Dow's Instinct nitrogen stabilizer wins US Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded Dow AgroSciences a Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for the company's achievement in nitrogen stabilization. Dow AgroSciences is the only agriculture company to receive the award this year. 

 

The award program promotes environmental and economic benefits of developing and using novel green chemistry. Dow AgroSciences was recognized for Instinct nitrogen stabilizer. Instinct and the active ingredient, nitrapyrin, were developed to help growers maximize yield potential by reducing the loss of nitrates into the environment. 

 

"Dow AgroSciences is focused on the importance of environmental stewardship and fertilizer efficiency," says Jason Moulin, nitrogen stabilizers portfolio marketing leader, Dow AgroSciences. "Using a nitrification inhibitor like Instinct keeps more nitrogen available in the root zone of crops, which reduces the escape of nitrates into groundwater and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere." 

 

Studies with nitrapyrin show soil nitrogen retention increased by 28 percent and nitrogen leaching decreased by almost 16 percent. Instinct and N-Serve nitrogen stabilizer also have been proven to provide an average 6-bushel-per-acre increase compared with untreated acres by keeping more nitrogen available for crops to use.* 

 

"Growers rely on our technology to have a positive impact on not only the environment but on their ROI at the end of the year," Moulin says. "We are proud and excited to be recognized with this award and look forward to continuing to provide growers with tools that support environmentally beneficial farming practices." 

 

Instinct and N-Serve are the only nitrogen stabilizers on the market approved for registration by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Dow AgroSciences has previously won four U.S. EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards for agricultural technology. 

 

"Instinct is designed to make nitrogen fertilizers work more effectively for farmers and the environment," says Tim Hassinger, president and CEO, Dow AgroSciences. "We build sustainability into our product development process and this national recognition speaks to our focus and commitment to advance products that address pressing challenges in an environmentally sustainable way." 

 

Instinct nitrogen stabilizer can be used with UAN, urea and manure to stabilize applied nitrogen. In fewer than five years, acres treated with stabilized nitrogen have grown more than fivefold. In 2014 alone, based on calculated adoption in the United States, it is estimated that Instinct reduced carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by about 664,000 metric tons.

* Average 6-bushel yield return vs. nontreated acres from 2008-15 across 800-plus trials.