Composition and process for retarding drift and promoting deposition in a spraying operation

A composition and process for retarding drift and promoting deposition of a treatment product in an agriculturally-related spraying operation, wherein the composition consists essentially of a mixture of (A) principal functioning agents comprising a polyvinyl polymer, a sulfonated lignin material and a synthetic latex material and (B) inert agents comprising water, a non-ionic surfactant, a viscosity modifier, a stabilizer and a low odor paraffin solvent.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to a composition useful in a spraying operation. In 
a more specific aspect, this invention relates to a composition for 
retarding drift and promoting deposition of a treatment product in an 
agriculturally-related spraying operation. 
This invention also relates to a process for retarding drift and promoting 
deposition of a treatment product in a spraying operation. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In the agricultural industry, there are many situations in which pests must 
be controlled or eliminated to enhance and/or promote growth in a target 
area. The term "pests" is intended to be a broad term which includes small 
animals (such as field mice), weeds, insects, foliage, vegetation, etc. 
The term "target area" is used broadly in this application and is intended 
to include fields of crops such as corn or cotton, wooded areas, grazing 
areas for cattle, etc. 
In combating pests in a target area, a product must be selected which is 
effective in controlling or eliminating the specific pest and which is 
usable in the particular target area. This product is also referred to as 
a "treatment product". Consideration of the target area involves factors 
such as terrain, wind conditions, temperature, humidity, density of the 
pest, etc. 
A spraying operation is generally conducted by one of two methods-either 
the treatment product is sprayed into the target area from the air (i.e., 
by aerial application) or from the ground (i.e., by ground application). 
In some situations, an aerial application is used to more quickly cover a 
larger target area. Conventional equipment is available for either type of 
application. 
The aerial and ground types of application share at least two objectives 
for best results: (a) to decrease or retard the amount of drift of the 
treatment product from the target area and (b) to increase or promote the 
amount of deposition of the treatment product within the target area. The 
term "drift" will be understood to refer to the tendency of a treatment 
product to travel out of the target area--i.e., miss the specific pest 
within the target area. The term "deposition" will be understood to refer 
to the amount of treatment product which contacts the pest within the 
target area. 
The problems of drift and deposition of the treatment product are 
encountered by people in agriculturally-related situations, whether 
farmers working with crops, people working with forests, etc. 
Several materials and methods halve been developed in an effort to retard 
drift and promote deposition in spraying operations. Reference is made to 
the disclosures of Vartiak U.S. Pat. No. 3,360,356; Vartiak U.S. Pat. No. 
3,413,109; Vartiak U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,942; and Bernot U.S. Pat. No. 
4,413,087. 
However, for various reasons, there continues to be a need in the 
agricultural industry for a composition and process by which spray drift 
can be decreased or retarded and by which spray deposition can be 
increased or promoted. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Briefly described, the present invention provides a composition which is a 
mixture of principal functioning agents (a polyvinyl polymer, a sulfonated 
lignin material and a synthetic latex material) and inert agents. The term 
"principal functioning agents" will be understood to refer to the active 
ingredients of this composition, and the term "inert agents" will be 
understood to refer to the inactive ingredients of this composition. 
The present invention provides a composition which can be effectively used 
to retard drift and promote deposition of a treatment product in an 
agriculturally-related spraying operation. 
In addition, the present invention provides a process for retarding drift 
and promoting deposition in an agriculturally-related spraying operation, 
wherein a treatment product is combined or mixed with the novel 
composition of the present invention. 
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a composition to 
retard drift of a treatment product in a spraying operation. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a composition to promote 
deposition of a treatment product in a spraying operation. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a composition to retard 
drift of a treatment product in an agriculturally-related spraying 
operation. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a composition to promote 
deposition of a treatment product in a an agriculturally-related spraying 
operation. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a process for retarding 
drift of a treatment product in a spraying operation. 
Still another object of this invention is to provide a process for 
promoting deposition of a treatment product in a spraying operation. 
Still another object of this invention is to provide a process for 
retarding drift of a treatment product in an agriculturally-related 
spraying operation. 
Still another object of this invention is to provide a process for 
promoting deposition of a treatment product in an agriculturally-related 
spraying operation. 
Still another object of this invention is to provide a composition which, 
when mixed with a treatment product and sprayed into a target area, 
provides a spray having fewer fine droplets (i.e., less than 114 microns) 
and a narrower range of droplet sizes.

These and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will 
become apparent from the following detailed description. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a composition consisting essentially of a 
mixture of; 
from about 5.2 to about 7.5 percent by weight of principal functioning 
agents comprising a polyvinyl polymer; a sulfonated lignin material; and a 
synthetic latex material; and 
from about 92.5 to about 94.8 percent by weight of inert agents comprising 
water; a non-ionic surfactant; a viscosity modifier; a stabilizer; and a 
low odor paraffin solvent; 
wherein the composition retards drift and promotes deposition of a 
treatment product in an agriculturally-related spraying operation. 
In addition, the present invention provides a process for retarding drift 
and promoting deposition of a treatment product in an 
agriculturally-related spraying operation, wherein the process comprises 
the steps of: 
obtaining an effective amount of a treatment product; 
combining the treatment product with a composition consisting essentially 
of a mixture of from about 5.2 to about 7.5 percent by weight of principal 
functioning agents comprising a polyvinyl polymer; a sulfonated lignin 
material; and a synthetic latex material; and from about 92.5 to about 
94.8 percent by weight of inert agents comprising water; a non-ionic 
surfactant; a viscosity modifier; a stabilizer; and a low odor paraffin 
solvent; and 
spraying the combination into a target area. 
The treatment product used in this invention can be a conventional 
pesticide, herbicide, defoliant, miticide, fungicide, insecticide or other 
product designed to control or eliminate a particular pest within the 
target area. The amount of treatment product will depend upon the 
objectives of the spraying operation. 
As noted earlier in this application, the spraying operation can be 
conducted from the air or from the ground. 
The novel composition of this invention consists essentially of principal 
functioning agents comprising a polyvinyl polymer, a sulfonated lignin 
material and a synthetic latex material. 
Polyvinyl polymers are well known in the industry, and many such polymers 
can be used as a principal functioning agent in the composition of the 
present invention. The specific polyvinyl polymer will depend upon various 
factors associated with the spraying operation, such as the specific pest, 
size of the target area, wind and temperature conditions, etc. Suitable 
polyvinyl polymers include those sold under the trademarks NALCO-625 and 
NALCO-2332 by Nalco Chemical Company (Naperville, Ill.). 
A preferred polyvinyl polymer is commercially available in an emulsion form 
from Nalco Chemical Company under the trademark NALCOTROL. The emulsion 
form preferably contains a viscosity modifier (such as sodium sulfate) to 
provide a more manageable viscosity and a stabilizer (such as isopropyl 
alcohol) to enhance shelf stability. 
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the polyvinyl polymer in 
emulsion form is inverted to a solution form by the addition of water. 
This inversion provides a form which is easier to transport and otherwise 
handle. 
The polyvinyl polymer contributes a "visco-elastic" effect by increasing 
the viscosity of the final spray product. This effect results in a shift 
of the droplet spectrum, so that there are fewer fine droplets (i.e., less 
than 114 microns) of the final spray product and a more narrow range of 
droplet sizes. 
The sulfonated lignin material is preferably stabilized and is used to 
increase the specific gravity of the final spray product to enhance the 
settling of the spray droplets in the target area. The sulfonated lignin 
material is also known to have an effect in reducing the breakdown of some 
treatment products due to exposure to ultraviolet radiation. In this 
instance, the sulfonated lignin material is believed to act as a UV 
blocker for some treatment products. 
Sulfonated lignin materials are well known in the industry, and many such 
materials can be used as a principal functioning agent in the composition 
of the present invention. As with the polyvinyl polymer, the specific 
sulfonated lignin material will depend upon various factors associated 
with the spraying operation, such as the specific pest, size of the target 
area, wind and temperature conditions, etc. 
A preferred sulfonated lignin material in stabilized form is commercially 
available from Nalco Chemical Company under the trademark NALCO-8803. 
The synthetic latex material is used to increase the weatherability (i.e., 
the resistance to wash off by rain) of the spray droplet on the specific 
pest within the target area. Synthetic latex materials are also well known 
in the industry, and many such materials can be used as a principal 
functioning agent in the composition of the present invention. 
A preferred synthetic latex material is available commercially from 
Loveland Industries (Greeley, Colo.) under the trademark BOND. Other 
synthetic latex materials can be used, such as material sold under the 
trademark AC-33N by Rohm & Haas Co. (Philadelphia, Pa.). 
The synthetic latex material must be selected with specific regard to 
molecular weight, viscosity and pH, and with specific regard to various 
factors associated with the spraying operation (such as the specific pest, 
size of the target area, wind and temperature conditions, etc.) Further, 
the synthetic latex material must be exempt from tolerance under the 
provisions of 40 C.F.R. .sctn. 180.1001(d). 
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, sodium sulfate, isopropyl 
alcohol and the polyvinyl polymer in emulsion form are mixed with 
deionized water in a conventional tank, where the polyvinyl polymer 
inverts to a solution polymer. This mixture is then moved to a second tank 
and aged for 24-48 hours. After aging, the mixture is agitated for at 
least 30 minutes, after which tests are conducted in regard to specific 
gravity, viscosity, percent solids and activity. 
Next, the mixture is moved to a third tank where the sulfonated lignin and 
synthetic latex materials are added, and the entire contents are mixed. 
In mixing the principal functioning agents, the sequence and speed of 
addition of the sulfonated lignin and synthetic latex materials are 
critical to creating a stable composition. Preferably, a conventional 
blending tank is first filled with a predetermined amount of the polyvinyl 
polymer solution, and then the sulfonated lignin material is added slowly 
to the suction side of a conventional agitation pump at a rate not to 
exceed 0.5 gallon per minute. The mixture in the tank is then agitated 
until a homogeneous mixture is achieved. Next, the synthetic latex 
material is added to the suction side of the agitation pump at a rate not 
to exceed 0.25 gallon per minute until a homogeneous mixture is achieved. 
The mixture can then be packaged into suitable containers, such as a 2.5 
gallon jug, 110 gallon mini-bulk or shipped in bulk containers. 
In general, the inert agents are water, a non-ionic surfactant, a viscosity 
modifier, a stabilizer and a low odor paraffin solvent (e.g., kerosene). 
Non-ionic surfactants and viscosity modifiers are well known in the 
industry. Preferred viscosity modifiers are sodium salts, such as sodium 
sulfate, sodium chloride, sodium citrate and sodium nitrate. Stabilizers 
and low odor paraffin solvents are also well known in the industry. A 
preferred low odor paraffin solvent is kerosene, and a preferred 
stabilizer in isopropyl alcohol. 
Upon being used with a treatment product in a spraying operation, the 
quantity of driftable fine droplets is greatly reduced (as compared to the 
same spraying process but without the composition of this invention), 
which results in up to 30 percent more treatment product contacting the 
specific pest. 
In general terms, the composition of this invention is comprised of from 
about 5.2 to about 7.5 percent by weight of the principal functioning 
agents and from about 92.5 to about 94.8 percent by weight of the inert 
agents. Preferred percentages are 5.2 and 94.8 for the principal 
functioning and inert agents, respectively. 
With regard to the principal functioning as the following percentage ranges 
(by weight) are useful in this invention: 
______________________________________ 
Polyvinyl polymer solution 
88.0-92.0 
Sulfonated lignin material 4.8-5.2 
Synthetic latex material 4.8-5.2 
______________________________________ 
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the principal functioning 
agents are comprised of about 90 percent by weight polyvinyl polymer 
solution; about 5 percent by weight sulfonated lignin material; and about 
5 percent by weight synthetic latex material. 
This invention has been described in detail with particular reference to 
certain embodiments, but variations and modifications can be made without 
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the 
following claims.