Probing into formulation development difficulties and key breakthroughs and locating ‘new source of growth’ —— The 3rd Ag Formulation and Application Technology Congress (FAT 2022) successfully held in Hangzhou, China

The 3rd Ag Formulation and Application Technology Congress (FAT 2022) was held in Hangzhou,China on November 17 and 18, 2022. It was sponsored by Stepan, Ingevity, BASF Advanced Chemicals, NETZSCH (Shanghai), Bruker Optics (Beijing), Victorian Chemical Company & VSINOVA Hangzhou, Jinwang Intelligent Technology, Zhejiang Runhe, TBIO and AMVAC.  iFormulate, Bayer CropScience, UPL, Vive Crop Protection and Eden Research provided great support.

This year, FAT 2022 was themed by the concept of ″technology-driving and value-reshaping,″ which is meant to globally address the ″pain point″ and ″difficult point″ existing in all links of the agrochemical formulation industry chain. It covered the market dynamics, formulation design strategy, development of innovative technology and products, upgrading of the production process, terminal application practices, market challenges and opportunities, from which breakthroughs and a new source of growth can be figured out, especially in the hard times today.

Jim Bullock, Director and Co-founder at iFormulate Limited, UK

Jim Bullock has dozens of years of expertise and experience. He used specific data to share with participants the development status of solid formulations, liquid formulations and biological formulations, as well as the formulation types by market value, the formulation market drivers and new development practices. For synthetic pesticides, developments in established formulation technologies (GR, EC, SC, OD) are quite slow and incremental, where traditional formulation types such as WG, WP, SC, SL and EC remain dominant in the market; more innovative technologies such as CS, ME, SE and EW remain commercially small and are employed as ″problem-solvers″ rather than as mainstream formats. However, pest resistance is driving the development of complex formulations based on multiple active ingredients – with suspensions, emulsions and solutions of different actives, all in one product. Innovation is also happening in the biological area; For example, combination products for IPM-type applications and new methods, such as RNAi, are driving the development of novel platform formulation technologies. To this end, based on the above drivers, it is expected that the process of development, application and innovation will accelerate as biologics and combination products are becoming increasingly important every day.

Wu Kang, Technical Director of Shanghai Hills Consulting

Wu Kang made a presentation titled ″Agrochemical formulation and efficacy for major diseases, insect pests and weeds in Brazil and considerations on the formulation development″. The presentation analyzed the pesticide formulations in the Brazilian market and provided inputs to Chinese formulation developments. Brazil’s diseases, pests and weeds mainly occur on three crops: soybean, corn and cotton. The presentation listed pesticide formulation products with more than 10,000 tons of annual sales in the Brazilian market. In addition, the presentation analyzed the main mixture product varieties newly registered in Brazil from 2020 to 2022, including Optill (Saflufenacil  + imazethapyr WG) of BASF, TEXARO (diclosulam + halauxifen-methyl WG) of Corteva, PAYLOAD (flumioxazin + chlorimuron-ethyl WG) of Sumitomo and PLETHORA BR (indoxacarb + novaluron SC) of ADAMA. The presentation points out that in the past three years, Chinese companies have obtained more and more pesticide registrations in Brazil. The registrations include Rainbow’s picloram + 2,4-D, diuron + hexazinone, azoxystrobin + cyproconazole, atrazine + mesotrione; Wynca, Xingfa and Fuhua’s glyphosate and glufosinate; Nutrichem, YongNong and Zhongshan also hold quite many registrations in Brazil. Wu Kang says that the Chinese products in Brazil are mainly single agent, with a lack of innovative mixture products, where multi-site is a crucial issue of concern.

Cao Lidong, a researcher at the Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Cao Lidong spoke about re-innovation of formulation technology. First, he emphasized the importance of pesticide formulation innovation: The long cycle and high cost of creating novel pesticides require prolonging the vitality of pesticides via formulation innovation. Critical approaches to formulation innovation include the development and application of nano pesticides; multifunctional controlled-release pesticide formulation; scenario-oriented formulation innovation; and pesticide polymorphism research.

Concerning nano-pesticide research and development, according to the research made by his team, Cao Lidong shared the building and application of several standard nano-carrying systems when compared with the traditional formulation system in terms of effectiveness and safety. He stressed that future research on nano-pesticides needed to be more scientific, requiring an urgent clarification of the definition of nano-pesticides and a mechanism for efficient utilization. At the technology and product level, one urgently needed a breakthrough in the technical bottleneck and cost restraint to allow for industrialization. It was necessary to comprehensively consider the factors of technology and industry policies at the industrial application level, expected to facilitate an integrated low-cost and replicable industry model for promotion and dissemination. The presentation indicated that multifunctional controlled-release pesticide formulation is a hot topic of formulation research and development and an effective tool to improve the pesticide utilization rate. In addition, the presentation lists techniques related to target deposition, plant nutrition, induced resistance, stress resistance and synergistic interaction.

Moreover, Cao Lidong shared some of the application scenario-oriented formulation innovation cases. For example, rice seedling disc handling application of granules; root application of slow-release granules; granule drone application for control of Spodoptera frugiperda. Lastly, the presentation provides a professional answer to the issue of the crystal form existing with pesticides, as being queried by formulators, having stated the importance of different pesticide crystal forms to the formulation development, pesticide stability, marketing and storage.

Professor Wu Xuemin, from China Agricultural University

Given the fast-growing aerial crop protection practice, which is an efficient and labor-saving application, Professor Wu Xuemin delivered a report on the dynamics, technical challenges and applications of the Chinese aerial crop protection development. He said that the compatibility and interfacial properties of the drone application-oriented formulation dilution ratio are critical to the biological activity; functional adjuvant is crucial to drone application; drone application-oriented formulations and adjuvants should be aligned with crop protection equipment, targets of control and crop protection strategies.

Li Min, ICAMA (Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs)

Li Min made a presentation titled ″Prohibition and restriction of pesticides worldwide, re-evaluation tendency, cautions and risks for reference to Chinese pesticide formulation registration.″ According to the presentation, in the past 25 years, the number of registered pesticidal active ingredients in Europe and the United States has decreased by more than 50%. There used to be more than 1,000 active ingredients on the market, but only 400-plus survived the market up to date, of which 25% are microorganisms, pheromones and plant extracts. Currently, 52 kinds of pesticides are banned in China, and 18 kinds are restricted. Compared with the EU, the 25 pesticide varieties which are banned or restricted in the EU are still in use in China. Among them, carbendazim, atrazine, imidacloprid, triazophos, chlorpyrifos, fipronil, alachlor, butachlor, acetochlor, thiediazole copper, cyhalofop-butyl and diquat are all high-risk pesticide varieties of high concern.

Chen Shyan Wong, Agrichemical Scientist, Stepan Company, Singapore

Chen Shyan Wong shared her company’s friendly synergistic agent for use in glufosinate formulations and the natural adjuvant for drone application. With the increasing popularity of glufosinate-resistant crops and the increased prohibition of paraquat, the global demand for glufosinate is proliferating. The development of glufosinate formulations is still confronted by a series of challenges, particularly the improvement of wettability and permeability, which is required to increase the efficacy of glufosinate. On the other side, various problems exist with the surfactants commonly used in glufosinate AS and SL. To this end, Stepan launched its STEPGROW GP 102 (already released to the Chinese market) and the STEPGROW® GL 104 XTRA green and high-efficient adjuvant (expected to be released to the Chinese market in 2023). The test results show that these products can improve glufosinate formulations’ stability, wettability and permeability, enabling faster control of targeted weeds. These co-formulants are the best choices for the development of premium glufosinate formulations. In addition, to better serve the fast-growing aerial crop protection market, Stepan has launched tank-mix adjuvants for aerial application, including STEPGROW MP-ADJ, STEPGROW DSD and STEPGROW® DRTS products. The test results show that STEPGROW MP-ADJ and STEPGROW DSD have excellent anti-drift, wetting, spreading and permeation properties, which go beyond industry standards. STEPGROW DRTS is a proprietary anti-drift adjuvant which can also be used as a formulation adjuvant for oil-based pesticides such as EW, SC, OD, EC and SE.

Qi Wang, Ph.D,Technical Director of Agricultural Solutions of Ingevity

The issue of crystallization and the particle size increase in pesticide technical suspensions are among the most common and serious problems in formulations of this kind. The problem may cause severe formulation instability, which eventually causes failure of formulations. A correct understanding of the mechanism of the technical material crystallization and particle size increase will help to effectively solve the problem, thus, providing a stable and robust formulation. Dr. Qi Wang, presented to participants the mechanism of crystal growth in pesticide suspensions, along with examples and tactics for controlling crystal growth. She points out that the most effective way to control crystallization is to choose high-effective dispersants because high-efficient dispersants can provide an effective adhesion to technical materials, improve grinding efficiency and stabilize the performance of formulations under different temperatures. Also, adding additives with high ionic strength, such as lignosulfonate with a high degree of sulfonation and inorganic salts of small molecules, can effectively reduce the water solubility of technical materials, thereby controlling crystal crystallization. In contrast to small-molecule inorganic salts, lignosulfonate with a high degree of sulfonation will compete with the molecules of technical materials, thus, reducing crystal crystallization by reducing the molecule’s reabsorption of technical materials. It is also possible that the long-term stability of formulations can be maintained via the combined use of nonionic surfactants and ionic surfactants. Lastly, the right amount of rheology modifier can slow the physical contact between the particles, reducing the possibility of agglomeration.

Tan Haibo, Agrochemical Manager of Netzsch (Shanghai)

Tan Haibo gave an introduction to the application of grinding and dispersion technologies in the agrochemical segments market. In terms of the selection of pre-dispersion equipment for the formulation of suspensions, he says that the pre-dispersion process based on traditional high-speed dispersion disc, combining rotor stator shear, can improve the effect of dispersion of suspension agents as well as shorten the time of pre-dispersion. The online dispersion system is so far the most advanced pre-dispersion device, which can enable full wetting of the powder, improve the stability of the suspension system and will also enhance the grinding efficiency at a later stage. For the selection of grinding equipment, it is necessary to take into account the specific type of formulation, pre-dispersion requirement, feedstock particle size, and particle size for targets, based on which an optimal grinding system, material texture and size of grinding medium are eventually selected, thus, improving product quality and grinding efficiency. In terms of process optimization, Tan Haibo touches upon the need for more advanced equipment and optimization of the existing product portfolio. Moreover, he lays stress on the mass flow circulation-based grinding process, which effectively controls the particle size distribution of suspension particles, especially for the nano-suspension formulation, for which the conventional tandem type of process is no more applicable. Based on the optimized pre-dispersion process, the application of a pin bead grinding system and mass flow cocirculations-based grinding process can maximize the improvement of the quality and the grinding efficiency of suspensions.

Oriba Hu, Asia Pacific Senior Technical Manager of BASF Advanced Chemicals

Oriba Hu gave a presentation entitled Solutions to Low VOC Formulations in Compliance with Regulatory Requirement. He states that with the regulation of VOC emission of pesticide formulations, considerations should be given to the selection of the right type of formulation, adaptation to rational ingredients and reduction of VOC substances while trying to use, as far as possible, water-based formulations to replace traditional formulations, such as the use of EW, SC, SL and WG to replace traditional formulations like EC. For the development and performance optimization of water-based formulations, BASF has launched a series of premium solutions, including the application of solvents and adjuvants.

Marcio Navega, North America Marketing Manager | Agriculture & Food Performance Formulations of Nouryon

Marcio Navega made a briefing on the US agrochemical market. He focuses on the challenges to agrochemical development and presents the solution Agrilan 1028 launched by Nouryon. The Agrilan 1028 is a phosphate surfactant for the optimization of a high electrolyte system, with good dispersibility, emulsibility, wettability and compatibility, is biodegradable and free of chemical hazards. Its dispersion in complex suspensions is especially stable, and compatible with fertilizers and other pesticides such as glyphosate. It can be used for tank-mix and formulation mixtures, as well as for drone application-oriented formulation development.

Tong Leiting, Industrial Product Director of TBIO

Tong Leiting talked about rebuilding the humic acid molecular structure in crop moisture management. Xi’an TBIO Crop Science specializes in the production and supply of humic acid, enzymatic protein and Ascophyllum-based natural biostimulants, having supplied natural biostimulants to more than 40 countries. She says that humic acid can promote the formation of granular soil structure, being very effective for soil improvement. TBIO Crop Science has conducted a structural rebuild of humic acid to improve its function of humic acid. After more than ten years of research and development, the product has gained popularity on the market. In the future, TBIO Crop Science will continue to modify the molecular structure of humic acid to dig into more of its functional potentials, which will be TBIO’s further practising of the Biostimulant Version 2.0. 

Shi Weishan, Senior Engineer of Jiangsu Aijin Crop Science and Technology Group

Shi Weishan used the phrase ″no scenario, no pesticide″ to outline the core concept of his presentation. In recent years, global climate change has led to the higher complexity of the occurrence of diseases and insect pests; the global trade and climate change have accelerated the spread of diseases and insect pests, which in turn makes the creation of novel compounds and innovation of application scenario-oriented pesticides to be more and more difficult. Different scenarios bring a series of challenges to the development and application of precision pesticides: the challenge to the chemical stability of pesticide formulations for application to special scenarios; the challenge from different application equipment and water quality to the stability of formulations; the challenge to effective spraying. In response to the above challenges, Shi Weishan shared his precision pesticide design idea based on application scenarios, having conducted an in-depth analysis of multiple aspects such as targets, pesticides, type of formulations, application methods and application timing. Lastly, he introduces the design strategy and application of precision pesticides. In terms of spray-to-target delivery, full design consideration needs to be given to the following: Droplet and dosage to increase the agent’s sedimentation and rain fastness; precise and directional release under the precise and directional release scenario; long-acting and slow-release granules in the underground application scenario; nano-injection technique, precision trap and kill as well as combination applications.

Liu Runfeng, Director of R & D Center of Pilarguim

Liu Runfeng delivered a report entitled scenario-based microencapsulation product development & application. He says that pesticide microcapsules have a long-lasting effect, which releases the pesticide ingredients slowly and persistently after application, saying that the release of the agent via the underground application can last for 80-120 days. Pilarquim’s microcapsule products - Deliang (abamectin 5% CS) root irrigation for control of nematodes, compared with conventional EC/ME formulations, has a doubled long-acting effect. As regards the organic solvent, versus EC/ME, the amount of use of organic solvent is reduced by 30-100%, which greatly reduces the harm of aromatic hydrocarbon to the environment to the benefit of ecological protection. The microencapsulation technology enables high-toxic pesticides to become low-toxic; can reduce the frequency of application and the amount of use of pesticides; can reduce leaching for the pre-emergence herbicidal application, and can increase the stability of active ingredients. The research of microencapsulation is concentrated on the features of slow-release, controlled release, nanotechnology + controlled release technology (nano-carrying and delivery system, microencapsulation), and environment-friendly wall material rather than synthetics to reduce the release of microplastics into the environment. The research also focuses on the design of formulations for application to different application scenarios. Over the recent two years, Pilarquim has obtained many registrations of its products in China, which are intended to be gradually submitted to overseas registration of differentiated formulations, such as abamectin microcapsule suspensions.

Yoshitaka Sato, Head of Formulation Technology of Bayer CropScience

Yoshitaka Sato has long years of exploration and practical experience in formulation development. At the conference, he made a presentation titled ″Rice herbicide ultra-low volume drip application incorporated with digital transformation and strategy.″ The presentation includes three parts: 1) Formulation Design of ultra-low volume drip application; 2) Zero-drift nozzle selection; 3) Digital Strategy. Bayer CropScience has developed suitable SC in order to offer flexible, convenient, effective, and tailor-made weed management solution by 1) maximizing weed control performance of each AI, 2) minimizing unexpected phytotoxicity and tank mix compatibility issue of single AI containing SC, 3) leverage of considerable application methods for labor saving and less operator exposure including drone and the nozzle selection, and will introduce a digital tool for weed diagnosis. In addition, the company will soon launch a digital tool for weed diagnosis. In addition to Japan, the company will soon promote its technology to other countries.

Charlie Flood, Formulation Manager of UPL

As known to all, FS is the most popular seed treatment formulation type, but suspensions are prone to layering, flocculation, precipitation and crystal growth during storage. The stability of suspensions, especially the long-term physical stability, has always been a challenging issue, for which research of novel formulation techniques, such as the development of a new type of formulations, has become one of the solutions to the problem. In his presentation, Charlie Flood elaborated on the emulsion and microemulsion as seed treatments developed by UPL, which have obvious advantages over FS, such as good adhesion, low dust, even coverage, easy clean-down and excellent compatibility with other products, including biologics, having surpassed regular FS formulations. Biologicals make up a growing proportion of seed treatments but can sometimes offer challenges with compatibility and application properties. Various solutions can improve compatibility, including co-application (countries and regions where possible), additional water, particular addition order and compatibility aids. If the compatibility issue cannot be resolved through changes to the application procedure, a formulation modification may be required to improve compatibility, which may involve pH adjustment, altering surfactant choices or using chelates or other compatibility aids, dependent on the biological product and actual conditions.

Rebecca Blell，Technical Applications Manager for Exilva in Agri at Borregaard

Borregaard is the world’s first company to build a large-scale microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) production facility (EXILVA® Microfibrillated Cellulose). Rebecca Blell highlighted the company’s bio-based rheological additive and filmformer Exilva for use in advanced formulations and seed coatings, demonstrating superior performance through specific case studies. Exilva is a powerful and compatible bio-based ″problem solver″ widely applied to agricultural crop protection, biocontrol, crop nutrition, seed coating, seed treatment and adjuvants. In respect of water-based, polar solution formulations, such as concentrates, emulsions, and suspensions, its effect is excellent; Exilva improves stability, fluidity, compatibility and the effect of seed coating; Exilva establishes a high electrolyte structure for formulations and fertilizers, which improves stability; Exilva improves the compatibility of crop protection products with liquid fertilizers; Exilva is a biodegradable filmformer for seed coating, which helps to develop improved microplastic-free and organic products. Exilva is now available worldwide.

Carlos Oliveira, Lead Researcher, Croda Brazil
Edisa García Hernández, Research Scientist, Croda Netherlands
John Kuhn, Application Scientist, Croda US

In recent years, the agrochemical giants have strengthened deployment in the field of biological formulation. However, the overall development still faces many limitations, such as the high cost of formula development, high cost of production, poor stability of the storage, susceptibility to environmental conditions and the issue of efficacy. To this end, Carlos Oliveira, Lead Researcher, Croda Brazil stressed the critical considerations for biological development: Active ingredients, formulation screening, application technology, product dilution, application technology and target control, as well as corresponding solutions. Edisa García Hernández, Research Scientist, Croda Netherlands addressed the issue of compatibility of microbial formulations, saying that in addition to the innovative formula development technology, the company possesses special microbial facilities and professional skills to carry out various microorganism-oriented tests. Lastly,  John Kuhn, Application Scientist, Croda US introduced the application of microbial formulations in seed treatment as well as factors for consideration, having elaborated on Incotec’s seed value-added technology: film coating, functional powder, seed coating and seed pelleting.

Darren Anderson, CEO & Co-founder of Vive Crop Protection

The nano crop protection products and crop nutrition products have become increasingly popular on the market for their excellent efficacy, and high utilization rate, but the process of industrialization is confronted by a lot of challenges, such as performance quantification, effectiveness validation, impact from the macro environment on performance, the production and economies of scale, regulatory restriction and consumer acceptance of nanotechnology. Darren Anderson, in a professional manner, delivered a report entitled Nanotechnology in Agriculture: Opportunities, Risks, and Working Examples for Delivery of Synthetic & Bio-Based Active Ingredients. The Allosperse, the company’s patented nanoscale and polymer-based delivery system, is of high value in the application. The system can improve the tank-mix formulation stability of chemical crop protection products; improve the stability when being mixed with other products such as fertilizers; enhance flushing resistance and foliar absorption; improve the seed treatment and the performance in soil. In addition, the delivery system is used for various bioactive ingredients to improve product stability and biological activity, being compatible with the synthetic chemical and biological substances, without causing toxicity. Vive Crop Protection has launched seven products applied to more than two million acres of cropland. Because of the excellent performance of these products, the company has entered into strategic cooperation with key agrochemical companies, having been awarded a series of prizes.

Dr. James Qin, CTO and Founder of SINVOCHEM

Dr. James Qin gave a presentation entitled ″Preliminary study on preparation of nano-pesticide formulations based on solubilization technology using functional polymers as a carrier.″ He says that in recent years, nano-pesticide has attracted widespread attention from the industry sectors. During this period, SINVOCHEM has made long dedicated research into the preparation of nano- pesticide through polymer solubilization. SINVOCHEM has focused on the research of interfacial properties, targeted deposition, key targets, synergistic interaction and the issue of safety in the crop fields. SINVOCHEM is currently working on three key research programs: 1) High-efficient grinding aid, which is used with a bead mill to prepare nanoscale pesticides; 2) Polymer solubilizer, which successfully applies the hyperbranched polymer to pesticide solubilization system via collaboration with Anhui University; 3）Collaboration between SINVOCHEM and Nanjing University, which prepares nano pesticides via adsorption of pesticides by nanocarriers.

Chuen-Jiuan Huang, PhD，Formulation Leader at Eden Research

Chuen-Jiuan Huang emphasized the Sustaine™ technology and its application practices. Sustaine™ is Eden Research’s patented microcapsule solution for application to a broad range of agricultural, animal health and consumer products. Derived from natural yeast, it is a plastic-free and high-content product capable of improving the stability of formulations. It can be used to encapsulate different active ingredients and allows for the release of active ingredients in stages, which ensures the product’s higher safety and higher efficiency of the product. Based on this technology, the company has developed its Mevalone® biofungicide and Cedroz® biological nematicide, achieving satisfactory application results. In the meantime, more product varieties are currently being developed. Eden Research wishes to cooperate with more partners in applying this technology. Eden Research is prepared to conduct an initial evaluation of active molecules and provide formulation design and testing services to customers.

Chen Fuyong, General Manager of Shanghai Dongfeng Pesticide Factory

Chen Fuyong presented to participants the smart processing of the current mainstream formulation – DF, having reiterated the concept of DF, which is a solid particle obtained by drying and pelletization of slurry. It is prepared based on wet grinding, for which the form of preparation is diversified: Extrusion pelleting, centrifugal spray, pressure spray and fluidized pelleting. He also presented the successful cases of different forms of DF formulation, using the products Longge, Batai, Yikuaijing and Nadiwen as examples to explain the formulation principle and advantages of fluidized pelleting, having successfully shifted DF from the tower of about 30 meters to the height less than 10 meters, which facilitated the realization of industrialization, automation and intelligent operation and promotion of the novel DF formulation development in the agrochemical industry.

Mr. Irvin Ruiz,Formulations Manager at Dragon
Ms. Beatriz Damm, Director of Technological Development at Dragon

Ms. Beatriz Damm and Mr. Irvin Ruiz gave an overview of Mexican agriculture and the company’s innovative ideas and solutions in formulation development. The company has created the Dragotech solution, combining science, which enables active ingredients of formulations to reach a balance to achieve an optimal effect of prevention and control. The company has invested in state-of-the-art labs and formula development facilities that combine formula technology with field applications. Through all the efforts, the company has formed its four pillar technologies: Adhe technology, which improves adhesion and reduces drift; Disper technology, which enhances formulation’s foliar coverage; Sis technology, which allows for active ingredients to get through the internal tissue of leaf and root via extreme micro surfaces; lastly the Turbi technology, which stabilizes the active ingredients of formulations and maintains the tank-mix stability.

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