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The Company’s core RD&I activities support each of ICL’s business segments, while longer term strategic projects, digital platforms and technological solutions for farmers and agronomists are coordinated at the corporate level. ICL drives collaborations with companies offering innovative technologies for crop nutrition, and agronomy, in general, with the goal to introduce and integrate new digital solutions for the agricultural world by utilizing, among other things, external knowledge and platforms.
OUR R&D EXPENSES
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D Expenses | $73 M | $55 M | $55 M | $50 M | $54 M |
Next-generation fertilizers: nutrient use efficiency, biodegradable coatings for controlled release fertilizers; biostimulants, nutrient sensing technologies; growth enhancers; nitrogen fixation for crops.
Food Technology: texture improvement, stabilization, salt reduction, shelf-life extension, meatless and alternative proteins.
E-Mobility and Sustainability: energy storage; lithium battery recycling.
Novel Materials: flame retardants; paint & coating additives; biocides; natural cosmetics.
Circular economy: waste to product; recycling; efficiency improvement using ICL’s minerals and chemistries.
Industry 4.0: IoT (Internet of Things) in manufacturing, safety and environment; machine learning and artificial intelligence for manufacturing optimization and product development.
Agro Digital platform:
ICL is in the process of developing an open digital platform, integrating multiple precision-ag technologies for agriculture professionals with partners’ data.
ICL Industrial Products Division
Magnesia-based products: CareMag® D, developed by ICL, is already marketed by leading international cosmetics companies and another product is in the process of being launched. This product won the bronze medal for innovation in the In‑Cosmetics International Conference.
ICL Potash and Magnesium Division
Granular Polysulphate – optimization of the process in two aspects: output and quality, as well as implementation of a new organic coating.
ICL Phosphate Solutions Division
In accordance with the strategy to expand ICL Food Specialties’ business by adding natural, cleaner(er) label ingredients for improving texture, shelf life and pH management, the ICL division began broader screening of technologies, start-ups and molecules. Initial promising results were achieved in the fields of new functional proteins and natural acidulants.
ROVITARIS® is a proprietary technology developed by ICL that supports the production of allergen free plant-based food. Using ROVITARIS® technology, food manufacturers can create plant-based meat alternatives. In late 2019, ICL's Rovitaris® technology won the Food Ingredients Europe Innovation Award in the protein category. ICL is the first company to launch fava bean technology as a new alternative protein solution in the meatless category.
Innovative Ag Solutions
Main targets:
Read more about ICL’s RD&I projects in the ICL’s 2020 Annual Report (pp.155-157).
The ICL Chemical Research Center in Israel – IMI TAMI (TAMI) – is a world-class research institute. Its primary goal is to expand the business of ICL by improving existing chemical production processes and developing new, proprietary chemical compounds with a commercial advantage. TAMI’s team includes chemists, engineers, microbiologists and analytical and corrosion chemists. The institute also provides a broad range of services, including research and development, production, testing and a very large selection of analysis options for customers from the chemical, pharmaceutical, food and environmental quality service industries.
As a one-stop-shop facility, TAMI’s infrastructure and expertise enable the development of processes from the basic idea to the full industrial process. TAMI offers its expertise in every step of the process: idea validation, lab feasibility, parametrization, Process Safety Analysis, Scale-Up and waste treatment. Development relies on a state-of-the-art infrastructure containing in house development tools, and is assisted with cutting edge customized simulation capabilities, such as ASPEN PLUS, VISIMIX, etc. TAMI also deals with scaling down processes for trouble shooting or changing and upgrading processes. TAMI works under strict regulation requirements e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 GLP, etc. To meet customers’ requirements, TAMI provides various solutions for raw materials recycling and waste treatment and analysis, as well as sophisticated analytical tools to face any new challenges.
Some examples of fields in which TAMI developed processes, for internal and external customers, include: flame retardants, fertilizers, polymers, composite materials, nano materials, biocides, pharma, cannabis, biotech, food, and many more. It works with startups, as well as established companies.
