The Spherizone process, a new manufacturing technology developed by Basell that significantly and uniquely expands the polypropylene property envelope, is now available for license on a global basis, it was announced today.
"Spherizone technology is the most significant breakthrough in polypropylene process technology since the launch of the Spheripol process 20 years ago," said Werner Breuers, president of Basell’s Technology Business. "In addition to expanded product capability, the Spherizone process offers the benefit of low capital and operating costs due to its newly patented, multi-zone circulating reactor system."
Basell started up the first commercial Spherizone process plant in Brindisi, Italy in 2002. In its first year of operation, the plant has replicated most existing polypropylene grades and is now mapping the new products made possible with the new technology.
"The new reactor design can produce bi-modal products in a single reactor due to its ability to operate dual phases in a continuously circulating system," said Kaspar Evertz, vice president of Basell’s Licensing Business. "The result is a polymer with extremely uniform properties throughout the reactor."
Polymer property advantages in rigid packaging applications demonstrated at the Brindisi plant include higher fluidity, better stiffness / impact balance and higher heat deflection temperatures. "Random copolymers exhibit better opticals, softness and low temperature impact resistance," said Evertz.
He added, "Over the past 20 years, the Spheripol process has been the most widely licensed technology ever developed for the production of polypropylene. Following this success, we are proud to include Spherizone technology in our portfolio of technologies available for license."
In addition to Spheripol and Spherizone technologies for polypropylene production, Basell also licenses the following polyethylene processes:
--Hostalen - low-pressure slurry process for the production of bimodal HDPE
--Lupotech T - high pressure tubular reactor process for the production of LDPE homopolymers and EVA-copolymers
--Spherilene / Lupotech G – gas phase process platform for the production of swing LLDPE/HDPE and HDPE/MDPE
In addition to licensing polyolefin technologies, Basell produces and commercialises advanced polyolefin catalyst systems. Basell also develops, produces and markets polypropylene, polyethylene and advanced polyolefin materials. Basell's corporate centre is located in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands; the company has regional offices in Elkton, Maryland, USA; Brussels, Belgium; Mainz, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Hong Kong, as well as manufacturing facilities and sales offices in the major markets around the world. The company’s Internet address is www.basell.com.
For additional information about the new Spherizone technology, contact Basell’s Licensing organisation at licensing@basell.com, or Michelle Talmo of Basell’s Corporate Communications Department at michelle.talmo@basell.com or +1 302 438 6574.
