Polymeric composition for use as soil conditioner with improved water absorbency during watering of the agricultural crops
AssigneeGreen Polymers Ltd.
InventorsMircea Dan BUCEVSCHI, Zwika MEIRI, Shai SHAHAL
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Abstract
The present invention relates to polymeric soil conditioner as a new water absorbing polymeric material and a process for the production of water absorbing materials consisting of a combination of synthetic polymers and biopolymers, with an improved high water absorbency at repeated watering, capable to reduce the effect of accumulation of salts in polymeric matrix as of multiple cycles of swelling-deswelling that occurs during all period of living of vegetable culture, by decreasing of crosslinking density of three dimensional network of the material caused by biochemical processes that developed in polymeric gels.
Claims14
Polymeric soil conditioner for use in conjunction with soil irrigation, comprising superabsorbent polymer (SAP) mixture and protein degrading enzyme, said SAP mixture having a high stability absorbency after each watering cycle used for irrigations.
A particulate material composition for use as soil conditioner composition, comprising an enzyme intermixed with particles of superabsorbent polymer, said polymer particles being of 0.2-3 mm diameter.
A water-absorbing soil conditioning composition for growing plants comprising:
- (a) SAP having a water absorbency of between 50 and 600 times its weight, said SAP being present in an amount from about 1% based on the total dry weight of the composition.
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- (b) protein degrading enzyme.
Method of preparing a polymeric soil conditioning composition, the method comprising:
- (i) preparing an aqueous solution of synthetic polymer A in cationic salt form, having a viscosity higher than 70,000 cPs.
- (ii) preparing an aqueous solution of biopolymer B,
- (iii) preparing an aqueous solution of biopolymer C,
- (iv) preparing an aqueous viscous solution of the polymers mixture composition (A:B:C), wherein polymer A is in salt form, said mixture of polymers in solution form having a viscosity higher than 100,000 cPs;
- (v) exposing the polymers viscous solution obtained in step (iv) to an extruder to obtain a solid material with a humidity content of 5-10%;
- (vi) grinding the resulting dried material to obtain a granular material with particles' dimensions in the range of 0.3-3 mm correlated with the intended use e.g. in agriculture as soil conditioner;
- (vii) exposing the dried polymer composition (A:B:C) obtained in step (vi) above to a thermal treatment that promotes a crosslinking reaction between the A, B and/or C polymers from which the composition is consisted;
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- (viii) cooling the granular mass to room temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.