Addressing Polypropylene Demand with Efficient Solutions

POLYPROPYLENE, a colourfast, heat- and corrosion-resistant plastic, has become a preferred material for a variety of applications due to its high versatility. Often used in medical equipment, food containers, and automotive parts, polypropylene has experienced steady growth since its discovery in 1954. Its low density, recyclability, and higher heat distortion temperatures compared to other plastics, along with processing ease in conventional systems, have made polypropylene the plastic of choice amongst manufacturers and consumers.

The steady growth the polypropylene market has seen is expected to continue with Chemical Market Associates, Inc. (CMAI) reporting global market growth at 5.5% annually through 2015. China, which is becoming less reliant on imported raw materials, is experiencing a growth rate closer to 8% per year, making it a high growth market for such material. The increase in locally manufactured polypropylene will cut down on import costs as well as provide access to polypropylene resins more quickly and cost effectively.

The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) is helping supply this increase in polypropylene demand in China by licensing UNIPOL? Polypropylene Process Technology. Since 2006, Dow has signed nine UNIPOL Polypropylene Technology licenses in China including two recent licenses. So far, three plants in China have successfully started up, with two running stably and the third awaiting an available upstream unit to produce propylene on site. Six additional startups are scheduled over the next 3 years, with one scheduled for 2012, two for 2013, and three for 2014. The successful started-up plants using UNIPOL Polypropylene Technology include the first ever Chinese polypropylene plant using coal-based propylene as the feedstock. That success has proven UNIPOL Polypropylene Technology as the natural fit for the emerging coal-to-polyolefin industry, particularly for the coal-rich Chinese market.

The process

Whilst China does not yet produce enough polyolefin resin to be fully self-sustained, polypropylene licensing and catalyst systems such as Dow's UNIPOL Polypropylene Technology offer manufacturers a one-stop shop for polypropylene with the ability to streamline the process and eliminate the need to import polypropylene resins. With more than 600 combined reactor years of experience and over 300 products for licensees to choose from, customers have access to proprietary catalysts and donors that maximise the capability of the UNIPOL Polypropylene Process. UNIPOL Polypropylene Process Technology is an all gas-phase technology based on a fluidised bed reactor system. It is simple to build and economical to operate, with single line capacities up to 650 KTA--the largest amongst all the polypropylene manufacturing technologies. In addition, many licensees have achieved the benefits of operating significantly above their nameplate capacities with UNIPOL Technology. The core UNIPOL facility (purification, reaction, purging, vent recovery, additive addition, and pelleting) has the smallest footprint in the Industry.

The least complex of all polypropylene process technologies, UNIPOL Polypropylene Technology requires the fewest number of reactors and major pieces of rotating equipment. Combining this with CONSISTA? and SHAC? Catalysts and donor systems allows one to produce a wide variety of high value products in a simple, easy to operate process. UNIPOL Polypropylene Technology provides the highest operating on-stream time in the industry. UNIPOL's onestop shop style provides manufacturers with the cost-effective ability to produce high-quality polypropylene in the most efficient manner. UNIPOL appeals to Chinese resin producers with the desire to have low investment cost and a low operating cost.

Continuous investments

CNIKE AIR HUARACHE