Dispersants as key enabler for modern agrochemical formulations
Suspension Concentrate (SC) formulations are one of the leading formulation types in the agrochemical industry. Their success is driven by several factors: the removal of hazardous organic solvents, the adoption to new active ingredients, the development of combination products, the need for highly loaded concentrates, and improved sustainability profile.
Dispersing agents play a central role in SC formulations and other dispersions such as Suspoemulsions (SE), Flowable Concentrates for Seed Treatment (FS), and Dispersible Concentrates (DC), as they keep the solid active-ingredient particles evenly dispersed in the liquid phase. This is essential for formulation stability and overall performance both in the concentrated product and when the formulation is diluted into a spray mixture. Dispersants help formulators develop products with high biological efficacy by overcoming challenges such as preventing crystal growth, creating stable combination products, and achieving high active-ingredient loadings.
Our cutting-edge dispersant technologies
Dispersants work by creating a repulsive barrier between particles. They adsorb onto the particle surface, reduce attractive forces between particles, and prevent particles from agglomerating. Depending on their chemistry, dispersants can stabilize particles in different ways. Ionic dispersants provide electrostatic stabilization. Polymeric dispersants offer steric stabilization. Charged polymers can also combine both stabilization effects.
Designing effective dispersants require a solid understanding of how the different formulation components interact. They also rely on smart molecular design to meet today’s demanding formulation needs. Clariant offers a broad portfolio of advanced dispersants. Clariant's portfolio includes surfactant-type dispersants (anionic, non-ionic, and amphoteric) as well as innovative polymeric dispersants engineered to address the challenges of modern formulations.
Performance advantages of our dispersant portfolio
Clariant's dispersants deliver specific performance advantages to enhance your crop protection formulations. Contact our experts to find the right dispersing agent for your specific application.
Crystal growth inhibition – Stabilize particle sizes and prevent recrystallization
Strong electrolyte tolerance – Improved compatibility with salts and ionic actives
High efficiency - Maximum active loadings at low use rates
Biocompatible options - Retain viability of living microbes in biological crop protection products
