Process Development of an Agricultural Chemical

Project Objectives

Perform process chemistry and scale-up evaluation of an emerging process for a novel agricultural chemical and prepare a representative product sample for toxicology testing.

Client Profile/Project Background

Our client, a diversified chemical company with annual sales exceeding one billion dollars, had a project on a fast-track commercialization schedule, and came to Ricerca to accelerate progress. The client provided basic process chemistry for preparation of the target compound.

Results/Status

The process involved multiple chemical reactions which were conducted in a series/ parallel structure. Ricerca conducted laboratory-scale evaluations of each reaction step and suggested several processing improvements. Reactions were then scaled up to 50 gallons. Several runs of each step were made to establish material balance and yield structure for the complete process. Full technical documentation was prepared including flowsheets. Once process conditions and operating configurations were finalized, a large sample of the target compound was prepared for use in toxicology testing. The product met or exceeded all regulatory requirements and is now a registered commercial agricultural product in routine full-scale production.