Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
~3~
26130-36
The invention relates to a process for treating
vegetation to fertilize it, including treating damaged vegetation.
The term "damaged vegetation" used herein includes
damaged plants, in particular tall trees, which have been damaged
by industrial pol]u-tion or environmental poisons, such as "acid
rain" etc. The process of the invention has also been success-
fully used when the damage to the vegetation is not due to
pollution but, for example, due to plant disease and/or inadequate
soi] conditions. In recent times, even in regions of reduced
industrial pollution impact, significant damage to the plant life
has been observed. According to the present state of the art,
damage to vegetation is caused by industrial waste products, which
act as pollutants, such as for example sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxide. Such oxides are formed during combustion and,
after uncontrolled emission into the atmosphere, may spread over
a wide region.
The invention seeks to reduce or arrest the already
existing damage to plant life and further to reduce or prevent
future damage, so that the heavily affected vegetation can better
withstand such pollution loads.
According to one aspect the invention provldes a process
for fertilizing vegetation comprising the steps of applyiny
nutrient substances and trace elemen-ts to the vegetation, said
nutrient substances and trace elements being applied by means of
a reaction of a pyrotechnic composition, which reaction is
initiated at the location of the vegetation.
According to another aspect the invention provides a
composition for fertilizing vegetation, which composition includes
~;~
~3~
26130-36
nutrient substance and trace elements for the vegetation and also
include pyrotechnical means for producing an aerosol by combustion,
said pyrotechnical means being in the form of a compressed pyro-
technical composition.
The invention relates to a process for providing an
acid neutralizing and nutrient material feed to regions having
damaged vegetation. The process of the invention is particularly
useful in forestry and agriculture as well as a preventive for
avoiding damage to vegetation. Such damage occurs in particular
when so-called "acid rain" falls. Acid rain is formed as a
consequence of the acidizing of materials which are emi-tted during
the comubstion of fossil combustible materials. Sulfur dioxide
and nitrogen oxide are emitted into the atmosphere, as a result
of which a strong acidification of -the polluting sediments occurs.
Depending upon metereological conditions these polluting materials
can be dispersed to regions that are quite remote from the point
of origin of the pollution, so that in modern times "acid rain"
or snow can precipitate even in very remote regions having no
dense population or industrial concentration. The adverse effect
of these polluting materials on the seas, rivers, forests and
agriculture and soil in general is quite important and apparent.
As long as the polluting materials remain, for example, in the
needles and/or leaves of plants and trees they cause significant
damage. Such damage is most pronounced in those regions in which
the soil is already acidified, particularly in calcium-poor soil
or soil which has become acid due to natural causes. Acid soil,
which has become acidic because of sediments and precipitation,
~3~ 26130-36
leads ln general to reduced crop yields, if large quantities of
calcium are not fed continuously to the soil. As a consequence
of air pollution caused by industrial usage, poisonous heavy
metals
- 2a -
~3~
and diverse organic compounds can form part of the acid sediments deposited on
the soil, which i.s probably the cause for recently observed withering and
dying away of forests. This is due to the fact that the nutrients which are
needed for the growing of needles and roots of trees, such as calcium, magnesium,
zinc, manganese, etc. are washed out.
The invention starts from the recognition that a rapid and lasting
remedy is in particular possible by compensating for the adverse influence of
the polluting substances by measures taking place in the atmosphere proper and
advantageously in the region of the atmosphere which adjoins the affected soil.
It is possible to admix with the soil known additive nutrients and/or
substances which counteract the polluting substances in the region in which
the plant and vegetation damage has occurred, as for example by means of
artificial dung in agriculture. However, such a process has the disadvantage
that the absorption of these substances by the plants and vegetation must occur
in the usual way via their root structure. This process is too slow and the
frighteningly rapid progression of the damage to the plant life cannot be
arrested adequately in this fashion.
In accordance with the invention the substance or combination of
substances which favor the vegetation, and which act as nutrients or as acid-
neutralizers, can be applied in the form of aerosol sprays. These aerosol spraysare advantageously produced immediately at the location of the damaged plants,as
will be described hereinbelow. The aerosols contain nutrients, such as calcium,
magnesium, as well as zinc or other trace elements, which are absorbed directly
by the plants via their needles or leaves. Those portions of the aerosol
components which are deposited on the ground are then available to the plant
or trees, as a supplement via the conventional absorption path, that is via
ox
their roots.
It has been found particularly advantageous and inexpensive to use
aerosols which are produced by means of a pyrotechnical process, whereby
particu].arly flexible application modes are possible. Use of aerosols
produced by pyrotechnical means makes it possible to apply suitable substances
or combinations of substances, at each required location, within, outside or
above a growing plant, in particular in forests for the purpose of treating
these plants. For example, extended regions can be treated by means of
slowly descending aerosol clouds which sediment on orest regions, the aerosol
clouds being produced within or above the forest region. Conventional
mechanical arrangements for applying aerosol clouds in this way are not
suitable, because the conventional processes use, for example, for
supplementing calcium soil content conventional agricultural vehicles whose
use in a forest, even in paths traversing the forest, is limited and
additionally their use is costly and time-consuming.
Suitable pyrotechnical compositions can, in contradistinction thereto,
be deposited without great difficulties even in inaccessible forest regions
and if required by remote ignition.
It is within the scope of the process of this invention to apply
aerosol sprays which contain the required substances, that is preferably
calcium and magnesium compounds, in the form of oxides, hydroxides or
chlorides, so that the substances can be directly absorbed by the needles and
leaves of the trees and plan-ts.
Arrangements for carrying out the process of the invention have been
found to be particularly advantageous when they consist of pyrotechnical
compositions in the form of pressed bodies having the following ingredients
~3~ 7
Ingredient Percent by weight
calciwn oxide 30-70%
calcium peroxide 20-70%
calcium hydroxide 10-70%
magnesium 5-30%
potassium perchlorate 5-30%
potassiwn chloride 3-30%
hexachloroethane 0-20%
PVC
zinc peroxide 0-5%
manganese dioxide 0-5%
copper oxide 0-5%
Preferred compositions are those of Examples 1, 2 and 3 as set forth
n the following table:
Ingredient Percent by weight
(chemical composition) Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
calciwm oxide 40 30 50
calcium peroxide - 20
calcium hydroxide 10
magnesium 20 20 20
potassiun perchlorate - 15 15
potassium chloride - 10 3
hexachloroethane 20
PVC - - 1 0
zinc peroxide 5 3 2
manganese dioxide 4
copper oxide
~3~
The chemicals are mixed with each other and are compressed into a
pressed body about 300 - 800 bar). The pressed body is simultaneously
combined with a known pyrotechnical ignition substance. Suitable ignition
substances are published in the book of Dr. Herbert Ellern "Military and
Civilian Pyrotechnics" New York 1968 pp. 378. The following is a specific
example: 40% silicon, 54% potassium nitrate, 6% charcoal. 70 parts of this
mixture is added to 30 parts of a solution of 4 parts NC ~nitrocellulose)
in 96 parts acetone. This starter mixture is compressed into a pressed body
which is mechanically combined with the pyrotechnical composition. All
percentages and parts are by weight.
After ignition the pyrotechnical composition reacts while forming
a white cloud aerosol), which consists principally of oxides and chlorides
of calcium and magnesium. To this must be added the oxides, respectively
chlorides of calcium and trace elements. During the reaction there occur
temperatures in the order of magnitude of 2000C. and a residue remains, which
consists primarily of magnesium oxide. It has been found to be particularly
advantageous that the pH-value of the aerosol composition produced in this
manner lies between 5 and 9, so that damage to the vegetation is avoided.
Aerosols for use in this application have been found particularly
suitable when the aerosol spray particles are of the order of 1 micrometer
and smaller in magnitude, because with such sprays the contact time of the
aerosol cloud with the components of the atmosphere adjoining the ground and
the vegetation is as long as possible, and additionally such aerosol sprays
are easily absorbed by plants.
Disregarding for the moment the additional feeding of essential
nutrients which is made possible by the process of this invention, the process
-- 6 --
also achieves a cleaning of the air in the immedlate vicinity of the plants,
as a consequence of chemical reaction of the aerosol-components with any
poisonous and polluting substances that are present in the atmosphere, to
achieve their neutralization.
As has been mentioned hereinabove, during the combustion of the
pyrotechnical pressed body very high temperatures are achieved, which would
at first impression require a very resistant and therefore expensive casing.
However, in order to make the application of the process as inexpensive as
possible so that it may be applied on as wide a region as possible, which, in
view of present-day pollution damage is unfortunately necessary, there has been
proposed in lieu of the massive casing packaging to prepare the pressed bodies
without casings. The pressed bodies are therefore placed, for example, for
combustion directly on the ground where the plants are to be treated. In
particular the pressed body can be put in the ground in such a way that for
purposes of emission of the aerosols a sufficiently large opening is left
in the ground. A simple and inexpensive storing of the pressed body in a
water vapor-proof synthetic bag is also possible.
