Polyethylene plastic production process

‫ علي حسين محمد‬:‫أعداد الطالب‬

‫ أسعد عبدهللا حياوي‬:‫بشتراك الطالب‬

How is PE made
Polyethylene is formed by the addition or radical polymerization of ethylene (olefin) monomers. (The chemical formula for ethene - c 2 h 4). Ziegler-

Natta and Metallocene catalysts are used to perform polyethylene polymerization

Introduction to Polyethylene .
.Polyethylene products is very common in our daily life. For examples, food and pharmaceutical packaging fi lm, wire and cable insulation and pipe

Therefore, the production of polyethylene is humongous as is one of the most popular.used polymer materials in day-to-day life

A large number of products could be manufactured from plastic which include .

plastic bags, plastic fi lm and milk barrels which are suitable for hollow molding, injection molding and extrusion of

.various products. For instances, various containers, cable cladding, pipe, profi le and sheet

Polyethylene is among the top five world's largest production and consumption of synthetic resin and the main

varieties are low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

is a cost-effective thermoplastic with linear structure and no or low degree of branching. It is manufactured at low temperature (70-300°C) and pressure

:(10-80 bar) & derived from either

Modifying natural gas (a methane, ethane, propane mix) or

The catalytic cracking of crude oil into gasoline

.HDPE is produced majorly using two techniques: Slurry Polymerization or Gas Phase Polymerization

High Density Polyethylene Molecular Structure

.High density polyethylene is flexible, translucent/waxy, weather resistant, and displays toughness at very low temperatures

Properties of High Density Polyethylene

HDPE Melting point: 120-140°C

Density of HDPE: 0.93 to 0.97 g/cm3

:High Density Polyethylene Chemical resistance

Excellent resistance to most solvents

Very good resistance to alcohols, dilute acids and alkalis

Moderate resistance to oils and greases

Poor resistance to hydrocarbons (aliphatic, aromatic, halogenated)

Continuous temperature: -50°C to +60°C, Relatively stiff material with useful temperature capabilities

Higher tensile strength compared to other forms of polyethylene

Low cost polymer with good processability

Good low temperature resistance

Excellent electrical insulating properties

Very low water absorption

FDA compliant

Applications of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

Excellent combination of properties makes HDPE an ideal material in diverse applications across industries. It can be engineered according to the end

.use requirements

Some of the major uses of high density polyethylene include

Structure of polyethylene .
Polyethylene (PE) is a type of plastic. The plastic bags that we get from the supermarket are made of polyethylene

.Although polyethylene has the simplest structure of the polymer, it is still the most widely used polymer materials .)PE (

It is made by repeating the -CH2-unit. Polyethylene is formed by addition polymerization of ethylene (CH2 = CH2). [2]

The performance of polyethylene depends on its polymerization. Ziegler-Natta polymerization was carried out under

medium pressure (15-30 atm) organic compound catalytic conditions for high density polyethylene (HDPE). Under

these conditions, the polymerized polyethylene molecules are linear and the molecular chain is very long with molecular

-weight goes up to several hundred thousand. If it is produced under high pressure (100-300MPa), hightemperature (190

210C) and in peroxide catalytic conditions free radical polymerization, the end product will low-density polyethylene (LDPE) which is a branched str
High Pressure Processes
-Among industrial processes for production of polyethylene, free radical polym

erizations are conducted under the most severe conditions, typically employingtemperatures of >200 °C and pressures of 15,000 to 45,000 psig. Free

-radical polym

erizations are conducted adiabatically in thick-walled autoclaves or tubing. At

-such high temperatures, polymerization of ethylene occurs in "solution" of poly

mer in excess monomer. Diluents (solvents) are not needed. Polyethylene particles

.precipitate from excess monomer when the reaction mix cools

Except for the reactor zones, autoclave and tubular processes are very similar
polyethylene in the industry development
-Polyethylene (PE) is the most widely used variety of synthetic resins in China. It is mainly used to make high

.frequency insulating materials such as fi lm, container, pipe, monofi lament, wire, cable and many other daily necessities

With the development of petrochemical industry, polyethylene production has been rapid development with production

accounts for about 1/4 of total plastic production. The rapid expansion China's national economy had created a favorable

. environment for the development of synthetic resin industry. Polyethylene (PE) industry is expected to grow at a faster rate

South Korea and China. They will continue to be a source of power. China is becoming the world's largest exporter of

PE fi lms and bags which supplies to North America, Western Europe and Japan in large quantities. In addition to the

industry on the fi lm, woven bags, pipe, cable materials, hollow containers, turnover boxes and other products will lead

to strong demand for polyethylene consumption growth. Hence, China's polyethylene production capacity is expected to

Polyethylene chemical properties

Polyethylene has excellent chemical stability. It is resistant to acidic and basic solution such as hydrochloric

acid, hydrofluoric acid, phosphoric acid, formic acid, amines, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide at room

temperature. However, nitric acid and sulfuric acid has a stronger destructive effect to PE. The polyethylene is

susceptible to photo-oxidation, thermal oxidation and ozone decomposition. Under the action of ultraviolet light it is

prone to degradation. Carbon on the polyethylene has excellent light shielding eff ect. After irradiation there will be

cross-linking, broken chain and the formation of unsaturated groups and other refl ection. Polyethylene is resistant to a

variety of organic solvents, resistant to a variety of acid and alkali corrosion but sensitive to antioxidant acids such as

.nitric acid. In an oxidizing environment, polyethylene is oxidized

n referred to as PE, ethylene is produced by polymerization of a thermoplastic resin. Copolymers of ]-CH2-CH2 -[

,ethylene with a small amount of alpha-olefi ns are also included in the industry. Polyethylene is odorless, non-toxic

waxy, excellent low temperature performance (minimum temperature up to -70 ~ -100 ℃), good chemical stability and

the ability to tolerate most of the acid-base erosion (intolerant with oxidative properties Acid). It is insoluble in general

,solvent at room temperature, has low water absorption and has excellent electrical insulation performance. However

polyethylene is very sensitive to environmental stress (chemical and mechanical action) and has poor heat aging

Conclusions
The plastics industry is one of the fastest growing industrial sectors in the world and is one of the largest and most

.versatile thermoplastic general materials. It is made of ethylene poly polymer from the polymer

There are diff erent production methods which include high pressure polyethylene, medium pressure polyethylene

and low pressure polyethylene. The three methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. The properties of

polyethylene are diff erent with respect with the diff erent manufacturing method and are also related to the molecular

.structure. It can be divided into low density and high density

In general, the polyethylene produced by the high pressure process is called 'low density density' and the polyethylene .1

produced by the medium pressure or low pressure process is called 'high density polyethylene'. In addition, there are low

,molecular weight polyethylene, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, cross-linked polyethylene, chlorinated polyethylene

chlorosulfonated polyethylene, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer and other polyethylene and its copolymer. With the

development of various modifi cation technologies and composite technologies, polyethylene is engaging into new applications

References
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Fang Du, Jiang Lansun, Wu Zhengde. Ed. Chlor-alkali technology. Chemical Industry Press, 1990 )2( .3

.Lu Zhongxing, Zhou Yuanpei, ed. Chlor-alkali chemical production process. Chemical Industry Press, 1995 )3( .4
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Yao Yuying. Principles of Chemical Engineering. Tianjin Science and Technology Press, 2005-7-1 )5( .6

Fu Meili. Oil processing and production technology. Petroleum Industry Press, February 2009 )6( .7