ADAMA's new generation of fungicides is marked by more sustainable production and formulation technology

Date:07-31-2024

In addition to ADAMA's previously announced efforts to develop exclusive sustainable solutions, such as the use of biodegradable or renewable components, which can represent 30 to 80% of the content of the solutions, the company has achieved another significant milestone in its factories dedicated to the synthesis of active ingredients in Taquari (RS). 

After continuous efforts and studies conducted at the unit, ADAMA now recycles 100% of the leading waste produced in the production of prothioconazole and 70% of the incinerated waste produced in the synthesis of picoxystrobin, essential active ingredients in controlling soybean diseases in the country.

Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of soybeans, with the crop occupying around 45 million hectares in the current harvest. However, diseases constantly threaten productivity and can cause significant losses if left unchecked.  Modern fungicides play a crucial role in this context, offering adequate protection against pathogens and helping ensure food security and profitability for Brazilian farmers.

″As environmental awareness grows, cleaner product synthesis becomes increasingly urgent, from the production of the active ingredient to the use of waste. We are aware of this at ADAMA and have Formulation as one of the five strategic business pillars and are a reference in innovative formulations, with products that are champions in productivity and increasingly sustainable,″ said Roberson Marczak, Innovation and Sustainability Manager in the country.

Production of prothioconazole with zero waste generation

The company has adopted an innovative approach to dealing with the waste generated during the synthesis of the fungicide prothioconazole. ADAMA is the only company in the country to produce the active ingredient and supply it to other companies. Initially, they faced the challenge of dealing with large quantities of ferrous chloride, an unusable residue generated from the ferric chloride used in the active ingredient production process. However, as an alternative to disposing of the waste, the ADAMA team developed a strategy to treat and recycle this waste. 

According to Luciano Porto, coordinator of the Health, Safety and Environment area at ADAMA in Taquari, waste recycling occurs within the company's production process, transforming the waste back into raw material and reinserting it into the production process. "Our initial goal was to recycle 50% of the volume of this waste, but after studies, we were able to make progress, and today we have reached 100% recycling within the unit," Porto explained.

The company also invested in adapting the biological treatment plant on its premises in Taquari, using bacteria specially adapted to degrade these effluents, enabling 100% internal treatment of another prothioconazole effluent. This initiative drastically reduced the volume of waste and effluents generated that would have been treated in other states to achieve zero residues in the production of prothioconazole, an active ingredient present in the company's award-winning fungicides Almada^® and Armero^®. 

"These actions not only minimize the environmental impact, but also generate savings by reintroducing byproducts into the process and reducing the need to purchase raw materials. All this while maintaining the highest quality standards," Porto highlighted.

Production of picoxystrobin with minimal residue 

The production process of picoxystrobin, another active ingredient of the company present in the fungicide Blindado^® TOV and also produced in Taquari (RS), generated 129 tons of waste annually that were sent for incineration, at a high environmental and economic cost. Aware of the impact on sustainability, a multidisciplinary team focused on finding solutions to make the process more sustainable, and after evaluating several possibilities, the purification of the waste through a vacuum evaporation system proved promising.

With this recycling system, over the last three years, the company has managed to reduce by approximately 70% the waste that would be incinerated in the synthesis of the fungicide, making better use of the raw material in the factory and reducing the production of effluents and waste as much as possible. 

″These success stories reinforce our commitment, efforts and investments in making our processes more sustainable and profitable, offering quality solutions with innovative formulations in agricultural pesticides to Brazilian producers,″ Marczak highlighted.

Exclusive formulation technology

Seeking innovation and helping producers, the company developed an exclusive technology in its solutions called TOV – Technology, Simplified Operation and Value for the producer. ″The fungicides Armero^®, Almada^® and Blindado^® TOV contain this formulation and each of them is developed with different active ingredients, which carry innovative technology and deliver sustainability to the producer from their production,″ Marczak said in conclusion.

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