New cost efficient & agrochemicals resistant light stabilizer class. How to develop a new light stabilizer for agricultural films

摘要

The development of a new light stabilizer for agricultural film requires extensive technical expertise and in-depth knowledge of the market. Over the last few years, several new products have been launched and improved performance claimed over that of standard market solutions on the basis of insufficient, poorly correlated, accelerated weathering tests and outdoor trials. New stabilizers for agricultural applications need much more thorough evaluation, starting with a wide variety of experimental tests simulating single and combined conditions that can be correlated with real-life conditions. These must be followed by tests in experimental greenhouses and field trials over an area of a minimum of several hundred hectares before the product is launched. Only then can it be declared that light stabilizers for agricultural plastics will meet specific performance criteria. BASF's new XT light stabilization technology for agricultural films is followed along its six-year trial path.