Metallurgy / Chemicals / Rubber & Plastics

Huntsman and Pursell Agri-Tech have developed a fertilizer coated with polyurethane (PU) that can drastically reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphate flowing out of farmland. This phenomenon can lead to killing in bays, bays and oceans. Fish and algae multiply. This coating can control the release of fertilizers to plants.

The release rate of fertilizer can be customized according to the crop and growth conditions. It can be 30 days, 60 days or even 90 days. Therefore, farmers can fertilize at the right time, at the right place, and at the right speed, increasing the percentage of fertilizer absorbed by plants. In typical fertilizer applications, only a portion is absorbed by crops. The rest is lost to the natural environment with surface water. Rivers bring fertilizers to the ocean, where they nourish algae, causing seaweed to multiply. When the algae dies, it will be broken down. The decomposition process consumes oxygen in the water, suffocating fish and other marine life. The scale of oxygen consumption is huge, and scientists call these areas dead zones. This year, the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico covers 6,334 square miles (16,400 square kilometers).

The polyurethane coating in PurActive can greatly reduce the amount of fertilizer lost to the ocean. Currently, the main use of this fertilizer is lawns and ornamental plants. However, the company intends to develop fertilizer for corn. Although polyurethane coatings for fertilizers already exist, their production still requires a lot of time and effort. This is a challenge because the use of fertilizers is seasonal. In addition, fertilizer is a large-scale business.

Through the typical application of PurActive, Huntsman and Pursell can reduce energy consumption by more than 30% and save time by 20-25%.

This is Huntsman's first entry into the fertilizer market. Future applications of the polyurethane include hydraulic fracturing and seeds. The development of such downstream applications is a key part of Huntsman's polyurethane strategy. This strategy requires Huntsman to work closely with its downstream customers.

Huntsman and Pursell won this year's polyurethane innovation award for this product. The finalists for the award include graphene-containing polyurethane foam developed by Ford Motor Company, and the LOOP helmet made by Elastopan 42320, which is made from a plant-based polyol of BASF by sports equipment manufacturer Xenith, used in American football helmets.