Mehr Petrochemical Company in Asaluyeh, Bushehr Province, has set a new record in production of high-density polyethylene in the past six months.
The company produced 190,000 tons of HDPE in the six months, which is the highest since establishment in 2005, the Oil Ministry news agency Shana reported.
The previous 6-month record was set in 2017 when output reached 161,000 tons.
Located in Pars Special Economic Energy Zone, Mehr Company has an annual capacity to produce 300,000 tons of polyethylene, the basic material for downstream industries.
Iran’s annual polymer production is 7.4 million tons and is projected to reach 12 million tons by 2022, as per the Sixth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2016-2021).
According to official data, petrochemical production is expected to reach 90 million tons a year from the present 66 million tons by 2022.
Polyethylene is the world's most versatile and widely produced polymer. HDPE is a thermoplastic polymer produced from monomer ethylene. It is used for producing plastic bottles, corrosion-resistant piping, geomembranes and plastic lumber.
HDPE is also used for producing PE-100 pipes that have higher and long-term durability with application in oil, gas, water and wastewater systems.
Last year, the Petrochemical Research and Technology Company produced SAC500 catalyst to augment production of PE-100 pipes.
PE-100 has an optimum balance of three key properties, one of which is minimum required strength that provides not only stress crack resistance but also long-term strength as well as rapid crack propagation resistance.
The global polyethylene market demand is expected to witness high growth due to increasing demand for packaged goods and changing urban lifestyles. Easy availability and affordable PE prices are likely to underpin market growth.
However, increasing environmental concerns and health awareness issues among consumers worldwide are expected to act as key restraining factors for the market. Meanwhile, introduction and development of bio-based and bio-degradable polyethylene is likely to open new vistas for market growth.
In addition, manufacturing polyethylene from feedstock derived through unconventional sources such as coal, shale gas and bio-based materials will ensure raw material availability and sustainable resources. Development of new technologies and additives for producing polyethylene are expected to improve performance and open new market avenues for polyethylene in the coming years. The global high-density polyethylene market was worth $106.3 billion in 2019.
