Performance Chemicals

Long Lasting Agro Films

A Double Benefit for Farmers and Environment

Enrico Galfre, BASF Technical Center Polyolefines

1
The BASF group
Segments and Divisions

Solutions

Solutions

Oil & Gas

Agricultural
Functional
Plastics
Chemicals

Performance
Products

Inorganics Performance Dispersions Catalysts Crop Protection Oil & Gas

Polymers & Pigments

Petrochemicals Polyurethanes Care Chemicals Construction

Chemicals

Intermediates Paper Chemicals Coatings

Performance
Chemicals

2
Performance Chemicals
Focus on Industries
Electrical & Textiles & Building &
Automotive Agriculture Packaging
Electronics Fibers Construction

Services Products Systems

Plastic Additives

Light Flame Polymer

Antioxidants Pigments
Stabilizers Retardants Modifiers

Added value for customers

3
Summary

Introduction
Environmental and Economical aspects
Key paramethers for agricultural film
right choice
Film properties and photo-oxydative
mechanisms
General environmental paramethers
Special environmental paramethers

Conclusions

4
 GH Cover Market

COUNTRY TOTAL Number of 1000Ha Number of 1000Ha Number of 1000Ha

NUMBER OF (Low segment) (medium segment) (High segment)
1000 Ha

Spain+Portugal 55 <1 (<1%) 17 (30%) 37 (70%)

Italy 40 19 (49%) 18 (45%) 3 (6%)
Morocco 14 1-2 (10%) 12 (85%) <1 (5%)
Turkey 40 4 (10%) 20 (50%) 16 (40%)
Rest of EU 18 15 (85%) 3 (14%) <1 (1%)

Low segment: short durability &/or limited irradiation, sporadic agro-chemicals exposure
Medium segment: up to 24 months durability, intense irradiation and regular agro-chemicals exposure
High segment: 33 months or more durability, intense irradiation and frequent agro-chemicals exposure

5
Italy Greenhouses Map
40.000 Ha of greenhouses
Mainly located in
South (65%): Sicily (34%), Campania (14%),
Puglia and Calabria (17%)
North (23%): Veneto (9%), Liguria (8%) and
Emilia-Romagna (6%)
Center (12%): Lazio (9%) and Tuscany (3%)

source: BASF Survey

6
Greenhouses Covering Films
Environmental Aspects
Class
Duration Thickness Kg Film / Ha
EN 13206
12 months C 150 2000
24 months DE 180 2300
36 months E 200 2500
Kg Film / Ha / 3 years
8000

7000
Kg Film / Ha / 3 years
6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0
12 months 21 months 24 months 33 months 36 months

A long lasting film shows lower environmental impact

7
Greenhouses Covering Films
Economical Aspects
Class Average cost*
Duration Thickness
EN 13206 (/Kg) (/Ha)

12 months C 150 2.28 4560

24 months DE 180 2.87 6600

36 months E 200 3.06 7668

Greenhouse film cost along 3 years
20000
* Average prices of greenhouse transparent
18000
films with medium thermicity
16000
/ Ha / 3 years
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
12 21 24 33 36
months months months months months

8
 Greenhouses Covering Films
Economical Aspects
Classe Costo indicativo*
Durata Spessore
EN 13206 (/Kg) (/Ha)

12 mesi C 150 2.28 4560

24 mesi DE 180 2.87 6600

36 mesi E 200 3.06 7668 Installation & removal costs along 3 years*
Greenhouse film cost along 3 years
20000
* Average prices of greenhouse transparent
18000
films with medium thermicity
16000
/ Ha / 3 years
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
*Installation & removal average cost on std 0
Greenhouse (3.5-4 m height): 0,17/m2 = 1700/Ha 12 21 24 33 36
months months months months months

A long lasting film is economically convenient

9
To Ensure the Investment, a Film Must
Achieve the Expected Duration

How to get a long lasting greenhouse film?

10
Key Elements for the Right Film Durability
Solar radiation
(UV radiation intensity, geographical positioning, total radiation)

Films architecture
(polymer, pigments, additives, fillers, mono-multilayers)

Greenhouses architecture
(height, ventilation, supports, windows, materials, installation)

Treatments
(agro-chemicals, sulfur / frequency, concentration, application / crop)

Crop type

Temperature and climate

(heat, wind, rain)

11
Key Elements for the Right Film Durability
Solar radiation
(UV radiation intensity, geographical positioning, total radiation)

Films architecture
(polymer, pigments, additives, fillers, mono-multilayers)

Greenhouses architecture
(height, ventilation, supports, windows, materials, installation)

Treatments
(agro-chemicals, sulfur / frequency, concentration, application / crop)

Crop type
Temperature and climate
(heat, wind, rain)

12
Film Light Stability
- Solar Emission

0.7nm-------------------------------------------------------3000nm
100 Km -Thermosphere / Ionosphere (absorption in Vacuum-UV)

175nm------------------------------------------3000nm
25 Km - Stratosphere (absorption in UV-C by O3)

290nm-------------------------3000nm
Troposphere (partial absorption in IR by CO2 & H2O)
Superficie
terrestre
13
 Film Light Stability
- Irradiation at Ground Level
Solar irradiation in BASF Pontecchio Marconi site
140

120

100

80
kLys

60

40

20

0
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Years 1 KLangley = 1Kcal/cm2

14
How Does Photo-oxidative Degradation
Occur?
UV
.
CH2 CH2 CH2

CH CH2 O2
CH2 . 2
Polyethylene Polyethylene + Radicals

thy l ene
Polye Polyethylene (partially degraded) + Radicals
degraded

15
 How to Slow Down Photo-oxidative
Degradation?
1. UV Absorbers mechanism
2. Ni Quencher mechanism
CH2 CH2 CH2 3. HALS mechanism

CH2 CH2 CH2

NiQ
Polyethylene Polyethylene + Radicals

(HALS)
Catturatori
di radicali

Polyethylene (partially degraded) + Radicals Polyethylene (partially degraded) + Radicals

16
Radical Scavengers:
- HALS: How Do they Work
O2 O2 = Oxygen
O2

R P = Radical

P
N = HALS
H P

Polyethylene film

Several players in the stabilization mechanism

17
Radical Scavengers:
- HALS: How Do they Work
O2

R O2 P = Radical

P
N = HALS
H O2
P

Both HALS and radicals react with Oxygen to activate themselves

18
 Radical Scavengers:
- HALS: How Do they Work

R POO = Peroxy-Radical

P
N
O. = activated HALS
P

Both HALS and radicals react with Oxygen to activate themselves

19
 Radical Scavengers:
- HALS: How Do they Work

R
POO Coupling
N & deactivation
P
O.

Each HALS active group deactivate 2 radicals via coupling

20
 Radical Scavengers:
- HALS: How Do they Work

N
O.

At the reactions end, HALS can again deactivate new radicals

21
Key Elements for the Right Film Durability
Solar radiation
(UV radiation intensity, geographical positioning, total radiation)

Films architecture
(polymer, pigments, additives, fillers, mono-multilayers)

Greenhouses architecture
(height, ventilation, supports, windows, materials, installation)

Treatments
(agro-chemicals, sulfur / frequency, concentration, application / crop)

Crop type

Temperature and climate

(heat, wind, rain)

22
Greenhouse Type

23
Supports & Installations

24
Key Elements for the Right Film Durability
Solar radiation
(UV radiation intensity, geographical positioning, total radiation)

Films architecture
(polymer, pigments, additives, fillers, mono-multilayers)

Greenhouses architecture
(height, ventilation, supports, windows, materlials, installation)

Treatments
(agro-chemicals, sulfur / frequency, concentration, application / crop)

Crop type

Temperature and climate

(heat, wind, rain)

25
HALS
- Agrochemical Treatments Effect

O2
O2
O2

O2

O2
DEACTIVATED HALS R
P POLYMER
DEGRADATION!
N POO
H+ +
H+ HH
H+ H+

H+

H+

H+ = Acid Products
26
HALS
- Sulfur Effect

O2
O2
O2
O2
O2

R O2
DEACTIVATED HALS
P POLYMER
DEGRADATION!
N POO
S S
S HS
S S
S

S S S

S S = Elemental Sulfur
27
HALS
Different Chemical Interactions

HALS alkalinity
Standard HALS Methylated HALS NOR HALS
(Secondary) (Tertiary)
R R R

N N N S
S H+
H
S S S
S R O S
S H+ S S H+ S R
S S H+
H+ H+ S
H+ H+ S
H+
H+ H+ H+

HALS alkalinity impacts on reactivity with acid species

28
Sulfur Accumulation on Greenhouse Film
Sulfur level

2000 ppm

Critical

1500 ppm

Severe
1000 ppm

South Italy
500 ppm
average Sulphur range
Moderate

One Two Three Four or

Year years years more
years
Durability
29
Overview of the Use of Agrochemicals:
Increase in Sulfur Use in Italy

>2000

1500-2000
ppm Sulfur

1000-1500
Italy 2008
500-1000
Italy 2000

<500

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

% samples
Percentage of analyzed film samples sorted by sulfur level (ppm).
2 years and 3 years film samples analyzed in 2000 and 2008.
Source: Product development Film & Fibers applications, (BASF, Italy)

% samples above 2000 ppm: 9% in 2000 , 23% in 2008

30
Agrochemical Treatments
Direct Contamination

Burned Sulfur

31
Agrochemical Treatments
Indirect Contamination

Small tunnel Tunnel Greenhouse

32
Conclusions
Long lasting film is a sustainable and
economically advantageous choice in
greenhouses coverage

Different stablyzers classes can limit the

UV-induced plastic degradation

The right choice of a greenhouse film

stabilization package is fundamental to
achieve the expected duration

This target is influenced as well by a proper

agro film usage and careful agrochemical
treatments in the greenhouse

33
The BASF Broad Range of Light
Stabilizers for Agricultural Application

High Tinuvin NOR 371

Thank you Tinuvin XT 200

for your attention! Tinuvin 494

Tinuvin 111

Agrochemicals Chimassorb 2020

Resistance Chimassorb 944
Uvinul 5050

Further information, please contact:

Low
Montse Guillamon
(montse.guillamon@basf.com) 34