Oil carrying particulate matter and uses thereof

Abstract

Provided is a particulate matter including particles carrying an essentially dry combination of components including at least one natural oil and at least one surfactant, the components being selected such that upon contact with water, oil in water emulsion is formed. In particular, the emulsion formed is a stable emulsion, with stability of at least several hours, as observed by the lack of phase separation during that time.

1 .- 38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . A method for antimicrobial treatment in agriculture comprising:
 (a) mixing particulate matter comprising particles carrying an essentially dry combination of components comprising at least one natural oil and at least one surfactant with an aqueous solution to form an emulsion; and   (b) applying said emulsion in a manner suitable for agricultural treatment.   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , comprising mixing the particulate matter with at least one antimicrobial agent prior to, concomitant with or subsequent to the formation of the emulsion. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein application comprises spraying the emulsion. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein said particulate matter comprises the at least one natural oil in an amount of between 20% to 50% w/w out of the total weight of the particulate matter. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein said at least one natural oil comprises plant oil. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein said at least one natural oil comprises essential oil. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein said plant oil comprises carbon rich nutrient oil. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the particulate matter comprises the at least one surfactant in an amount between 5 to 10% w/w out of the total weight of the particulate matter. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein said particles are silica dioxide (SiO 2 ) particles. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the particles are characterized by a size distribution in the range of 10-25 μm. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the particles are characterized by a surface area in the range of 400-550m 2 /g. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the particles are characterized by oil capacity in the range of 250-350 ml/100 gram particles. 
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein said at least one natural oil comprises a combination of at least one essential oil and at least one carbon nutrient rich oil, the ratio between the at least one essential oil and at least one carbon rich nutrient oil is in the range of 60:40 and 100:0. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the particles are essentially porous particles and the combination of oil and surfactant is at least partially absorbed within pores of said particles. 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 39 , for anti-microbial treatment of a plant, wherein said method comprises applying the emulsion to at least a part of the plant or to soil surrounding the plant. 
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein application comprises spraying the emulsion.