Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SOIL CONDITIONER
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to products that can be used to condition soil,
processes for making
the products, surface materials comprising the products and soil, and
processes for makiiig the
surface materials. Soil conditioning products according to the invention
preferably include (a) a
carrier, an oil and a polymeric soil binder, (b) a carrier and an oil, (c) a
carrier and a gel, or (d) a
carrier, a gel and a polymeric binder.
Back2round of the Invention
As used herein and throughout, the terins in quotations below are defined as
follows:
a. The term "soil" refers to particulate surface material of the earth,
whetlier or not it
contains organic matter, and includes one or more of sand, silt, clay and
crushed
rock such as decomposed granite.
b. The term "sand" refers to any granular material formed by the
disintegration of
rocks to form particles smaller than gravel but coarser than silt. Sand may or
may
not include organic matter.
c. The term "silt" refers to any unconsolidated sedimentary material with rock
particles usually 1/20 millimeter or less in diameter, and being generally
smaller
than sand but coarser than clay. Silt may or may not include organic matter.
d. The term "clay" refers to any (1) inorganic earth surface material that is
plastic
when moist but hard when fired and that is comprised primarily of hydrous
aluminum silicates and/or other minerals, or (2) substance having the
properties of
clay. Clay includes dry or wet materials and may or may not include organic
matter.
e. The term "organic binder" refers to any organic matter that tends to bind
soil
particles together when mixed with the soil particles, wetted and subsequently
dried. Organic binders include dried and ground plantago.
f. The term "carrier" refers to any material that is granular (or particulate)
at room
temperature and that, when mixed with oil and polymeric binder, forms a soil
conditioning product that may be mixed with soil as a granular material rather
than as a liquid. The carrier is preferably an organic binder such as dried
and
ground plantago.
g. The terin "fibers" refers to any fibers, ribbons or strips of material used
to add
mechanical strength to soil.
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h. The term "oil" means any substance, such as soy bean oil, cotton seed oil,
petroleum oil, or mineral oil, into which a polymeric binder can be dispersed
or
dissolved and that when mixed with a carrier and a polymeric binder yields a
soil
conditioning product. In the context of this invention, "oil" could be an
aqueous
solution, depending upon the nature of the carrier and the polymeric binder.
i. The term "polymeric binder" or "polymeric soil binder" means a soil binder
that
binds together soil particles and that can be dispersed or dissolved into the
oil.
j. The term "soil conditioning product" or "soil conditioner" means any
mixture of
carrier, oil and polymeric binder, carrier and oil, carrier and gel, or
carrier, gel and
polymeric binder (each may include other constituents, such as was), that is a
granular material (rather than a liquid) at least at temperatures between 60 F
-
100 F and that can bind together soil particles.
k. The term "surface inaterial" means any mixture of soil and a soil
conditioning
product according to the invention.
It is known to mix organic binder with soil to create an improved surface
material and
such a process and product are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. Re. 35,989 to
Hubbs et al. A basic
description of one process according to that invention is to mix dried and
ground plantago with
soil, place the mixture on the ground in preferred depths of 2"- 6"; wet the
mixture, compress it
and allow it to dry. The resulting surface is hard and this product and
process may be used, for
among other things, to form a surface on highway berins, parking lots, golf
cart paths, walking
paths, or baseball infield base paths. While this product has been successful,
it must be wetted
thoroughly and compacted to create a good surface. Operator error in either of
these steps can
lead to a less than desirable finished product. Fui-ther, before being wetted
there is no adhesion
between the soil and organic soil binder, so it is difficult to position the
material on a slope since
the mixture tends to slide down the slope. Additionally, the resulting surface
is not water
resistant.
Another known way to condition soil is to simply use a polymeric binder. Known
polymeric binders are usually solid, tacky materials at temperatures below 100
F and must be
heated (into a syrup-like consistency) and mixed with soil, which is a time
consuming and
difficult process. U.S. Patent No. 5,559,166 to Beardon discloses a ground
surface material
comprising sand and at least one of clay or silt and a binder including an
interpolymer polymeric
binder dissolved or dispersed in a non or low aromatic oil. The binder is
generally fluid at soil
treating conditions and an aqueous emulsion of the binder may be sprayed onto
existing dirt.
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U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,133 to Hawkins et. al., discloses a substitute ground
surface material
comprising about 94 percent sand or a like material which is added to a
polymeric binder
comprising 10 percent polymeric material, such as ethylene vinyl acetate,
polystyrene, nylon,
polypropylene or polyvinyl chloride, dissolved in an oil that is generally a
non-free flowing
grease at normal track operating conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,870 to Hawkins et al. discloses a substitute ground
surface material
suitable for use as the rakable "cushion" portion of a horse or dog race
track. As disclosed, the
substitute ground surface material comprises about 94 percent sand or a like
material which is
added to a binder comprising 10 percent styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer
dissolved in an oil
that is generally non-free flowing grease at normal track operating
conditions. Other disclosed
polymers include polypropylene. The resulting coated substitute ground surface
material, which
is permanently capable of being raked, is then laid as a cushion layer over a
subsoil or suitable
porous graded base, with the top of the cushion maintained by raking.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,024 to Hawkins discloses a substitute ground surface
material
suitable for use as the rakable "cushion" portion of a horse or dog race
track. As disclosed, the
substitute ground surface material comprises 98 percent sand or a like
material which is added to
binder comprising 20 to 40 percent styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer
dissolved in an
aromatic oil that is generally free-flowing at normal track operating
conditions. The resulting
coated substitute ground surface material, which is permanently capable of
being raked, is then
laid as a cushion layer over a subsoil or suitable porous graded base, with
the surface maintained
by raking and light rolling.
EP 0 419 170 A3 published Mar. 27, 1991 discloses a substitute ground surface
material
suitable for use as the rakable "cushion" portion of a horse or dog race
track. As disclosed, the
substitute ground surface material comprises from 93.5 to 98 weight percent
sand or a like
material which is added to binder comprising 10 to 60 weight percent styrene-
butadiene-styrene
copolyiner dissolved in an aromatic oil that is generally free-flowing at
normal track operating
conditions. The resulting coated substitute ground surface material, which is
permanently
capable of being raked, is then laid as a cushion layer over a subsoil or
suitable porous graded
base, with the top of the cushion maintained by raking.
The disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,746,546 and 6,821,332 to Hubbs are
incorporated
herein by reference.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to soil conditioning products, processes for
making same,
surface materials including soil and a soil conditioning product, and
processes for making same.
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A soil conditioning product according to the invention preferably includes (a)
a carrier,
(b) oil, and (c) a polymeric binder. Optional soil conditioning products
include (d) a carrier and
oil, (e) a carrier and gel, or (f) a carrier, gel and a polymeric binder.
Other constituents may be
added to any of these soil conditioning products.
The carrier is a granular material, comprised of fine particles, that
preferably absorbs at
least some of the oil and enables the soil conditioning product itself to be
granular, such that it
may be mixed with soil more easily than a gel or liquid. The carrier is
preferably a granular,
organic soil binder and is most preferably dried and ground plantago,
particularly dried and
ground plantago comprising 80% or more plantago seed husks.
An oil may be any substance into which the polymeric binder dissolves or
disperses.
Examples of oils suitable for use in the present invention are: a non or low
aromatic oil such as
paraffinic oils or low-aromatic naphthenic oils, soy bean oil, cotton seed
oil, and mineral oil.
The polymeric binder is sufficiently tacky to adhere soil particles, can be
dissolved or dispersed
in the oil, and preferably comprises an interpolymer.
A preferred process for making a soil conditioner comprises the steps of
heating oil or gel
to a temperature at which the polymeric binder disperses or dissolves into it,
and then mixing the
oil/polymer or oil/gel formulation with the carrier to form a soil conditioner
that can be added to
soil as a granular material.
A process for making a surface material comprises mixing the soil conditioner
according
to the invention, in granular form, with soil. The granular soil conditioner
could be mixed with
soil using known mixing techniques such as pug mill blending, raking, hoeing
or bucket
blending.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Figure la shows a method for making a soil conditioning product according to
the
invention.
Figure lb shows an alternate method for making a soil conditioning product
according to
the invention.
Figure 2(a) shows a method for making a surface material according to the
invention.
Figure(b) shows an alternate method for making a surface material according to
the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a soil conditioning product comprising (a) a
carrier, oil
and a polymeric binder, (b) a carrier and oil, (c) a carrier and gel, or (d) a
carrier, gel and
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polymeric binder. Other constituents may aptionally be included in any of
these soil
conditioning products. Each of these components is described below.
Carrier
A surface material according to the invention includes one or more carriers
and, as used
herein, "a carrier" refers to one or more carriers. The carrier is any
granular (or particulate)
material that when mixed with oil, oil and polymeric binder, gel or gel and
polymeric binder
forms a soil conditioning product that can be added to soil as a granular
substance rather than as
a liquid. The carrier is preferably one or more organic binders, such as dried
and ground
plantago (also known as "psylliuin"). If dried and ground plantago is used, it
preferably includes
plantago seed husk and most preferably 80% or more plantago seed husk. Other
binders, either
organic or inorganic, may be utilized. In the preferred embodiment, the binder
is one that
absorbs part of the liquid component of the oil, gel and/or polymeric binder
so that the resulting
soil conditioning product can be added to soil as a granular material. The
amount and type of
binder included is chosen, to provide the desired consistency of the soil
conditioning product.
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Oil
As used herein, "an oil" refers to one or more oils. The purpose of the oil is
to dissolve
or disperse the polymeric binder therein and create a mixture of oil and
polymeric binder that can
be mixed with the carrier to form a substance that can then be mixed with soil
as a granular
material rather than as a gel or liquid. Among the suitable petroleum oils are
those containing
low or no aromatic fractions, and that are generally fluid at temperatures
between 30 and 120 .
Examples of oils suitable for use in the present invention include paraffinic
oils and low-
aromatic naphthenic oils. A commercially available example of a paraffinic oil
includes Exxon's
150 SE solvent extracted bright stock FN-2507, and of a low-aromatic
naphthenic oil includes
Cyclolube No. 2290 available from Witco. Additionally, soy oil, cotton seed
oil, or mineral oil
may be used and HT-100 mineral oil from IGI is most preferred. The oil could
also be an
aqueous-based solution, depending upon the nature of the carrier and polymeric
binder.
Polymeric Binder
A polymeric binder according to the invention is any substance that may be
dissolved or
dispersed in the oil and that provides cohesion between soil particles (i.e.,
it binds soil particles).
The polymeric binder helps to seal the outer surface of the finished surface
material, because of
the particle adhesion it provides, and because it preferably is water
resistant.
Polymeric binders suitable for use in the present invention include
interpolymers of
butene, ethylene and/or propylene with ethylenically unsaturated monomers,
including vinyl
acetate, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate and the like. Other polymeric binders
suitable for use in
the present invention include ainorphous polymers that are soluble or
dispersable in an oil
according to the invention. Commercially available examples of suitable poly
alpha-olefin
interpolymers include Vestoplast 608 or 708 from Huls. The most preferred
polymeric binder is
VESTOPLAST Sl, and is supplied by CREANOVA Inc., Turner Place, Box 365,
Piscataway,
NJ 08855. Its Environmental & Regulatory Affairs, Information Number is 908-
981-5016.
Gel
A gel according to the invention can be used in place of oil, or in addition
to the oil, or in
place of the oil and polymeric binder, depending upon the viscosity of the
gel, its ability to bind
soil particulates, its ability to make the resulting surface water resistant,
and whether, when
mixed with a carrier, the resulting mixture can be added to soil as a granular
material.
A preferred gel is Petox 310, which has the consistency of soft petroleum
jelly.
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Soil
Soil according to the invention is one or more of clay, sand, silt, decomposed
granite, and
gravel, and may or may not include organic matter.
A preferred clay comes dried in packages and is called "Mud Gel Wyoming
Bentonite"
sold by Baroid Drilling Fluids, P.O. Box 1675, Houston, Texas 77251. However,
it is believed
that any clay could be used to practice the invention and the clay could
either be dry or moist.
Clay is typically used to provide particles that are cohesive when wetted to
form a malleable, and
sufficiently firm, surface material. A clay surface can be extremely firm when
dry.
Virtually any decomposed granite (also referred to as "D.G.") having sand
particles may
be used, including 1/4" D.G. or D.G. finely screened to 2 mil size.
Wax (optional)
Among the waxes that may be used to practice the invention is IGI 422. IGI 422
is a
microcrystalline-based slack wax. It has the tackiness and flexibility that
are common with some
grades of microcrystalline waxes. It is recommended for use as a coating or
for impregnating for
waterproofing, sweeping compounds, metal protection, lubricating, polishing,
tanning, and has
the following physical properties:
SPECIF'TCA'TIONS ASTA4Ata_iiuiu TYPICA
TES1' ME'I'IItaDS N4E'I,'ROD Nlinimum m L
Drop Melt Point F ( C) D 127 ---- ---- 166 (74.4)
Congealing Point F ( C) D 938 153 (67.2) 167 (75) 160 (71.1)
Kinematic Viscosity, cSt @ 210 F D 445 16.0 23.0 19.5
(98.9 C)
Saybolt Viscosity, SUS @ 210 F D 2161 81.9 111.4 96.4
(98.9 C)
Solvent Extractables*, Wt% D 3235* ---- ---- 20.0
Flash Point (P.M.), F ( C) D 93 464 (240) ---- 504 (262)
Color D 1500 ---- ---- 3.0
* Modified test method. Ig sample / 30 mis solvent (60% MEK, 40% Tohiene)
FDA STATUS: IGI 422 is not intended for food contact.
IGI 1266U is another wax that may be used to practice the invention. IGI 1266U
is a
relatively high melting, refined paraffin wax and may be used for applications
which do not
require a wax meeting FDA specifications. IGI 1266U has the following physical
properties:
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PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SPECIFICATIONS
ASTM MavmA TYPICA
TEST l!IETHQD$ ,~; METHOD Miuimuni) in L
Congealing Point F ( C) D 938 154 (67.8) 160 (71.1) 157 (69.4)
Kinematic Viscosity, cSt @ 210 F D 445 6.7 7.8 7.3
(98.9 C)
Saybolt Viscosity, SUS @ 210 F D 2161 48.1 51.8 50.1
(98.9 C)
Oil Content, Wt% D 721 ---- 1.0 ----
Color D 1500 ---- ---- L1.0
(Off-
white/tan)
Odor D 1833 ---- ---- 2
Needle Penetration, dinm @ 77 F D 1321 ---- ---- 12
(25 C)
FDA STATUS: IGI 1266U is not intended for food contact.
Each of the above-described waxes.are sold by The International Group, Inc.
("IGI"),
with locations at: 85 Old Eagle School Road, P.O. Box 384, Wayne, Pennsylvania
19087 and 50
Salome Drive, Agincourt, Ontario, CANADA M2S 2A8.
The purpose of the wax is to help make the surface material malleable and to
add more
cohesiveness between the soil particles. Any wax capable of performing these
functions may be
used.
Additionally, either of the above-identified waxes (or any wax suitable for
practicing the
invention) may be provided in an emulsion such as an emulsion with water, the
procedure for
making such an emulsion being known to persons skilled in the art of
emulsifying materials such
as wax. The emulsion can then be stored and/or shipped in any suitable
containers, such as cans,
tanks or drums. The emulsion can be added to a mixture of soil and soil
conditioner according to
the invention in any fashion, such as by pouring or spraying it onto the
mixture.
Making the Soil Conditioning Product
Turning now to the drawings, Figs. 1(a) and 1(b) depict some preferred methods
of
making soil conditioning products according to the invention. First, if a
polymeric binder is
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used, oil or gel is heated to a temperature at which the polymeric binder will
dissolve or disperse
into the oil or gel. This is preferably a temperature of between 250 F - 400
F, and most
preferably 265 F - 280
Preferably, 1-30% of polymeric binder by weight is dissolved or dispersed into
the oil or
gel, but up to 90% of polymeric binder by weight could be used. Then, the
resulting mixture is
mixed with the carrier, preferably in a pug mill, and preferably while the
mixture is still at 250 F
- 400 F, at a weight ratio of about 25% to 80% carrier to mixture and, most
preferably, from 40%
to 60%, by weight of carrier.
It is also possible to first mix the carrier and oil together first and then
add the polymeric
binder at an elevated temperature.
Additionally, just oil or gel could be added to the carrier, preferably by
first heating the
oil or gel and then mixing it with the carrier in the same weight ratios as
above.
Optionally, wax could be dissolved or dispersed in the oil or gel, or
emulsified wax could
be added to the carrier before or after the carrier is mixed with the oil,
gel, oil/gel mixture,
oil/polymeric binder mixture or gel/polymeric binder mixture.
Mixina with Soil
Soil conditioning products according to the invention may be blended or mixed
in any
manner used to mix or blend granular materials with soil. Among the suitable
techniques are
mixing in a pug mill, bucket mixing (also called bucket blending) using a
front-end loader or
bulldozer, hand or machine tilling in situ or to form a premix, using a
pharmaceutical blender, or
using a concrete mixer. Other materials, such as other soil materials, organic
binder or other
organic materials, rubber pai-ticles or fibers may be added to, or be present
in, the mixture and
may be present in the finished surface product. Preferably, a soil
conditioning product does not
have to be heated prior to mixing with soil.
It is preferred that between 5-50 pounds of a soil conditioning product
according to the
invention be added to one ton of soil, depending upon the consistency and type
of the soil and
the desired characteristics of the finished surface material. The surface
material may also
include rubber pieces, fibers, or other components to alter the property of
the surface material.
The surface material may be applied to a surface in any manner, such methods
of
applying surface material being known to those skilled in the art. Generally,
the material would
be placed upon the surface at a desired depth and compacted or compressed,
using any method,
prior to use. It may also be graded, raked, watered and/or dried prior to use.
A surface layer utilizing the invention can be any depth and would generally
be between
2" and 6" depending upon the application. For example, a layer of about 6" in
depth could be
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used for pitcher's mounds or equestrian racing tracks. A layer on a base path
could be between
1/4" and 3" deep. The invention may be used for virtually any surface
application, especially
surfaces such as baseball infields, soccer fields, hand ball courts, tennis
courts, horse training
arenas, exercising, horse jumping and racing surfaces, parking lots, highway
berms and
embankments, golf sand bunker liners, golf cart paths, walking or jobbing
paths, or to bind and
seal bricks or flagstone on walkways or other applications.
If the soil conditioning product includes just oil and/or a gel that alone
cannot sufficiently
bind the soil particles to provide the desired surface characteristics, the
carrier should be an
organic binder and the mixture of soil and soil conditioning product must be
watered, preferably
compressed, and then allowed to dry to provide the proper soil adhesion. In
that case, the
mucilage of the organic binder provides soil adhesion and the purpose of the
oil and/or gel is to
provide some water resistance and, perhaps some soil adhesion, depending upon
the adhesive
properties of the oil or gel. Further, any mixture according to the invention
(even one with a
polymeric binder) may be watered, preferably compacted, and allowed to dry to
alter the final
characteristics of the surface material, especially if an organic binder is
used as the carrier.
The invention results in a soil conditioning product that can be added to soil
as a granular
material. Among the benefits of the invention are longevity, water resistance,
and in some cases
being able to form a suitable surface material without having to water it,
especially if a
polymeric binder is used.
Having now described preferred embodiments of the invention variations that do
not
depart from the spirit thereof will become apparent to others. The invention
is tlius not limited to
the preferred embodiments but is instead set forth in the following claims and
legal equivalents
thereof. Unless stated otherwise in the claims, method steps may be performed
in any order
capable of providing a result according to the invention.
