LyondellBasell adds HDPE caps and closure capacity

Polyolefins giant LyondellBasell says that the caps and closures market will be one of the key focus sectors for its new Hostalen ACP HDPE production unit, currently under construction at its Münchsmünster site in Germany.

The 250,000tpa unit will begin manufacturing multi-modal HDPE resin grades using LyondellBasell’s Advanced Cascade Process (ACP), for the closure, pipe and blow moulding industry in the second half of this year.

The ACP process is claimed to allow production of HDPE resins with tailor-made molecular weight distributions and co-monomer content, resulting in optimum stiffness/toughness balance, high ESCR and improved ease of processing.

“This state-of-the-art plant will bring additional capacity to the market and improve customer’s flexibility of supply within the EU,” the company said in a statement.

The Münchsmünster investment follows commercialisation of a 400,000tpa ACP unit at its Saudi Ethylene and Polyethylene Company joint venture with Tasnee and Sahara Petrochemical Company at Al-Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia.

The SPEC facility, which started production in April last year, also includes 400,000tpa of LDPE capacity using LyondellBasell’s Lupotech T process.

The company is also expanding its portfolio of HDPE resins for the caps and closures market. The company’s multi-modal Hostalen ACP resins are said to be characterised by excellent organoleptic properties, combined with very good ESCR and optimised processing.

Designed to complement the company’s existing closure resin products, the Hostalen ACP product range is supported with a number of slip additive packages designed to meet a wide range of torque requirements.

According to LyondellBasell, industrial trials at closure makers have shown that total cycle time savings can be achieved at melt temperatures up to 20°C below standard grades with no evidence of mould filling problems.

In addition to the scope for process energy savings, the better balance of stiffness and toughness exhibited by the Hostalen ACP resins is said too provide potential to reduce closure weight or to incorporate more complex features into the closure designs.

Hostalen ACP resins are produced at LyondellBasell production sites, including the new line at Münchsmünster in Germany, and are available on a global basis.