▪ Introduction to Croda

▪ The role of surfactants in adjuvancy

▪ Advances in adjuvancy
▪ Traditional adjuvant chemistries
▪ Current areas of focus
▪ Adjuvant developments – novel molecules

▪ Strategies for achieving high performance

formulations
We are the name behind the high performance ingredients and
technologies in some of the biggest, most successful brands in
the world: developing, making and selling speciality chemicals
that are relied on by industries and consumers everywhere.

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 Life Sciences
Health Care
We contribute to a healthier world by offering ingredients
and expertise which help our pharmaceutical customers
get the best performance from their active ingredients.
Crop Care
Our unmatched range of additives and adjuvants and
unique formulation expertise help crop protection
customers get the best performance out of their active
ingredients, enabling farmers to get the best yields from
their crops.
 Polymer modification

Emolliency Detergency

Splitting, esterification,
alkoxylation, catalysis, Adjuvancy
Defoaming
oligomerisation, condensation,
hydrogenation, phosphation,
bio-transformation,
Demulsification polymerisation, carbohydrate Lubrication
chemistry, protein chemistry,
oleochemistry.

Wetting Rheology control

Emulsification
 Developing products based around
Surfactant
molecular structure-function activity
structure

▪ Better recommendations for specific actives

Physical
Properties
▪ Better targeting of field trial experiments

▪ Guidance for synthetic programs

ADJVUANT
PERFORMANCE
▪ Basis for formulating adjuvants (tank-mixed
or built-in)
 TAE
Amphoteric Alcohol
polymer ethoxylates

Alkoxylated Polysorbates
polyol ester

The Formulator Toolbox

Phosphate NPE
esters
APG
 Spray
Glyphosate retention Drift control
adjuvant
Wetting
Electrolyte
tolerant
Fungicide
uptake
MSO & AMS
Soil wetting for
Enhanced
pre-emergence
foliar uptake
herbicides
Imidacloprid 200g/L SC with various adjuvants

No adjuvant Alcohol ethoxylate Alkoxylated polyol ester

(Atplus™ UEP-100)
▪ Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) used to evaluate the deposit
microstructure on leaf cuticle surface
▪ An even distribution and size of Imidacloprid particulates is observed over the
whole surface with even coverage
▪ Significant improvement in distribution seen when using Atplus UEP-100
Azoxystrobin 250g/L SC with various adjuvants
No Adjuvant Commercial Adjuvant

Alcohol Ethoxylate Atplus™ UEP-100

▪ Using isolated apple leaf cuticles prepared in the lab at Croda

Leaf picking from Bore small discs Enzyme extraction

apple trees out of the leaves and purification
 spray deposit
Donor Solution
cuticle Cuticle

aqueous
acceptor

Receptor Arm
Franz Cell

Receiver Solution

Franz Cell Procedure

▪ Plant cuticle isolated and donor solution applied (spray deposit containing active)
▪ Aqueous buffer solution used (receiver solution) representative of the plant blood stream
▪ Sample the receiver solution via the receptor arm
▪ Samples withdrawn after 72 hours (absolute value, not rate dependant)
▪ Quantitative pesticide analysis carried out by HPLC
 % Penetration of Imidacloprid determined by HPLC after 72 hr

14

12
% Penetration

10

6 Atplus™ UEP-100

4
+ Typical Adjuvant
2
Imidacloprid
0
1
Sample
▪ Increasing level of alkoxylation
▪ Larger alkoxylate chains provide increased penetration

No adjuvant

Increasing degrees of alkoxylation of polyalkoxylate ester

No adjuvant Typical adjuvant

Atplus™ UEP-100
 Mean mortalities (%) after 72 hours exposure

▪ An increased mortality rate is seen when Atplus™ UEP-100 is present in

the formulation
▪ Mortality rates still increase when reduced active loading levels are used
with the addition of Atplus UEP-100
▪ Showing that adjuvant choice and loading level are both relevant
 Uptake

Adjuvancy
Deposit
Insect mortality

Phytotoxicity
Alkoxylated polyol ester adjuvant suitable for
aqueous-based formulations
▪ Reducing phytotoxicity
▪ Enhancing uptake of actives
▪ Influencing active deposit structure
▪ Improving efficacy whilst lowering active dosage
▪ Easy handling
▪ Non hazardous
▪ 100% active
▪ Tween™ 20

▪ polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate

▪ Industry recognised for high performance

▪ Clean label surfactant - safe and established

ecological and toxicological profile

▪ Certified organic by the USDA

▪ We have explored and advanced this chemistry
to allow the formulator more options to select the
most appropriate adjuvant

▪ Removes the need to choose between

performance and environmental benefits

▪ Range of HLBs - offering a better match to the chemical

characteristics of a given pesticide.

▪ Same chemical identity (CAS) to Tween 20 -

minimising regulatory process

▪ Even better wetting, lower equilibrium surface

tension and lower contact angle
Observed 22 % reduction in contact angle dramatically
increases coverage area
% Penetration of Imidacloprid determined by HPLC after 72 hr
A number of field trials have been completed, looking at the
incorporation of the Tween range against standard
adjuvants.

All field trials are tank mix and look at percentage control of
the target weed.

▪ Saflufenacil + 0.25% Tween

▪ Glyphosate + 0.25% Tween

▪ Paraquat + 0.25% Tween + 0.42% AMS

▪ Glyphosate and Clethodim + 0.25% Tween + 0.42% AMS

▪ Tween 20, Tween 23 and Tween 24 show statistically equal or greater for
all treatments compared to the 0.25% NIS benchmark.
▪ All the treatments for volunteer corn provide statistically greater control
compared to the 0.25% NIS benchmark at 28 days after treatment
▪ Problem: Many adjuvants improve biological performance but
also decrease droplet size therefore reducing drift control.
Adjuvant selection for improving control of complex mixtures may
be challenging.

▪ Answer: Established focus on nozzle selection to control droplet

size and hence control drift.

Growing interest in the role of the formulation through the

addition of drift reduction technologies like AtplusTM DRT-100
which can help to control drift.
▪ Tween 21 with a lower molecular weight, provides statistically greater control of driftable fine droplets.
▪ All Tween 20 series products provide statistically greater control when combined with Atplus DRT-100.
▪ The effective delivery of actives is increasingly
reliant upon the incorporation of adjuvants into
the formulation

▪ Over the years Croda have developed and

expanded their adjuvant chemistry portfolio and
continue to do so looking at novel molecules as
well as CAS expansion

▪ The addition of adjuvants can bring numerous

benefits during all steps of the application
process which can:
▪ make a product easier to apply
▪ more convenient to handle
▪ more effective in the field
Comments from Croda on the future of adjuvants:

▪ Resistance management
▪ Slow this process through increased efficacy
▪ Multi-active formulations
▪ New adjuvancy performance challenge
▪ Tank mix optimisation

▪ Multi-functional adjuvants (e.g. drift + uptake)

▪ Regulations and costs

▪ Increased biological activity from same or lower
active loading

▪ Differentiate generic formulations with built-in

adjuvants with substantiated claims
 PCC021

Non-warranty
The information in this publication is believed to be accurate and is given in good faith, but no representation or warranty as to its completeness or accuracy is made. Suggestions for
uses or applications are only opinions. Users are responsible for determining the suitability of these products for their own particular purpose. No representation or warranty, expressed
or implied, is made with respect to information or products including, without limitation, warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement of any third party
patent or other intellectual property rights including, without limit, copyright, trademark and designs. Any trademarks identified herein are trademarks of the Croda group of companies.
©2015 Croda Europe Ltd