Protecting Your Fertilizer Margins

Make the most of nitrogen in challenging cost environments with AGXALT® X-100

What is inside:

The Urea Landscape at a Glance
Application Impact on Untreated Nitrogen
Nitrogen stabilization 101
Introducing AGXALT^® X-100: High-Performance Solvent for Nitrogen Stabilizer Formulations
Why gChem: A Reliable Partner in a Volatile Fertilizer Market

The Urea Landscape at a Glance

The recent Iran-Israel-US conflict is adding incredible strain to the single logistics pathway for one-third of global fertilizer exports; The Strait of Hormuz¹. This is placing price pressure on Urea², a typical fertilizer used for row crop yield improvement. As pricing volatility increases, maximizing the value and longevity of nitrogen fertilizers becomes even more critical.

Application Impact on Untreated Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a key nutrient that can have sizable yield improvements on your row crop. Untreated nitrogen is especially vulnerable to environmental losses. One of nitrogen’s most common applications is vulnerable to environmental degradation without treatment to extend the additive’s life.

Two forms of environmental degradation that can reduce nitrogen effectiveness for plant growth would be:

Leaching: Excessive wet conditions, either from rain or irrigation, move nitrogen below the root zone, preventing plant uptake, causing leaching
Volatilization: Sustained high temperatures can convert urea to ammonia gas (NH₃) and allow nitrogen to escape into the atmosphere, creating volatilization³.

Limiting nitrogen crop uptake diminishes yield potential and reduces the efficiency of every fertilizer dollar spent; however, by stabilizing nitrogen these risks can be mitigated.

Nitrogen Stabilization 101

Nitrogen can be stabilized using chemical additives, such as NBPT and DCD, to maintain it in the soil for longer periods, facilitating plant uptake. In the presence of solvents, these additives can be formulated in combination with one another or separately. These components are applied to nitrogen in two ways: as a coating on solid granules or mixed into liquids.

NBPT (N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide): Protects nitrogen from volatilization to the air by inhibiting urease enzymes
DCD (dicyandiamide): Extends the stability of nitrogen by reducing its propensity to leach into the soil, as opposed to being taken up by the plant.

Effectively using a combination of these chemical additives can have an average yield improvement on row crops of ~9% – directly benefitting growers’ bottom line⁴. Nitrogen stabilizer formulations using NBPT and DCD can become more effective by using a strong solvent to enhance the solubility of these chemical additives.

Introducing AGXALT^® X-100: High-Performance Solvent for Nitrogen Stabilizer Formulations

AGXALT^® X-100 is a proven solvent that delivers equal or superior performance compared to traditional, more hazardous solvents used in nitrogen stabilizer formulations. It consistently performs across a wide range of formulations, helping maintain the quality and efficacy of agricultural products.

AGXALT^® X-100 has shown increased solubility for both NBPT and DCD in formulations when compared to other similar solvents⁵:

NBPT – 17% increase in solubility
DCD – 34% increase in solubility

These increases in solubility translate to:

Increased nitrogen efficiency
Stronger returns on fertilizer investments
Improved yield resilience in environments with challenging conditions

Why gChem: A Reliable Partner in a Volatile Fertilizer Market

In a volatile fertilizer market, gChem delivers stability, consistency, and proven reliability. Built on real-world performance during supply disruptions, gChem helps customers stay operational when conditions are uncertain.

Secure, domestic supply: Integrated production of AGXALT^® X-100 reduces reliance on extended import channels and associated risks
Supply chain resilience: Strategic raw material integration and logistics redundancies support reliable, on-time delivery
Consistent quality: ISO 9001-certified processes ensure quality-focused production and dependable batch-to-batch performance

For growers and fertilizer retailers, the right stabilizer formulation can translate directly to measurable returns – better nitrogen protection, improved crop uptake, and stronger yields.

To explore how AGXALT^® X-100 can enhance your fertilizer strategy, talk to our team:

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