IMCD: Offering Next Level Sustainable Solutions

Climate change, COVID, and international conflicts have all had a profound impact on how the farming and agrochemical industry operates and performs. Supply disruption has demonstrated the importance of a skilful distributor in providing supply security and local stocks, as opposed to opportunistic procurement. With a global infrastructure and strategic partnerships with key industry players, IMCD is able to offer robust and reliable solutions. In addition, IMCD delivers added value and opportunity to its partners through focusing on the concept of ‘sustainable agrochemical formulation’. This is particularly important in agriculture where the need to focus on sustainability and protecting our world has never been so great as it is now.

Whilst sustainability is a broad topic with many facets, it can be narrowed down to a few main characteristics that should be reflected in the products that we bring to the market:

• Bio-based or renewable raw materials – inclusion of such products ensures minimal release of carbon from fossil materials that put more strain on the climate.
  

• Biodegradable – minimising contribution to the accumulation of substances (land and sea) that are potentially dangerous for the environment or human health, e.g., co-formulants that are free from microplastics, soluble, and biodegradable.
  

• Clean label – understood as products that are generally non-hazardous to human health, aquatic life, or the environment.
  

• Low VOC – similar to the above, but targeting a different material property, generally reducing its harmfulness.
  

• Process and material use optimisation – final but probably the most important characteristic. This refers to the ability to formulate a product with less energy, less manufacturing steps, less waste, less solvents, water, etc. It also alludes to the development of formulations that are more targeted and delivered in a smarter way for reduced pesticide content (e.g. aerial spraying vs. seed coating application), as well as the formulation of biological substances / living organisms (biopesticides or biostimulants).

As a distributor with access to a large variety of product lines with differing characteristics, IMCD provides an incomparable choice of products that meet the above sustainability standards for producing market-leading formulations.  

Partnering with key agrochemical co-formulant manufacturers, IMCD offers a complete package for every formulation type. We provide high quality co-formulants to take sustainable formulating to the next level. By working with IMCD, our customers get access to everything they need including dispersants, emulsifiers, adjuvants, rheology modifiers, seed binders, film formers, green solvents, preservatives, dyes/pigments, and more.

Let’s now take a look at a few examples.

Nouryon Surfactants: future-proofing formulations with biodegradable surfactants
 
Agrochemical formulators have access to a multitude of aqueous dispersing agents offering colloidal stability, crystal growth inhibition, electrolyte tolerance, and other benefits. But how do they also future proof their formulations and ensure they are in line with market trends? It is safe to say traditional chemistries such as TSP do not have any desirable green credentials. One manufacturer, Nouryon, has risen to the challenge and developed Agrilan^® 1015; a biodegradable dispersant and emulsifier. It provides formulators with a sustainable solution for aqueous formulations without compromising performance. It outperforms traditional dispersant chemistries such as TSP in critical tests such as particle size growth (see figure 1), suspensibility and viscosity. It is also suitable for use in certain biological formulations.

Figure 1. Diuron 300 g/L SC: particle size growth after storage at 54°C for 2 weeks.

Nouryon also offers a broad range of surfactants that are suitable for use in the challenging and emerging area of biological formulations, where the formulation inerts need to be non-toxic to the microbe. Formulators can choose from a range of chemistries such as polyacrylate copolymers, alcohol alkoxylates, castor oil ethoxylates and phosphate esters (under the tradenames Agrilan^®, Ethylan^®, Berol^®, and Phospholan^®). Studies show very good compatibility with a variety of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) through MIC assay and survival rate testing. A number of products in the range offer the added benefit of being OMRI listed (e.g. Agrilan 755) or OMRI compliant (e.g. the next generation, clean label product, Agrilan 855).

Gaylord DMSO: A safe solvent for sustainable agriculture
 
As the agricultural industry continues to prioritise sustainability, companies are looking for ways to create effective and environmentally friendly formulations. One key ingredient that has emerged as a valuable tool in this effort is DMSO from Gaylord.
 
DMSO, or dimethyl sulfoxide, is a solvent with unique properties that make it an ideal choice for EC (co-solvent) and SL formulations. One new area where it is particularly useful is in the creation of urease and nitrification inhibitors.
 
These inhibitors are essential for reducing the environmental impact of nitrogen-based fertilisers. However, incorporating them into formulations can be challenging due to the limited solubility of inhibitors in many solvents. DMSO overcomes this challenge by enabling concentrations of up to 30-35% w/w, compared to the typical 20% w/w for other solvents. This higher concentration makes formulations more effective at reducing the environmental impact of nitrogen-based fertilisers.
 
DMSO has low toxicity compared to solvents like NMP, DMAc and DMF (as shown in figure 2), which are known reproductive toxins and restricted in certain applications.

Figure 2. DMSO toxicological data

Wacker SILIFOAM^®: Eco-friendly antifoams that you can rely on

SILFOAM^® silicone-based products have a proven ability to regulate foam and optimise products and processes in the agro industry for many years. In addition, these products are used at a very low concentration, minimising their environmental impact.
 
Wacker is moving forward to increase the sustainability of their chemistry, launching an alternative product line of antifoam agents with SILFOAM eco. In the SILFOAM eco product range, 100% of fossil raw materials are replaced by renewable resources using a mass balance method. This approach is an effective tool for saving fossil resources.

With SILFOAM eco SRE, customers are able to access a specially formulated ecological version of the state-of-the-art defoamer with a proven track record in the agro industry.

Figure 3. Foam destabilisation by silicone

Borregaard EXILVA^®: biobased formulation problem solver
 
With its sustainable origin and unmatched versatility, Exilva has become a go-to additive for formulators looking to improve the performance of their products. The structure of this innovative, unique form of high purity, microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), is shown in figure 4. It is derived from sustainably sourced wood and, therefore, of natural origin, non-hazardous, fully biodegradable, 100% biobased and OMRI listed.

Figure 4. SEM image of Exilva’s microfibrillated cellulose.

Exilva provides improved performance in anti-settling and anti-sedimentation through improved yield stress. Versatility and flexibility in formulations is achieved through its robustness to shear, pH, salt, electrolytes and temperature. Due to its high efficiency, robustness in harsh environments and its multifunctional characteristics, Exilva is suitable for a wide range of agricultural applications including crop protection, biologicals, plant nutrition and seed coatings.

Highly regarded amongst formulators, it is rapidly becoming the rheology modifier of choice for many new formulation developments. Not only does Exilva excel in terms of performance, but it ticks many boxes of sustainability criteria as already described, also facilitating the development of organic and biological formulations.
                                                                                                                                                                  
Covestro Amulix^®: Taking the lead in biobased seed coatings

Together with Covestro Amulix^®, IMCD offers high-performance, biodegradable seed coatings made from renewable resources. As a distributor, we are proud to work together with a manufacturer taking the lead when it comes to bringing the best of two worlds together: performance and sustainability.
 
The key factors of Amulix are outlined below:

    ●    High performance
The new generation of Amulix seed coatings are designed to meet high performance needs for selected crops.
 
    ●    Renewable raw materials
In line with circular economy principles, Amulix coatings are derived from renewable resources.

    ●    Biodegradable
Amulix formulations are expected to be compatible with upcoming EU microparticle regulation.
 
    ●    Process and material use optimisation
Amulix seed coatings are easy to apply and process. The coatings are fast drying, leading to lower required heating and energy consumption to dry to seed.
 
Amulix is a product suitable for all types of seed coating processes as shown in figure 5 below.

Figure 5. Seed coating process and coated sunflower seeds

INTERMAG Glycinates: naturally occurring fertiliser technology

Intermag Glycinates are a range of fertilisers based on the glycine complexing agent that naturally occurs in plants. This is the smallest complex in an ultra-granular form with high mineral content, meaning trace elements are quickly absorbed by plants. Applied via foliar spraying, Intermag Glycinates are faster and more effectively absorbed than standard fertilising chelates. Their efficacy has been proven in a number of studies and trials carried out on various plants, and they are suitable for all types of premixes. They can be used as components of liquid and solid fertilisers intended for foliar application.

Some of the many benefits of Intermag Glycinates include:

• Fully biodegradable – naturally occurring complexing agent
  

• High nutrient concentration – up to 60% more compared to standard chelates, making the formulation easier and faster
  

• Ultra-fast nutrition effect – quick and easy absorption of micronutrients
  

• Excellent solubility and compatibility with agrochemicals – does not require organic solvents
  

• Ultra-granular form – no dust and no clumping
  

• High efficiency – low rate per hectare

Figure 6. Typical micronutrients concentration values VS type of chelating agent

Figure 7. Intermag product range

In today’s climate, sustainability is a reality, and suppliers are working hard to stay in line with increasing demands. Being sustainable is the only way to secure a future for next generations. We are committed to working with companies that share IMCD’s vision, and through our unrivalled portfolio and team of industry experts, we support each player in the agro segment to develop greener and more sustainable agrochemical formulations. ″Thanks to our long-term relationships with suppliers and deep knowledge of the market, we serve as a one-stop shop for agro customers looking for products and suggestions for every type of project, and particularly for sustainable developments.″ Paolo Bravini Business Development Manager Agrochemicals at IMCD paolo.bravini@imcd.it

This article will be published in AgroPages '2023 Formulation & Adjuvant Technology ' magazine to be published this May.

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