Sustainable emulsifier for active delivery in agricultural formulations

Sustainability has become a priority in agronomic practices and this mega trend touches all aspects of agronomics from the properties and characteristics of the active pesticidal ingredients and inert components to the practices used to apply and manage crop protection products in the field. Emulsifers are used extensively in pesticide formulations and in particular, are critical components in emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulations. The emulsifiers provide spray solution stability when the pesticide concentrate is diluted with water in the spray tank prior to field application. It is critical that the emulsion is stable to ensure consistent and reliable application of the pesticide to the intended target. Emulsion stability is impacted by a number of factors: 1) the interfacial surface tension between the continuous water phase and the oil droplets, 2) the size of the oil droplets, 3) the repulsive forces between oil droplets and 4) the viscosity and difference in densities of the two phases. One common class of emulsifers used in EC formulations is the salts of dodecylbenzene sulfonates, more commonly calcium dodecylbenzene sulfonate. A new emulsifier for agricultural formulations will be described that is based on salts of fatty acids which are known to improve the repulsive forces between suspended droplets, lending to the stability of the emulsion. Examples of EC formulations of tebuconazole, bifenthrin, 2,4 D ester and carbosulfan with fatty acid salts as emulsifiers will be provided that demonstrate improved emulsion stability over benchmark EC formulations. In addition to performance in application, BASF is also committed to improving the sustainability of products, with a focus on three key areas, 1) biobased carbon content; 2) biodegradability; and 3) reduced GHS labeling requirements. The new emulsifier offers the opportunity to re-formulate an EC with a complete inerts package (oil phase and emulsifiers) with an improved sustainability and EHS profile.