HUMECTANT COMPOSITIONS THAT EFFECTIVELY INCREASE MOISTURE RETENTION IN SOIL AND ASSOCIATED METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING SAME

• US 20140270984A1
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BASF SE
• Original Assignee: BASF SE
• Inventors: Erickson, John P., Roh, Yeonsuk, Niedzwiecki, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 10,352,011 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 405/263
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/26 Synthetic macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 220/06 Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid; Metal salts or ammonium salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 283/06 on to polyethers, polyoxymethylenes or polyacetals C08F283/004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 65/2609 containing aliphatic hydroxyl groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 65/2612 containing aromatic or arylaliphatic hydroxyl groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 33/08 Homopolymers or copolymers of acrylic acid esters
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 71/02 Polyalkylene oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 17/18 Prepolymers; Macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 3/00 Improving or preserving soil or rock, e.g. preserving permafrost soil securing of slopes or inclines E02D17/20; damming or interrupting passage of underground water E02D19/12; improving soil for agricultural purposes A01; soil stabilisation for road building or like purposes E01C21/00, E01C23/10; setting rock anchoring bolts E21D
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/246 for water content for control of watering A01G25/167

Abstract

A method for increasing moisture retention in a soil includes applying an effective amount of an effective humectant composition to the soil. The effective humectant composition is identified by determining the average moisture content of the soil for the humectant compositions applied at a minimum humectant concentration level, a maximum humectant concentration level, and at a first concentration level between the minimum and the maximum humectant concentration level. An average slope curve is generated by plotting the determined average moisture content of the soil for each applied humectant concentration levels from the minimum humectant concentration level to the maximum humectant concentration level. An effective humectant composition is determined when the generated average slope curve provides an increasing average moisture content along the entirety of a length of the generated average slope curve and when the generated average slope curve has a p value of 0.05 or less.

Claims

1. A method for increasing the moisture retention rate of a soil, the method comprising:

identifying an effective humectant composition for the soil by;

(a) determining an average moisture content of the soil at a minimum humectant concentration level,

(b) applying the humectant composition to the soil at a first humectant concentration level greater than the minimum humectant concentration level,

(c) determining an average moisture content of the soil having the applied humectant composition at the first humectant concentration level,

(d) applying the humectant composition to the soil at a maximum humectant concentration level greater than the first humectant concentration level,

(e) determining an average moisture content of the soil having the applied humectant composition at the maximum humectant concentration level,

(f) generating an average slope curve by plotting the average moisture content of the soil at applied humectant concentration levels from the minimum humectant concentration level to the maximum humectant concentration level, and

(g) determining that the humectant composition is an effective humectant composition for increasing moisture retention in the soil when the generated average slope curve of step (f) provides a increasing average moisture content along the entirety of a length of the average slope curve from the minimum humectant concentration level to the maximum humectant concentration level and when the generated average slope curve has a p value of 0.05 or less; and

applying an effective amount of the effective humectant composition to the soil.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the minimum humectant concentration level is zero.

3. The method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the maximum humectant concentration level is 86.5 parts of the humectant composition per million parts of the soil.

4. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein identifying an effective humectant composition for the soil further comprises:

(h) applying the humectant composition to the soil at a second humectant concentration level greater than the first humectant concentration level and less than the maximum humectant concentration level; and

(i) determining an average moisture content of the soil having the applied humectant composition at the second humectant concentration level.

5. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein the effective humectant composition comprises an effective humectant composition on at least three soils selected from the group consisting of Dinuba soil, Los Banos soil, Lubbock soil, and Nebraska soil.

6. The method according any preceding claim, wherein the effective amount of the effective humectant concentration is applied to the soil in an amount greater than the minimum humectant concentration level and less than or equal to the maximum humectant concentration level.

7. The method according any preceding claim, wherein the effective amount of the effective humectant concentration is applied to the soil in an amount ranging from greater than 0 to 86.5 parts of the effective humectant composition per million parts of the soil.

8. An effective humectant composition for increasing moisture retention in a soil, the humectant composition comprising a polyol composition of the formula

Y[Z_a(CH₂CH₂O)_b(CH₂CHCH₃O)_cH]_x,

wherein

Y is derived from an organic compound having x reactive hydroxyl groups;

Z represents a heteric copolymer derived from the alkoxylation reaction product of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide,

the subscript a is zero or a positive number,

the subscript b is zero or a positive number,

the subscript c is zero or a positive number,

the subscript a is a positive number when the subscript b is zero,

the subscript b is a positive number when the subscript a is zero, and

the subscript x is one or greater.

9. The humectant composition according to claim 8, wherein the humectant composition comprises an effective humectant composition on at least three soils selected from the group consisting of Dinuba soil, Los Banos soil, Lubbock soil, and Nebraska soil.

10. The humectant composition according to any one of claim 8 or 9, wherein the weight average molecular weight of the polyol composition ranges from 2700 to 3300 g/mol.

11. The humectant composition according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the organic compound comprises a mixture of at least two organic compounds having a different number of reactive hydroxyl groups.

12. The humectant composition according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the organic compound has one reactive hydroxyl group.

13. The humectant composition according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the organic compound has more than one reactive hydroxyl group.

14. The humectant composition according to any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein the alkoxylation reaction product of Z further comprises butylene oxide.

15. The humectant composition according to any one of claims 8 to 14, wherein (CH₂CHCH₃O)_c is present and comprises at most 10% by weight of the total weight of the polyol composition.

16. The humectant composition according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the polyol composition comprises the reaction product of:

(i) 3% by weight of a trifunctional alcohol,

(ii) 10 to 15% by weight of ethylene oxide, and

(iii) 82 to 87% by weight of propylene oxide,

wherein the % by weight of components (i)-(iii) is based upon the total weight of the polyol composition; and

wherein the reaction product is capped with at most 10% by weight of propylene oxide.

17. The humectant composition according to claim 16 further comprising a second polyol composition comprising the reaction product of:

(i) 3 to 8% by weight of a monofunctional alcohol or difunctional alcohol,

(ii) 82 to 87% by weight of ethylene oxide, and

(iii) 0 to 10% by weight of propylene oxide.

18. A treated soil comprising:

soil; and

a humectant composition according to any one of claims 8 to 17 applied on the soil in an effective amount ranging from greater than 0 parts to 86.5 parts of the humectant composition per million parts of the soil.