How to test an inert silica carrier for WP and WG agrochemical formulations

In short: Load the technical or its solution onto the carrier under the same conditions the plant uses, then run the standard formulation checks — wet sieve, suspensibility, wettability and, for WG, disintegration and attrition — against the incumbent carrier. Sensilchem supplies inert carriers only and takes no position on active ingredients; CENSIL 260P is the starting point, with 265P and 280P for higher liquid loads.

What you need

  • The active ingredient or premix you formulate, handled according to its safety data sheet
  • Carrier sample set (base grade plus one step up)
  • Laboratory blender, mill if the plant mills, and for WG a small granulator or pan
  • Wet sieve, suspensibility cylinders, wettability timer, attrition and disintegration test apparatus

Step by step

  1. Work within the safety data sheet of the active

    Every step here concerns the carrier. Handling, exposure limits and disposal for the active ingredient are set by its own SDS and by your site rules, and nothing in this guide changes them.

  2. Load the carrier the way the plant does

    Blend the active onto the moving carrier at plant-like shear and stop at the same load the production formulation uses. For a liquid technical, add it in stages and watch for balling as you would in a premix.

  3. Mill if the plant mills

    A carrier behaves differently after milling. If the production route mills the blend, mill the trial blend on the same type of mill before running any formulation test.

  4. Run the standard WP checks

    Wet sieve residue, suspensibility and wettability on the treated blend against the incumbent, using the methods your registration file already cites. A carrier change is a formulation change and is judged by the same tests.

  5. For WG, granulate and test disintegration

    Granulate the blend on the plant route, then run disintegration, attrition and dust tests. A carrier that makes a good WP can make a granule that is either too hard to disperse or too soft to ship.

  6. Store and re-test

    Hold the formulation warm for the period your stability protocol requires and repeat the tests. Carrier interaction with an active generally shows up as a change in suspensibility over time, not on day one.

Mistakes that spoil the comparison

  • Testing the loaded carrier before milling when the plant mills.
  • Judging a WG carrier by WP results only.
  • Treating a carrier switch as a non-change that needs no stability data.

Questions we get asked

Does Sensilchem advise on active ingredient compatibility?

No. We supply the inert carrier, provide its documentation and describe how to run the carrier trial. Compatibility with a specific active is the formulator's determination.

Which grade for a high liquid load?

Start on CENSIL 260P; if the target load is held but the blend stops flowing, move to 265P, and use 280P when the liquid load itself is the constraint.

Tell us what is failing in the process

The material you use now, the formulation or resin, the equipment and the target you need to hit. That is enough for us to say whether we have something worth testing.

Request a sample Contact us
Application & sales Ms. Nina Zhang nina@sensilchem.com +86 597-2200392
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