At this year’s Latin American Fertilizer Conference, Produquímica, a Compass Minerals company, introduced MicroActive™ technology, an innovative alternative to coating NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) fertilizer granules with micronutrients.

Produquímica, in partnership with the research company Embrapa Instrumentação, developed the groundbreaking water-based formulation to improve micronutrient distribution and plant availability. The coating process enables a highly adherent, homogeneous water suspension of nanoparticles, to cover a fertilizer blend resulting in a more consistent coating and better distribution of micronutrients across the field. The process also allows for optimal application rates to ensure plant vigor and yield.

“MicroActive technology is available with different nutrient ratios that are based on the demands of the micronutrient market,” said Michel Castellani, Produquímica research and development manager. “It was essential to use high-quality raw materials to achieve the application rates needed to support higher agronomic performance.”

“Coating one nutrient onto another, without losing adherence over time, and keeping the correct nutrient ratios was a great challenge during the research,” said Embrapa researcher Cauê Ribeiro. “Together, we developed a formula with enhanced performance features that is more environmentally friendly.”

The product line is currently available in Brazil. Distribution may expand into new markets as demand for the technology grows.

“Innovation is one of the main pillars of our company. We make significant investments in the development of our projects and work in partnership with renowned research institutions worldwide. We are proud to have partnered with Embrapa, a research company we admire so much, to develop the MicroActive technology” commented Ithamar Prada, Produquímica research and development director.

To the right, the research and development team responsible for leading the MicroActive project along with Embrapa. From left to right: Ricardo Oliveira, research and development engineer; Samantha Faria, research and development assistant; Michel Castellani, research and development manager, Gabriel Uehara, junior researcher and project MicroActive leader and Isaías Barros, research and development assistant.