Agricultural And Environmental Protection

Surfactants can be applied in agriculture and can act as enhancers, dispersants, emulsifiers, wetting agents, adhesives and penetration aids in pesticides, fertilizers and soil improvement, thereby increasing the utilization rate of pesticides and agricultural output.

● Penetrant/Pesticide Enhancer: For foliar spraying of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. It reduces the surface tension of the pesticide aqueous solution, enabling the pesticide solution to better wet the leaves, fruits and the surfaces of pests, and improving the penetration and absorption efficiency of the pesticides. Common types: non-ionic (alcohol polyether AE/APG), amphoteric surfactants (betaine), polyether penetration aids. When using pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, it is important to prevent liquid chemicals from rolling off the plant leaves. Surfactants help the chemicals adhere to the plants, penetrate into the waxy cuticle, allowing the plants to absorb the chemicals and enhancing the effectiveness of the product.

● Emulgator: Used for pesticide emulsifiable oil (EW), oil suspension agent (OS), emulsified oil agent (EC). Stabilizes oil agents, emulsions, and oil suspension preparations, preventing oil-water separation and enhancing efficacy. Common types: non-ionic (alcohol polyethers, Tween), anionic (alkyl sulfates).

● Suspension aid / Dispersant: For wet powders (WP), suspensions (SC), and aqueous solutions (SL). To ensure the uniform dispersion of active ingredients in powders or suspensions, preventing sedimentation or agglomeration. Common types: sulfosuccinate esters, polycarboxylates, and non-ionic emulsifiers in combination.

● Wetting agent: Used for foliar spraying and bed spraying. It enhances the spreadability of pesticides on the plant surface, increases the coverage on the leaf surface and the absorption of pesticides. Common types: non-ionic (APG, alcohol ether), amphoteric surfactants (sorbitan), low-foaming non-ionic.

● Defoamer: Used in high-pressure sprayers, drip irrigation solutions, and fertilizer aqueous solutions. It reduces foam in pesticide formulations, spray solutions, or fertilizer aqueous solutions to ensure the stable operation of spray equipment. Common types: silicone oil polyether modified, mineral oil, low-foam non-ionic.

● Penetrant/Absorption Promoter: Used in foliar fertilizers, drip irrigation/spray water-soluble fertilizers. It promotes the penetration of water-soluble fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, trace elements) into soil or plant leaves, improving fertilizer efficiency. Common types: non-ionic/zwitterionic surfactants, polyether types.

● Solubilizer/Fertilizer Dispersant: Used in water-soluble chelated fertilizers and trace element foliar sprays. It helps insoluble trace elements (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, etc.) form stable solutions or chelates, improving utilization efficiency. Common types: non-ionic emulsifiers, sulfonates, polycarboxylates.

● Soil Conditioner/Permeability Improver: Used in dryland irrigation, nursery, and greenhouse soil improvement. It improves the water permeability of arid or loose soil, allowing water and fertilizers to uniformly enter the root zone. Common types: non-ionic surfactants (fatty alcohol polyethers, APG), silicone oil-based soil wetting agents.

● Irrigation Defoamer/Anti-overflow Agent: Used in drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, and fertilizer solution preparation. It controls foam in drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation systems, and fertilizer-water mixing tanks to ensure uniform metering and spraying. Common types: silicone oil, low-foam non-ionic polyethers.

● Agricultural Machinery Cleaner/Degreaser: Used for cleaning sprayers, pipelines, nozzles, and storage tanks. It removes oil stains and residual pesticides from the surface of agricultural machinery to prevent cross-contamination. Common types: low-foam non-ionic, anionic emulsifiers, APG.

● Fungicide/Algaecide: Used in agricultural water treatment and spray system maintenance. It controls microbial growth in water storage tanks and spray tanks, preventing algae and biofilms from clogging. Common types: quaternary ammonium salt surfactants, cationic surfactants.

Surfactants also play an increasingly important role in fields such as wastewater treatment, soil remediation, and oil pollution cleanup.

● Oil dispersants/emulsifiers: Used in emergency response to marine oil spills, dispersing petroleum and oil stains into fine particles to facilitate biodegradation or recovery. Common types: non-ionic alcohol ethers, sulfonates, APG.

● Soil remediation penetrants/eluting agents: Used in elution remediation of contaminated soil, dissolving organic pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticide residues) in soil through surfactant micelles to promote remediation. Common types: non-ionic (Tween, TX series), anionic (SDS).

● Metal stabilizers/dispersants: Used in the treatment of soil contaminated with lead, cadmium, and mercury, dispersing metal ions in soil/sludge to promote the action of chelating agents or immobilization. Common types: anionic polycarboxylates, chelating surfactants.

● Bioremediation accelerators: Used in the remediation of petroleum-contaminated soil and groundwater; surfactants improve the biodegradability of pollutants and promote utilization by microorganisms. Common types: biodegradable non-ionic (APG, fatty acid esters).