Green Solvent Selection for Emulsifiable Concentrate Agrochemical Formulations

Emulsifiable concentrates are a common form of agrochemical formulation in which a high quantity of active ingredient is typically dissolved in an aromatic hydrocarbon solvent. There are considerable health and environmental hazards associated with the solvents in emulsifiable concentrates, and finding alternatives was deemed worthy of investigation. Using a combination of in silico modeling and experimental testing, a number of alternative safer solvents have been tested for the agrochemicals pendimethalin, prochloraz, and pyraclostrobin. Cyclohexanone, diethyl carbonate, ethyl acetate, and dihydrolevoglucosenone (Cyrene) were observed to be effective solvents.