Polyethene classification and industrial use

In terms of production volume, polyethene (PE) is the most important polymer. The production capacity for PE was 94 mio. tons in 2008 and is expected to rise to 128 mio. tons in 2015 (Plastemart, 2010). Despite the simple structure of the ethene monomer, many different polyethene production processes are in operation, leading to different classes of products with specific physicochemical properties and application fields. 

PE type Low-density polyethene Linear low-density polyethene (LLDPE) High density polyethene 

Process of PE formation Radical reaction at very high Metal catalyzed, medium pressures Metal catalyzed, medium 

Historically, LDPE was inventend first. In 1935, a research team at ICI found by accident that a mixture of ethylene and benzaldehyde formed a white solid when subjected to 1900 bar pressure at 170 °C. This discovery led to the first PE production plant in 1939. 

Ethene polymerization by coordination chemistry also allowed the defined incorporation of 1-alkenes into the polymer chain, leading to production of LLDPE. The term LLDPE was coined together with the first large-volume production process by Union Carbide in 1978. 

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