Polyolefins growth rates

The ability to downgauge, decrease part weight, improve barrier properties and reach new levels of product performance are propelling polyolefins into new markets previously dominated by other plastics. The high growth rate in PP production capacity is mainly being driven by the ability of PP to replace other resins on a cost/performance basis. For example, functionalisation of PP by incorporation of acrylic functionality has extended its weatherability performance. Interpolymer competition will have a significant impact on the amount and type of additives used. 

Harden s (27) market survey of the growth of polyolefin foams production and sales shows that 114 x 10 kg of PE was used to make PE foam in 2001. The growth rate for the next 6 years was predicted as 5-6% per year, due to recovery in the US economy and to penetration of the automotive sector. In North America, 50% of the demand was for uncrosslinked foam, 24% for crosslinked PE foams, 15% for EPP, 6% for PP foams, 3% for EVA foams and 2% for polyethylene bead (EPE) foam. As protective packaging is the largest PE foam use sector, PE foam competes with a number of other packaging materials. Substitution of bead foam products (EPP, EPE, ARCEL copolymer) by extruded non-crosslinked PE foams, produced by the metallocene process was expected on the grounds of reduced costs. Compared with EPS foams the polyolefin foams have a lower yield stress for a given density. Compared with PU foams, the upper use temperature of polyolefin foams tends to be lower. Eor both these reasons, these foams are likely to coexist. 

The polyolefins as a class have by far the highest growth rate and greatest total volume of all thermoplastics. Recession-induced fluctuations aside, there is little evidence of leveling off of total demand. 

The production of polyolefins such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) and their copolymers increases continuously due to their outstanding product properties and their environmental compatibility. They are commonly applied as packing material. foils, fibers, as well as components for the automotive and electrical industry. In 1996 the worldwide production of PE and PP counted 40 million and 20 million tons, respectively. On the basis of the global demand. the growth rate of PP production is predicted to rise up to 7% per year until 2002/ 2003. 

Table 3.2 lists the development of polyolefins in various countries in 1996-2002. Polypropylene staple maintained a high growth rate of IVo, particularly in West Europe and Taiwan, where the growth rate reached 20 and 15%i, respectively. Filament yarn grew by 1%, which consisted of 4%i in China and South Korea, 5%i in the remaining Asia region, 3% in West Europe, and 1% in Taiwan and Latin America. 

No other major material has appeared on the scene and achieved such a dominant and ubiquitous place in such a short time. As new materials, polyolefins have introduced new possibilities and benefits at attractive price points. Their annual growth rate remains exponential. 

Polypropylene has the biggest share of polyolefin fiber production and consumption. Polyolefin fibers have been experiencing a 6 % growth rate representing the fastest growth in aU synthetic fibers. This is due mainly to increased production capacity in developing countries as well as increased use in carpets and nonwovens in industrialized nations [13]. 

Since the first mass production of polyolefins with the development of Ziegler-type catalysts, commercial exploitation has been very rapid because of their attractive characteristics. The consumption growth rates have been high with the material becoming widely used in various industrial areas for fibers, films, and injection-molding articles. However, polyolefins are notch sensitive and brittle on exposure to severe conditions, such as low temperature or high... 

The total world demand for thermoplastic elastomers, including cdl types, will reach about 1.5 million tons in the year 2000. The annual growth rate of polyolefin based thermoplastic elastomers was 9.1% between 1985 and 1995, and for the next five years growth of about 7.6%/year was forecast (which may be optimistic) by the Freedonia Group (Cleveland, Ohio, USA). The overall market share of the thermoplastic elastomers is about 10% in the nontyre market. 

Over 95% of pearls used in plastics are oxide-coated micas. The major application for plastics is polyolefin packaging. Recent interest in mass coloration for automotive parts could spur the already strong growth rate of pearls. 

With higher 1-octene content they show that elastic properties polyolefin elastomers (POE) are formed [201]. EPDM is a commercially important synthetic rubber. The dienes as terpolymers are curable with sulfur. This rubber shows a higher growth rate than the other synthetic rubbers [202]. The outstanding property of ethene-propene rubber is its weather resistance since it has no double bonds in the backbone of the polymer chain and thus is less sensitive to oxygen and ozone. Other excellent properties of this rubber are its resistance to acids and alkalis, its electrical properties, and its low-temperature performance [203]. 

Figures 16 [p.237] and 17 illustrate respectively the crystal growth rates and the crystallization half-time as a function of undercooling for the four polyolefins. Analyzing the figures, it is not possible to draw any general conclusion on the dependences of the crystallization rate on the bulkiness of the polyolefin side group. Other variables, like molecular mass, crystallization condition, melting, and glass transition temperatures, as well as viscosity of the melt, are involved and should be taken into account for defining the crystallization process of these important polymeric materials.

The growth rate in the use of particulate filled polymers, including those prepared from polyolefins, is very rapid in all fields of application [1], Household articles, automotive parts and various other items are equally prepared from them. In the early days mostly particulate fillers were introduced into polymers and the sole reason for their application was to decrease cost. However, as a result of filling, all properties of the polymer change in fact a new polymer is created. Some characteristics improve, while others deteriorate, so properties must be optimized to utilize all the potentials of modification. Optimization must include all the factors infiuencing properties from component characteristics through structure to interactions. 

Among the polymers produced around the globe polyolefins (Diagram 2.2) show impressive growth rates. Polypropylene stands out again. 

The greatest use of acetic anhydride is in esterifying cellulose to cellulose acetate for application as cigarette filter tow and in textiles. In the United States, acetic anhydride is manufactured by cellulose acetate manufacturers and largely used internally. Other products using acetic anhydride as a raw material are mostly mature with low growth rates they include triacetin, plastic modifiers and intermediates for pharmaceuticals, herbicides, pesticides, and dyes for polyolefins. Growth in production was projected to be 2.1 percent/year in the United States and less in Western Europe and Japan from 1988 to 1995. 

In Figure 7, the rates of growth of the three major polyolefins are compared with those of the other two largest volume thermoplastics PVC and polystyrene. For this comparison, the growth curves were shifted on the time axis to a common starting point, and year zero for each product is the year in which it first attained a volume of 50 million lb. 

New markets are being created, and old ones expanded, at such rates that the exponential growth shown in Figure 7 seems likely to continue for some time. Stanford Research Institute has even predicted, on the basis of long-range extrapolations, that by the year 2000 U.S. production of polyolefins will reach the staggering total of almost 100 billion lb. It is predicted that polyolefins will then (as they do already) constitute well over half of all thermoplastics production. 

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