Adding Value In The Can
11 December 2008 
The name Momentive might not be that well known to the global ag-chem industry yet, but its products are. The company was formed last December as international companies GE, Bayer, and Toshiba merged specialty divisions of their companies to create Momentive. The company brings 60 years of experience with silicones from GE Advanced Materials to the agriculture industry, where, as President and CEO Dr. Jonathan Rich says, the company sees “tremendous opportunities to add value.”
With the release of its newest Silwet adjuvants, Momentive has made a major stride in that direction. The new silicone-based adjuvants utilize new technology developed by Momentive that provide long-term pH stability. What this means for the user is that adding such an adjuvant to a tank mix in the field will be a thing of the past.
“Silwet is evolving from tank-side product to in-can product,” says Diana Sousa, spokesperson for Momentive. This evolution allows the products to be added into agrochemical formulations from the start, rather than mixed in by the applicator. Not only will this mean less work for the applicator, it will also reduce the product’s environmental impact and lessen any potential risk to the user, since it minimizes handling of the agrochemical.
Putting Value In The Mix
For the manufacturer, formulator, or distributor, the new Silwet HS adjuvants could provide an opportunity to restore value to products that otherwise have faced major price competition and thinning margins. Ari Papoulias, general manager – specialty fluids and urethane additives, notes that the company’s silicone superspreaders and penetrants provide better efficiency and can be used in all product types (herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides). Like all adjuvants, though, herbicides dominate the market. The right adjuvants can also increase product efficacy as well, which reduces the needed volume and makes the product worthy of a premium price. In the case of a product like glyphosate, this can make a major difference on the bottom line.
The company also has developed solid silicone adjuvants for use in wettable powder (WP) and granule (G) formulations, which had not been available in the past. Finally, says Papoulias, the company is developing additional foam control products which it feels are good fits for products from all scales of producer, from the “Big 6” multinational corporations (MNCs) to the smaller, specialized off-patent product manufacturers.
Silicone Strengths
While a great deal of the pesticide market still prefers to use nonionic surfactants (NIS), which Papoulias notes are “the standard lowest-cost wetters/spreaders for ag,” he adds that silicone surfactants offer superspreading as well as rainfastness, which make them better products for enhancing pesticide delivery.
Paula Pinto, general manager – specialty fluids and urethane additives for Momentive, stresses several other advantages of pH-stabilized silicone adjuvants. “The ability to add the adjuvant to the product formulation is unique,” she says. “This lets people use a smaller amount than they would use if they instead chose an organic adjuvant, which means it takes up less space in the can.”
Other benefits, according to Pinto, are that it eliminates the need for “twin-pack” products that sell an agrochemical and adjuvant together in separate containers. “By moving away from that, we eliminate handling, and from an environmental standpoint, we also lessen water use and packaging materials, and since it makes the active ingredient (ai) more efficient, it lets us reduce the volume of ai being applied as well.”
Taking It To The World
Momentive is busy getting its products into key areas of the global market, and its three main targets come as little surprise: Latin America (notably Brazil), China, and India. Sousa says that in all three, the company sees growing markets and attention to increasing exports. Sousa adds that the Silwet products can help meet the requirements set forth by importing countries.
In both Brazil and India, the company sees major opportunities in products for the burgeoning sugarcane crop, while in China, water availability and increased environmental controls are making Momentive’s products more attractive.
In fact, Sousa says that the company has formed an alliance with China’s Ministry of Agriculture in order to help develop awareness of Momentive’s offerings. “Reaching all those small farms can be difficult,” Sousa explains. “This technology is one way to help them meet their goals, and the Ministry of Agriculture is writing a book on the products, all about helping small and isolated farms meet their goals.”
Rich summarizes Momentive’s efforts in the global market, saying “We are focused on growth markets, using our technological know-how wherever we can add value.” He adds that Momentive’s strategy remains simple: “At the end of the day, it’s about the technology and innovations we provide to help customers solve their problems.”
Get The Newsletter Today!
