtures thereof; 0.0001 to 1 weight % of a phosphoric triamide urease inhibitor; 0.0001 to 5 weight % of one or more alkaline or alkaline-forming inorganic compounds; 0 to 1 weight % of an anti-caking and/or moisture repellent and/or anti-dust coating; adding up to 100 weight %, being the total weight of the composition. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The urea-based composition according to claim 1, wherein the phosphoric triamide urease inhibitor is N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nBTPT) in solid particulate form. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) A fertilizer comprising the solid, particulate urea-based composition as claimed in claim 1. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The fertilizer according to claim 19 for supporting the growth of agricultural products on a sulphur-deficient soil, a phosphor-deficient soil and/or a potassium-deficient soil. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) An animal feed comprising the solid, particulate urea-based composition as claimed in claim 1. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) A method for the manufacture of a solid, particulate, urea-based composition according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: 1) providing a urea material; 2) melt-mixing the urea material with a phosphoric triamide urease inhibitor in solid particulate or liquid form and 0.0001 to 5 weight %, relative to the total weight of the composition, of an amount of one or more alkaline or alkaline-forming inorganic compounds; 3) optionally providing a particulate material, comprising one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of urea-based compounds and/or further compounds selected from the group consisting of urea calcium sulphate (UCaS), urea calcium nitrate (UCaN), urea magnesium nitrate (UMgN), urea calcium phosphate (UCaP), urea magnesium phosphate (UMgP), urea superphosphate (USP), urea calcium ammonium nitrate (UCAN), urea ammonium sulphate (UAS), urea ammonium phosphate (UAP), urea potassium salts (UK), urea-based NPK's, ammonium nitrate, calcium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate, sodium nitrate, ammonium sulphate nitrate, potassium ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP) and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), calcium bis(dihydrogen orthophosphate), super phosphate, triple superphosphate, rock phosphate, potassium sulphate, potassium magnesium sulphate, ammonium sulphate (AS), potassium chloride (MOP), and mixtures thereof; 4) melt-mixing the materials obtained in steps 2) and 3); 5) optionally, applying a coating to one or more of the particulate compounds, wherein the coating that is able to increase at least the anticaking and/or water repellence and/or anti-dust properties of said urea-based composition. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method according to claim 22, wherein the phosphoric triamide urease inhibitor is N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nBTPT). ### Claim 24 Method for improving the stability of a phosphoric triamide urease inhibitor in a solid, particulate, urea-based composition comprising urea in particulate form and said phosphoric triamide urease inhibitor, comprising the steps of: a) applying to the composition of 0.0001 to 5 weight %, relative to the total weight of the composition, of one or more alkaline or alkaline-forming inorganic compounds as a coating; and optionally b) application of an anticaking and/or moisture repellent coating onto said urea-based composition.