Minagro furthers development of green co-formulants for agrochemical formulations

In an interview, Minagro, a developer of high-quality green and safe products and solutions for the crop care industry, told AgroPages that in the two years since its inception, it has encountered greater concern for more sustainability as a major market trend.

“We focus on enabling our clients in the crop care industry to face the increasing challenges in environmental safety. However, the primary requirement is still to obtain the level of performance required by the market and its applications. We are seeing similar needs for performance in the other markets where the Minafin Group develops sustainable value-added solutions based on natural extraction and biobased chemistry,” said Emmanuel Peulens, Director of Minagro.

Backed by Minafin Group resources

Minafin, a leading developer and manufacturer of green and highly-demanding chemicals for customers in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture and hi-tech, generated €243M in 2020 with approximately €100M of this turnover derived from biobased chemistries. Minagro, as an affiliate of the Minafin Group that employs 900 staff, draws benefit from the following assets:

• Existing competences in extraction and green chemical processes

• Existing biobased molecules and building blocks

• Established supply chains of biobased processes

• Application experts and microbiological labs

Range of in-can preservatives

The first project Minagro ever launched was in developing alternatives to traditional in-can preservatives used in agrochemicals, in part driven by a growing market trend for conventional and organic farming. It concerned:  

• isothiazolinone based preservatives increasingly under scrutiny and require classification marks, even when used at 500ppm

• the development of natural ingredients that must be supported by preservatives which are not only efficient at low pH 

To fulfil these requirements, Minagro has developed a range of protection packs that can preserve formulations that require conservation. “The products of our range can be synthetic or biobased, but they always ensure a clean label at recommended application doses,” said Arnold de Maere, Sales and Marketing Manager of Minagro.

In order to offer a complete range of products, Minagro developed Sovinol P740/O, which is compatible with organic regulations (ECOCERT and OMRI). “Once again, we can meet the need for performance, and the main advantage is its efficacy at wide pH range, from 3 to 10, which is important for many natural extracts that are not stable at a low pH,” he explained. Sovinol P740/O, which protects liquid crop nutrient products from microbial contamination, improves the preservation of agricultural biostimulants, such as organic fertilizers, potentially prolonging their shelf life from six months to a minimum of two years.

Biobased adjuvant

To complete its product range for the market, Minagro recently launched Sovinol A800, a co-formulant with promising adjuvant properties. In addition to its positive ecological profile, the product over-performs relative to some market references regarding penetration and spreading.

Other developments ongoing

Minagro’s challenge is to develop new products combining performance and a profile supporting the sustainability of the new generation of active substances being developed, such as biopesticides and biostimulants. 

Minagro’s next plan is to develop products which will contribute further to the naturality index of final formulations. “We are currently working on green solvents and finalizing the screening of several molecules. In addition to performance, we are working on molecules without classification marks and at a realistic price level,” added de Maere.

About Minagro

Minagro develops high-quality green products and solutions for crop care. Its greener solutions, based on sustainable raw materials, aim to improve crop protection and nutrition while limiting the crop care industry’s impact on the environment. Minagro develops in-can preservatives, enhanced performance blends, solvents and bio-stimulant actives. Founded in 2019 as an affiliate of the Minafin Group, Minagro leverages the group’s strengths in green and fine chemicals.

www.minagro.eu 

www.minafin.com