Ammonium fertilizers, petroleum oil concentrate, and nonionic surfactant were evaluated as postemergence spray additives to improve giant foxtail and volunteer corn control by 28 g ai ha−1 of the ethyl ester of quizalofop or 56 g ha−1 sethoxydim. Additions of 0.25% by vol nonionic surfactant or 2.5% petroleum oil concentrate improved grass control, but additions of 10% urea ammonium nitrate (28-0-0), 10% ammonium polyphosphate (10-34-0), or 0.1M ammonium sulfate (21-0-0-24S) did not consistently affect grass control. In laboratory studies with corn, greatest 14C absorption from leaf-applied 14C-quizalofop (8 h after treatment) was found with additions of petroleum oil concentrate (80% absorbed) or nonionic surfactant (18% absorbed), while less absorption was observed with treatments containing either no additive, urea ammonium nitrate, ammonium polyphosphate, or ammonium sulfate (8 to 13% absorbed). Surface tension and droplet size of spray solutions were affected primarily by additions of nonionic surfactant, petroleum oil concentrate, and the formulated herbicides. Solution density, solute potential, pH, and buffering capacity were primarily affected by fertilizer additions.

Direct coagulation casting of alumina via controlled release of high valence counter ions using ammonium polyphosphate (APP) chelate complex as the coagulating agent was proposed. APP chelate complex suspension was prepared from APP and calcium chloride. Calcium used as high valence counter ions was chelated by APP. The average particle size of the chelate complex is 0.13 μm with a narrow particle size distribution which is close to the size of alumina particles. Glycerol diacetate was used to tailor the pH value of the suspension by hydrolysis which produces acetic acid. The lowering of the pH value helps to decompose the chelate complex, and enhance to release the calcium chelated. It is indicated that the viscosity of the suspensions with the addition of APP chelate complex suspension and glycerol diacetate increases to approximately 20 Pa s after heating at 40–70 °C for 1.5–5 h, which is high enough to coagulate the suspension. 55 vol% alumina suspension with a addition of 3 vol% APP chelate complex suspension and 5 vol% glycerol diacetate treated at 60 °C could coagulate completely within 2 h with a compressive strength of 2.1 MPa. Dense alumina with a relative density of above 97% and a flexural strength of 388 ± 23 MPa can be prepared by this method from 55 vol% alumina suspensions without a burnout process.