TREATMENTS FOR ENHANCING LANDSCAPING MATERIALS CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority from U. S. provisional application serial number 60/369,080, filed April 1,2002, entitled"Treatments for Enhancing Mulch Materials", U. S. provisional application serial number 60/370,280, filed April 5,2002, entitled"Treatments for Enhancing Mulch Materials", U. S. provisional application serial number 60/376,299, filed April 29,2002, entitled"Treatments for Enhancing Mulch Materials", U. S. provisional application serial number 60/377,079, filed May 1,2002, entitled"Treatments for Enhancing Mulch Materials", U. S. provisional application serial number 60/379, 302, filed May 10,2002, entitled"Treatments and Methods for Enhancing Mulch Materials", U. S. provisional application serial number 60/383, 228, filed May 23, 2002, entitled"Treatments and Methods for Enhancing Landscape Materials", U. S. provisional application number 60/383, 231, filed May 23,2002, entitled"Treatments for Enhancing Mulch Materials", U. S. provisional application serial number 60/394,760, filed July 10,2002, entitled"Methods and Devices for Enhancing Landscaping Materials", U. S. provisional application serial number 60/423,199, filed October 31, 2002, entitled"Compositions, Methods, and Devices for Enhancing Landscaping Materials", and U. S. provisional application number 60/435,590, filed December 20, 2002, entitled"Compositions, Methods and Devices for Enhancing Landscaping Materials".

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates generally to compositions for treating landscaping materials, and more particularly to compositions which enhance or preserve the appearance, aroma, durability, repellency, and/or decomposition of landscaping materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Landscaping materials, such as wood chips, wood mulch, gravel, sand, and rubber mulch, are currently available in their natural form, and in some cases, specifically wood chips and wood mulch, are available colored, for example, in black, brown, and red.

Rubber chips or rubber mulch are available painted for use as playground material.

Gravel and sand for landscaping applications are generally not available colored. Other than addition of colorants, these landscaping materials are typically not treated with additives to enhance such characteristics as appearance, aroma, durability, or repellency.

[0004] The addition of compositions, especially environmentally friendly compositions, to enhance or preserve characteristics such as appearance, aroma, durability, or repellency would be beneficial.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for treating landscaping materials is disclosed comprising applying one or more oils to glass beads or polymer beads, and applying the beads to landscaping materials whereby the oils are released in a time-controlled manner.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for treating landscaping materials is disclosed comprising converting a polyethylene polymer into a water-based dispersion and applying the dispersion to landscaping materials.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0007] This application hereby incorporates by reference the entire disclosure in U. S. provisional application serial number 60/369,080, filed April 1,2002, entitled "Treatments for Enhancing Mulch Materials", U. S. provisional application serial number 60/370,280, filed April 5,2002, entitled"Treatments for Enhancing Mulch Materials", U. S. provisional application serial number 60/376,299, filed April 29,2002, entitled "Treatments for Enhancing Mulch Materials", U. S. provisional application serial number 60/377,079, filed May 1,2002, entitled"Treatments for Enhancing Mulch Materials", U. S. provisional application serial number 60/379,302, filed May 10,2002, entitled "Treatments and Methods for Enhancing Mulch Materials", U. S. provisional application serial number 60/383,228 and U. S. provisional application serial number 60/383, 231, filed May 23,2002, U. S. provisional application serial number 60/394,760, filed July 10, 2002, entitled"Methods and Devices for Enhancing Landscaping Materials, "U. S. provisional application serial number 60/423,199 filed October 31,2002, entitled "Compositions, Methods, and Devices for enhancing Landscape Materials", and U. S. provisional application serial number 60/435,590, filed December 20,2002, entitled "Compositions, Methods and Devices for Enhancing Landscaping Materials".

[0008] The exemplary embodiments described herein provide a landscaping composition for enhancing, preserving and/or restoring the appearance of landscaping materials, for repelling insects, and/or for providing a pleasant aroma to the materials, comprising one or more treatments for a landscaping material. The landscaping composition comprises at least one treatment for landscaping materials. The treatment for landscaping materials may include one or more of the following, many of which are more fully described below: colorants, such as dyes or pigments; an oil or oil-like material (water soluble, water insoluble, or a polymeric composition) that enhances the appearance, fragrance, longevity, and/or insect repellency of the landscaping material; UV reactive curing agents, coatings, hardeners, binders, paints or pigments (e. g. , UV cured monomer resins, especially for application to rubber or sand, including PMPTA); plant extracts; insecticides; fungicides; fertilizers; nutrients; dust control agents; odor control agents; sunscreening agents; seed; erosion control materials (such as, for example, naturally derived vegetable binders for soil stability); plant aging or plant decomposition accelerating materials; luminescent, fluorescent, or phosphorescent pigments or other reflective compounds or minerals; binding agents (both polymeric and non-polymeric for adhering the landscaping materials together); wetting agents; polymeric materials (such as acrylic polymers) for anti-weathering and appearance enhancing; polyethylene polymers for providing a gloss; concrete sealers; water repellants or preservatives (especially for application to pavers or concrete blocks); and wood preservatives, protectors or sealants.

The materials comprising the treatment are preferably non-toxic, or, if toxic, used in amounts which are not harmful to animals or humans.

[0009] Landscaping materials, as used herein to refer to substrates which are treated with the compositions disclosed herein, is meant to include a wide variety of materials used in the landscaping (or play surface) business, including, for example, mulch, sand, gravel, rocks or stone, pavers or concrete blocks, soil, leaves, fertilizer (including commercial synthetic fertilizer (NPK) and pelletized sewage sludge and/or animal waste), compost, aggregates, quartzite, lava rock, grass/turf, peat moss, concrete pavers or blocks, slag, and particularized rubber or other polymeric material. Mulch may be virgin or recycled materials, and may include, for example, wood chips, wood shavings or fibers (including particularized wood waste and green wood), sawdust, pine needles, bark, paper, straw, bagasse, leaves, wheat and oat hulls, rice waste product, palm tree waste, palmetto, bamboo, food or vegetable-derived mulches, polymeric materials, other botanical or agricultural waste products, and combinations thereof.

[0010] Landscaping materials may also include lawns, trees, shrubs and plants, and their respective foliage, trunks, limbs and leaves. Application of the landscaping treatment to these materials will provide benefits which can include insect/animal repellency, enhanced appearance (i. e. , a glossy waxed finish), enhanced aroma, and control of pollen and dust.

[0011] The treatment for landscaping materials that comprises a colorant may be, for example, a dye or a pigment (pigments may include insoluble dyes known as lakes).

The dye may be dry, in liquid form, or dissolved in a liquid carrier. The pigment may be dry, suspended in a liquid carrier or carried on a substrate such as polymer or glass beads.

Further, the pigments may be in powder, pellet or granule form.

[0012] The dyes and pigments may be natural or synthetic. Preferred pigments include various iron oxides, carbon, and titanium dioxide. Other colorants that may be used include tannins, vegetable tints, other natural colorants derived from plants, synthetic dyes, food colorings, and the like. Preferably, the colorants are non-toxic. A colorant may be used individually or blended with another colorant to obtain any desired color. Where the treatment for landscaping materials comprises a pigment (e. g. , iron oxide or carbon), the landscaping composition will preferably further include a liquid carrier or solvent, usually water, which will preferably also include a suspending, dispersing or stabilizing chemical system, often polymeric in composition.

[0013] Where the landscaping materials to be colored are comprised of rubber, <BR> <BR> e. g. , rubber chips for playground use, the landscaping composition preferably comprises a colorant treatment, such as a pigment, and a binder. Preferably the binder is an acrylic polymer system, however, other polymer systems may be used, such as styrene/butadiene, for example.

[0014] Where the landscaping materials to be colored comprise an inorganic or mineral material such as sand, rocks or gravel, the landscaping composition preferably comprises a colorant treatment, such as a pigment, and a binder. Preferably the binder is a silicate binder, although other binders could be used such as silicone or certain clays, e. g. , kaolin or bentonite, or a polymer binder system such as vinyl acetate, acrylics, styrene acrylics, co-polymer vinyl, polyacrylates, urethanes, methylcellulose, liginsulphonate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene wax emulsions, or those described above with respect to the rubber chips, can also be used. This allows the landscaping material, or substrate, to be effectively painted. Modifications of the fonnulation can allow for different physical properties of the final coated/bonded substrate.

[0015] The treatment for landscaping materials may include one or more natural oils (plant derived or animal derived oils or their component fractions), one or more synthetic oils (including mineral oils and silicones), esters, chemical derivatives of any of the foregoing, or a combination thereof. The oil materials may also provide a benefit of dust suppression. The oil materials (or oil-like materials) that may be used as a treatment in the landscaping composition preferably enhance the appearance, fragrance and/or insect or animal repellency of the landscaping material. Additionally the oils may be tinted.

[0016] The plant-derived natural oils may be, for example, neem oil, karanja oil, citronella oil, citrus oils, cinnamon oil (bark and leaf), eucalyptus oil, cedar oil, lemongrass oil, linseed oil, soybean oil, licorice oil, clove oil, mint oil, sweet birch oil, spearmint oil, peppermint oil, anise oil, bergamot oil, canola oil, castor oil, cedarwood oil, jojoba oil, lavandin oil, mustard seed oil, coconut oil, eue oil, tulsi oil, almond oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, geranium oil, sesame oil, thyme oil, tung oil, rosemary oil, basil oil, fennel oil, ginger oil, grapefruit oil, mandarin oil, orange oil, pepper oil, rose oil, tangerine oil, tea tree oil, tea seed oil, balsam oil, bay oil, capsicum oil, caraway oil, cardamom oil, cassia oil, celery oil, cognac oil, dillweed oil, guaiacwood oil, juniper berry oil, lime oil, origanum oil, parsley oil, pimento leaf oil, ajowan oil, apricot oil, betel leaf oil, bawchi oil, chilly seed oil, clary sage oil, cubeb oil, curry leaf oil, frankincense oil, ginger grass oil, gulthria oil, heeng oil, jamrosa oil, kulanjan oil, kalaunji oil, linaloe berry oil, ban tulasi oil, bursera oil, cumin seed oil, cyperiol oil, gereniol oil, grape seed oil, hinoki oil, juniper leaf oil, laurel berry oil, lichen oil, mace oil, mango ginger oil, mentha pipereta oil, paparika oil, vetivert oil, wheat germ oil, watermelon oil, macassar oil, mentha citreta oil, musk melon oil, nar kachur oil, palmarosa oil, patchouli oil, perilla seed oil, pomegranite oil, pumpkin oil, tomar seed oil, cananga oil, herbal puja oil, avocado oil, safflower oil, abies alba needle oil, ambrette seed oil, amyris oil angelica root oil, artemisia oil, estragon oil, fir needle oil, galangal oil, galbanum oil, olibanum oil, palmarosa oil, patchouli oil, birch oil, cajeput oil, calamus oil, cananga oil, carrot oil, cistus oil, citron oil, coriander oil, costus oil, cypress oil, davana oil, dill wood oil, dwarf pine needle oil, elemi oil, guajac oil, hop oil, hyssop oil, camomile, jasmine oil, larch oil, laurel leaf oil, lavender oil, lemon balm oil, limba pine oil, litsea cubeba oil, lovage oil, manuca oil, marjoran oil, milfoil oil, myrrh oil, myrtle oil, neroli oil, niauli oil, petit grain oil, rockrose oil, rosewood oil, sage oil, rue oil, sassafras oil, spik oil, tagetes oil, thuja oil, valerian oil, verbena oil, vervain oil, vetiver oil, wintergreen oil, wormwood oil, ylang ylang oil, olive oil, evening primrose oil, hazelnut oil, grape core oil, peach core oil, walnut oil, sunflower oil, sandalwood oil, tumeric oil, nutmeg oil, soy oil, vegetable oils, menthol oil, eucalyptol, camphor oil, cedar leaf oil, pine oil, red pine oil, or combinations thereof.

[0017] Potentially employable animal-derived natural oils may include, for <BR> <BR> example, tallow oil or fish derived oil (e. g. , cod liver oil or shark oil) and their component fractions.

[0018] One or more synthetic oils, including mineral oils, silicones and fatty acid esters, and their chemical derivatives, preferably non-toxic, may be used in lieu of or in combination with one or more of the natural oils. Examples of mineral oils include, for example, petroleum derived oils. The fatty acid esters, such as alkyl stearate, are formed by the combination of a medium to long chain alcohol with a suitable long chain fatty acid, which may be branched or unbranched. Use of synthetic oils may lower the cost of the treatment for landscaping materials while still maintaining a desired appearance and/or aroma benefit.

[0019] In addition to natural oils which may impart a fragrance to the landscaping material, synthetic fragrance-imparting oils or oil-like materials may be used as a treatment for landscaping materials including, for example, acetophenone, C10-C20 aldehydes, allyl cyclohexyl propionate, ambroxan, amyl cinnamic aldehyde, amyl salicylate, anisaldehyde, aurantiol, benzaldehyde, benzyl acetate, benzyl salicylate, brahmanol, calone, cashmeran, cedramber, cedryl acetate, cinnamic alcohol, citral, citronellal, citronellol, citronellyl acetate, coumarin, cyclamen aldehyde, cyclopentadecanolide, damascone beta, dihydromyrcenol, dimethyl benzyl carbinyl acetate, diphenyl oxide, ethyl phenylacetate, ethyl vanillin, eugenol, evernyl, frambinone, galaxolide gamma-decalactone, geraniol, geranyl acetate, geranyl fonnate, geranyl nitrile, geranyl acetate, hedione, helional, heliotropin, cis-3-hexenyl acetate, cis-3-hexenyl salicylate, hexyl cinnamic aldehyde, hexyl salicylate, hivertal, hydroxycitronellal, indol, ionone alpha, isobornyl acetate, isobutyl quinoline, isoeugenol, iso E super, isogalbanate, cis-jasmone, lilial, linalool, linalyl acetate, lyral, maltol, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl chavicol, methyl ionone gamma, methyl napthyl ketone, methyl octine carbonate, methyl salicylate, musk ketone, musk T, paracresyl acetate, phenoxyethyl isobutyrate, phenylacetaldehyde, phenylacetic acid, phenylacetaldehyde dimethyl acetal, phenylethyl acetate, phenylethyl alcohol, phenylethyl dimethyl carbinol, phenylethyl phenylacetate, phenylpropyl alcohol, rosalva, rosatol, rose oxide, sandela, styrallyl acetate, terpineol, tonalid, vanillin, vertacetal, vertofix, vetiveryl acetate, vertenex (PTBCHA), and combinations thereof.

[0020] In one preferred embodiment, the landscaping composition includes one or more treatments for landscaping materials which are oil materials that will provide a pleasant scent to the landscaping materials. A single oil or a variety of combinations of oils may be employed to arrive at a desired scent. Preferably, the treatment includes an effective amount of individual oils or combinations of oils sufficient to provide a desired aroma to the mulch or other landscaping material being treated or to enhance the natural aroma of the landscaping material. The oil materials used in the treatment may release a scent for several months. Preferably, an amount of aroma-imparting oil material or combination of oil materials effective to maintain a release of the desired scent for at least one month is employed. The oil materials may be supported on a substrate facilitating a timed-release or controlled-release of the oil material, such as polymer or glass beads, for example.

[0021] Synthetic and/or natural oils may be employed which have a wide range of different scents, including, for example, apple, cinnamon, pine, strawberry, blueberry and citrus scents. In one embodiment, the natural and/or synthetic oils will enhance the natural aroma or the perceived natural aroma of various types of wood, and may include, for example, such oils as vetivert, sandalwood oil, cedar oil, patchouli, rosewood oil, pine oil, cypress oil, birch oil, agar, wormwood oil, oakwood oil, vanillin, isobomyl acetate, fir balsam oil, and combinations thereof.

[0022] Plant extracts, including, for example, root extracts, herbal extracts, and bean extracts, such as vanilla extract, may also be a treatment included in the landscaping composition in order to provide a desired aroma. Plant extracts may also be effective in repelling or killing insects. One plant extract which may be included in the treatment for landscaping materials is limonene, an extract from citrus plants, which is not only highly effective in repelling and killing insects, but also is environmentally safe.

[0023] Although the landscaping composition may include a single oil material, preferably a combination of oil materials is employed in an effective amount to provide each of an appearance enhancer, an insect repellant and a fragrance. One oil material may provide one or more of these characteristics. Neem oil, citronella oil, karanga oil and nepetalactone oil are examples of some preferred oils, as they are especially effective oils in repelling insects. Use of such oil materials is beneficial in preventing such diseases as Lyme disease and the West Nile Virus, for example. Further, while inorganic compositions sold as pesticides lead to contamination of well water, rivers and streams, use of the natural oil materials disclosed herein is environmentally friendly and will not contaminate water supplies.

[0024] In the case of water insoluble treatments for landscaping materials, such as the above described oil materials, the treatment may be emulsified or carried by a substrate such as polymer or glass beads. Further, the oils may be solubilized in a solvent, such as water, via a solubilizer.

[0025] Where flammability is a concern due to the use of certain oils, soybean oil is preferably included to raise the flash point.

[0026] The oil materials may also be effective in controlling pollen as well as dust. The dust or pollen will adhere to the oil preventing the dust and pollen from blowing in the air, resulting in health benefits.

[0027] Another treatment for landscaping materials that may be included in the landscaping composition includes one or more nitrogen compositions to act as a fertilizer.

Such nitrogen compositions may include ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, urea, ammonium nitrate, nitrogen solutions (urea and ammonium nitrate and water) mono-, di- and poly-ammonium phosphate, and ammonium sulfate. Nitrogen compositions generally available in dry or gaseous form, such as ammonia, urea, ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate, may be dissolved in a solvent.

[0028] Another treatment for landscaping materials which may be included in the landscaping composition comprises micro or macro nutrients including, for example, potassium, iron, boron, calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, sulfur and zinc.

[0029] Another treatment which may be included in the landscaping composition may be a fungicide, preferably in an amount effective to prevent fungus or mildew growth in the mulched or landscaped area.

[0030] A treatment for landscaping materials may also be a plant aging or decomposition accelerating material, such as bacteria, fungi or enzymes. An example of one specific treatment material that may be used includes BNB-931TM, a bioremediation material, manufactured by Westbridge Agricultural Products of Vista, California. These materials are especially beneficial for wood mulches or compost containing leaves which otherwise might require up to a year or more to age. Landscaping compositions including these plant aging or decomposition accelerating materials are advantageously used in conjunction with leaf or windrow turners or trommel machines to reduce the amount of turning and aging time typically required to decompose the mulch or compost.

[0031] Another treatment for landscaping materials may be a luminescent, phosphorescent or fluorescent pigment or other reflective material for providing the landscaping material with a glittering, shimmering or light-reflecting appearance.

Examples of such pigments or other materials include mica, nacreous pigments, aluminum flakes, glass flakes, paint flakes or chips, glass beads, glitter and molybdenum disulfide. The mica (such as pearl mica) or other materials may also include layers of titanium oxide, iron oxides, silver, gold, copper, palladium, nickel and cobalt, metal alloys, or combinations thereof, which may provide a colored appearance to the reflective pigment. Examples of such pigments and the methods of producing these pigments are disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 4,954, 175 to Ito, et al. , which is incorporated by reference herein. Where the landscaping composition comprises one or more of the above light- reflective substances, preferably the landscaping composition further comprises a binder for enhancing adhesion of such substances to the landscaping materials.

[0032] While the above disclosed reflective materials may be the only landscaping treatment in the landscaping composition, preferably a landscaping composition including one or more of the above reflective materials also includes a colorant, such as a colorant pigment. Where the landscaping composition comprises both a reflective material and a colorant, the colorant and reflective material may be added in sequence, e. g. , the reflective material is added in a separate step after the landscaping material has been treated with a colorant. Alternatively, in some cases, depending on the reflective material and the type of colorant employed, both treatments may be added in a <BR> <BR> single contacting event (e. g. , in a single pass through a landscaping material processing machine), with the colorant treatment being added initially and the reflective treatment added afterward, or both treatments added simultaneously. For example, there may be <BR> <BR> two different nozzle locations in a single landscaping material processing machine (e. g. , a trommel or auger-type machine), whereby the first nozzle or set of nozzles applies a colorant material and the second nozzle or set of nozzles (or another means of spraying) applies the reflective material, the second nozzle or set of nozzles being located at a position whereby the reflective material is applied after the landscaping material has already been coated with the colorant.

[0033] Another treatment for landscaping materials may be one or more odor control agents. Such odor control agents may include commercially available materials such as"SUPPRESS "manufactured by Westbridge Agricultural Products of Vista, California.

[0034] Another treatment for landscaping materials may be a polyethylene polymer for providing a gloss to the mulch or other landscaping material. To employ polyethylene polymers for application onto landscaping materials, these polymers are preferably first converted into a water based dispersion. Commercially available polyethylene polymer dispersions or emulsions may be used. Another material which may be employed as a treatment material to provide a gloss is a vinylacetate-ethylene latex (preferably with a glass transition temperature of around 5-10°C).

[0035] The landscaping composition may further comprise a surfactant to enhance spreading of the treatment over the landscaping material.

[0036] The landscaping composition may further comprise a viscosity enhancer, or suspension agent, such as bentonite clay, attipuligate clay, modified starch, cellulose, such as hydroxyethyl cellulose, and associative thickeners, or a combination thereof, as well as a wide variety of other commercially available materials. This may be beneficial where the landscaping treatment comprises a colorant pigment, as increasing the viscosity of the landscaping composition will aid in keeping the pigment dispersed in the composition, preventing settling and allowing an increased amount of pigment in the landscaping composition. In some formulations the desired composition may actually be a gel as that consistency may provide the most stability. Bentonite clay is a preferred suspension agent used to suspend colorant pigments. Preferably, in a concentrated landscaping composition having a red iron oxide pigment concentration of about 65%, the landscaping composition comprises approximately 2% bentonite and 1% cellulose.

[0037] The landscaping composition may also include one or more binders to aid in the adhesion of the treatment to the landscaping material. Such binders may include, for example, any of a wide variety of commercial materials which may be acrylic, vinyl acetate or other polymer systems.

[0038] The landscaping composition may be supplied in a concentrated form or may further comprise a dilution agent or solvent. Preferably the dilution agent/solvent is water. Where water is used to dilute the landscaping treatment and the landscaping treatment includes one or more oil materials, preferably the landscaping composition further includes a suspension or emulsifying agent to disperse the oil or combination of oils in the dilution agent.

[0039] The landscaping composition may be produced, for example, as a bulk material in drums or totes which may be used by landscaping material manufacturers in manufacturing materials such as mulches, or may be supplied in a bottle or canister in spray form for direct application to landscaping materials by landscapers or homeowners, for example.

[0040] A method for enhancing and/or providing an aroma for landscaping materials, enhancing and/or maintaining the appearance, durability, decomposition and/or nutrient value of landscaping materials, and/or providing insect or mammal repellency to landscaping materials comprises the steps of preparing a landscaping composition comprising one or more treatments for landscaping materials and applying said composition to a landscaping material. The step of applying the landscaping composition preferably comprises employing a landscaping material processing machines, such as known mulch mixing (e. g. auger-type mixing devices) or coloring machines, trommel machines, whole tree wood chipper machines, horizontal grinder machines, tub grinder machines, blower trucks, batch mixers, leaf or windrow turners, collection trucks or leaf vacuum trucks to apply the landscaping composition to the landscaping material.

[0041] Although the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the appended claims should be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodiments of the invention, which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention.