Grace licenses UNIPOL PP process technology to Sinochem Hongrun Petrochemical Co. Ltd

Independent supplier of polyolefin catalyst technology and polypropylene (PP) process technology, W. R. Grace & Co., has licensed its UNIPOL® PP process technology and its UNIPOL UNIPPAC® process control software to Sinochem Hongrun Petrochemical Chemical Co. Ltd. (Sinochem Hongrun). The UNIPOL PP facility, located in Qingzhou, Weifang, Shandong, China will start up in 2022 and will include one reactor line with the capability to produce 450 000 tpy of polypropylene.

The award increases the total amount of licensed volume for UNIPOL PP technology worldwide to more than 27 million tpy.

“Our team at Grace is excited to embark on this project with Sinochem Hongrun and welcome them to the UNIPOL PP Family. We are committed to their success through the services and solutions that we offer for the lifetime of the plant,” said Laura Schwinn, President of Grace’s Specialty Catalysts business. Schwinn added: “Sinochem Hongrun’s decision to purchase our UNIPOL UNIPPAC process control software allows them to optimise their plant operations and extract performance improvements on an ongoing basis, providing them with competitive advantages in cost, quality, and product differentiation. This, coupled with our process and product improvements programme and the vast experience of our global technical services team, will ensure that Sinochem Hongrun meets their goal of producing a wide variety of resins for the Chinese market.”

Grace’s all gas-phase UNIPOL PP process technology provides a broad range of PP homopolymers, random copolymers, and impact copolymers for the industry. The process technology is a state-of-the-art engineering technology that achieves mechanical and operational simplicity and delivers leading total installed cost and operating expense, accelerated project schedules, fast startups, grade transitions, and business results.

Sinochem Hongrun chose the UNIPOL PP process technology for their site in Shandong, China, because of ease of operation, product breadth, life-time economics and the support Grace provides during the lifetime of the plant. Sinochem Hongrun plans to produce polypropylene resins to meet the growing demand for more complex polypropylene products in China.

Source: Hydrocarbon Engineering