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In PETROFRICK we supply different types of polyethylene includes HDPE, LDPE and LLDPE with different MFR for different applications.
Polyethylene (PE), a member of the important family of polyolefin resin, is the most widely used plastic in the world. They are prepared by the catalytic polymerization of ethylene. It is a thermoplastic polymer consisting of long chains, produced by combination of the monomer molecules, i.e., ethylene. Depending on the mode of polymerization, three basic types of PE are frequently used: HDPE, LDPE and LLDPE. It is one of the most widely produced plastics in the world, with tens of millions of tons produced worldwide each year. Polyethylene offers excellent chemical and impact resistance, electrical properties and low coefficient of friction which is used in packaging film, trash and grocery bags, agricultural mulch, piping, water tank, wire and cable insulation, squeeze bottles, toys, and housewares.
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 and pressure and derived from either modifying natural gas (a methane, ethane, propane mix) or catalytic cracking of crude oil into gasoline.
HDPE is produced majorly using two techniques: Slurry Polymerization or Gas Phase Polymerization. High density polyethylene is flexible, translucent, waxy, weather resistant and displays toughness at very low temperatures.
Low-density Polyethylene (LDPE) is a semi-rigid polymer with low crystallinity. Compared to HDPE, it has a higher degree of short and long side-chain branching. The LDPE is composed of 4,000-40,000 carbon atoms, with many short branches. It is produced at high pressure via free radical polymerization process.
Two basic processes used for the production of low-density polyethylene: stirred autoclave or tubular routes. The tubular reactor has been gaining preference over the autoclave route due to its higher ethylene conversion rates.
LLDPE is produced by polymerization of ethylene (or ethane monomer) with 1-butene and smaller amounts of 1-hexene and 1-octene, using Ziegler-Natta or metallocene catalysts.
It is structurally similar to LDPE. The structure of LLDPE has a linear backbone with short, uniform branches (unlike longer branches of LDPE). These short branches are able slide against each other upon elongation without becoming entangled like LPDE.
In the present-day, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) has been quite successful in replacing Low Density Polyethylene.
