Polyethylene Torres
Polyethylene Torres
Introduction
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/40
1addpolymer
Types of Polyethylene
Annual production of
Polyethylene/
Million tons
LDPE
HDPE
LLDPE
World
23.3
25.5
7.4
Europe
6.7
5.1
1.1
US
3.5
6.5
2.8
Russia
Total 1.41
Middle
East
1.9
China
3.5
Rest of
Asia
4.3
1.4
1.6
6.4
1.8
The commercial LDPE process is a free radical polymerization that uses organic
peroxide initiators 420-570 K and 1000 - 3000 atmospheres of pressure.
Ethene (purity in excess of 99.9%) is compressed and passed into a reactor together
with the initiator. The molten polyethylene is removed, extruded and cut into
granules
HDPE
HDPE is produced by three types of processes: Slurry process(2methylpropane (isobutane) or hexane as solvent), Solution
process (a C10or C12alkane as solvent) and the Gas phase
process
Image from:www.essentialchemicalindustry.org/polymers/polyethene
LLDPE
Polyethylene Applications
Process
HDPE
LDPE
LLDPE
Making film
Food
Cling film
packaging
Milk carton
Shopping bags lining
Stretch film
Injection
molding
Dustbins
Crates
Food boxes
Buckets
Bowls
Detergent
Blow moulding bottles
Drums
Squeezable
bottles
Extrusion
Flexible water
pipes
Cable coating
Cable
jacketing
Water pipes
UHMWPE
Compression Molding Press (along with the author, for scale) for production of 1 m by 2 m sheets of
UHMWPE. This press is located at Poly Hi Solidur MediTECH in Vreden, Germany, and was originally
used by Ticona in the production of Chirulen sheets of UHMWPE. The press is still used today in the
production of medical grade UHMWPE
Image from: www.uhmwpe.org/lexicon/processing_uhmwpe
Morphological features of
UHMWPE
UHMWPEs applications
Pickers for textile machinery, lining for coal chutes and dump trucks,
runners for bottling production lines, as well as bumpers and siding
for ships and harbors. Over 90% of the UHMWPE produced in the
world is used by industry. UHMWPE is also used in orthopedics as a
bearing material in artificial joints.
Stainless steel and ultra high molecular weight polythene hip replacement
Image from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene
HDPE
UHMWPE
0.050.25
3.57.5
130137
132138
Specific Gravity
0.9520.965
0.9250.945
0.44.0
0.50.8
2633
2128
2231
3948
101200
350525
21214
6080
3975
Image from:www.braskem.com.br/site.aspx/Como-e-
References
Revision questions