MIDLAND, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co. has selected UNIPOL™ Polypropylene Process Technology from The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) for its new 160 KTA polypropylene unit. The unit will provide polypropylene as part of Qinghai’s integrated magnesium metal project to produce homopolymers, random copolymers and impact copolymers.
“We’re excited to have Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co. as a new licensee,” said Tracy Cleckler, global commercial director, Dow Polypropylene Licensing and Catalysts business. “The plastics market in China is expanding and this new license confirms the interest in using advanced polypropylene process and catalyst technology to produce differentiated resins for a variety of applications.”
Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co. is the eighth licensee of UNIPOL PP Technology in China. Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co. is the largest salt lake resources development enterprise and potassium chloride base in China with a wide range of products including potassium carbonate, potassium nitrate and potassium metal. As part of the magnesium metal project, it will utilize coal as feedstock to produce ethylene and propylene through coal gasification, then use the ethylene and propylene as feedstock for the polypropylene unit.
“With UNIPOL PP Process Technology we are able to meet growing market demand for polypropylene in China,” said Hai Jizhong, project director of polypropylene for Qinghai. “We have chosen UNIPOL because it is the most advanced propylene process technology available and offers the ability to produce the broadest spectrum of products in the industry.”
Installation at Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co. is scheduled to start in 2012, with start-up expected in the second half of 2013.
Currently, there are 46 operating lines worldwide using UNIPOL™ Polypropylene Technology. The UNIPOL polypropylene process is an all gas-phase process for producing the broadest range of polypropylene resins. The simple design is consistent in terms of product quality and energy efficiency, requiring no equipment for handling, separating or recycling solvents. The system’s fluidized-bed reactors and high performance CONSISTA™ Catalyst Systems and SHAC™ Catalyst Systems give manufacturers the flexibility to produce homopolymers, random copolymers and impact copolymers.
Resins produced by UNIPOLTM Polypropylene Technology from Dow account for 17 percent of global polypropylene output. Polypropylene is a versatile plastic used in packaging, durable goods, automotive parts, non-wovens, fibers and consumer applications.
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Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element" to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2010, Dow had annual sales of $53.7 billion and employed approximately 50,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.