LyondellBasell grants Lupotech T license to Borealis for 350 KT per year LDPE plant

Borealis AG has selected LyondellBasell’s Lupotech T technology for a new 350 KT per year low density polyethylene (LDPE) plant; start-up is expected in 2013.

“This investment is an important step in our growth strategy and our selection of LyondellBasell’s LDPE technology supports this position” said Alfred Stern, Vice President Innovation & Technology at Borealis, during the signing ceremony. “

Lupotech T provides best-in-class operating performance and combined with Borealis’ own, film and wire & cable technology, we can build on our leadership in value creation in Asia and the Middle East.”

Just Jansz, President of LyondellBasell’s Technology Business, commented: “This is our second polyethylene process technology licensed to Borealis in the last three years, which builds upon a solid relationship that will continue well into the future”. Jansz further added: “Lupotech T, now with a total of eight million tonnes per year of licensed capacity, is the clear market leader in high pressure tubular LDPE technology.”

Key features of Lupotech T technology include low manufacturing and investment costs, fast start-up and grade changes, and a broad product portfolio, which make it today’s technology of choice for the world-scale production of LDPE and EVA copolymers.

In addition to the Lupotech T process, LyondellBasell’s portfolio of licensed polyolefin technologies and associated technical services is comprised of:

• Lupotech A – high pressure autoclave process for the production of specialty LDPE and EVA copolymers
• Spherilene – advanced swing-gas-phase process for the production of LLDPE, MDPE and monomodal and bimodal HDPE
• Hostalen – leading low-pressure slurry process for the production of high-end multimodal HDPE
• Spheripol – leading polypropylene technology for the production of homopolymer, random and heterophasic copolymers
• Spherizone – latest-generation polypropylene technology, based on a multi-zone reactor for the production of polypropylene and novel polyolefins
• Metocene PP - innovative add-on technology for the production of specialty polypropylene products using single-site catalyst systems