The order in which the water, wetting agent, drying
agent, pigment and sodium silicate are added in the sec
ond mixture is not critical. However, in the preferred
embodiment of this invention, an aqueous polyoxygenated
alcohol solution is ?rst made up and combined with the
ultra-violet absorber. The wetting agent, the anti-foaming
agent, the Water-dispersable pigment and aqueous silica
are then added to the aqueous solution in that order re
spectively with thorough mixing at each stage or addition
step. The mixture of these elements is passed through a
high speed mill such as a Cowles mill for about 10 minutes
at approximately 1500 to 2000‘ feet per minute. All of
the above-described mixing is performed at room tem
perature.
This second mixture is then slowly added into the tank
containing the polymer and anti-foaming agent. The total
concentrate is then mixed for approximately 1/2 hour.
Mixing should occur at a room temperature of approx
imately 70° F.
The present concentrate can optionally be formulated
with a herbicide such as Simazine 80 W or Atrazine 80
W herbicides produced by Giegy Chemical Co. The use
of the present aqueous composition extends the useful
life of herbicides by inhibiting their loss from the soil due
to evaporation, and dilution and leaking by water. This
in turn promotes the effectiveness of the herbicide and
the long range effect of the herbicide on vegetation. Su?’i
cient herbicide is formulated with the concentrate to pro
vide that about 6 to about 50 pounds of herbicide are
applied to each acre of soil. Alternatively, the herbicide
can be formulated with the aqueous composition rather
than with the concentrate.