LyondellBasell Grants Spherizone and Hostalen ACP Licenses to Sinopec

ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands, September 10, 2019 – LyondellBasell (NYSE: LYB) today announced that China Petrochemical International Co., Ltd (Sinopec International) has selected LyondellBasell’s world-leading polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) technologies for a new facility.
 
The plants will be built at the Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical complex in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, P. R. China. The complex will comprise of a 300 KTA polypropylene plant that will utilize LyondellBasell’s Spherizone PP process technology and a 300 KTA high-density polyethylene plant which will utilize LyondellBasell’s Hostalen ACP process technology.
 
“This again demonstrates LyondellBasell’s leadership in polymer process technologies in the market,” said Jim Seward, senior vice president of research and development, technology and sustainability at LyondellBasell. Seward added: “The selection by Sinopec International of the Spherizone technology as the innovative manufacturing platform for polypropylene resins and the Hostalen ACP technology as the leading low-pressure slurry process for the production of HDPE resins shows once again the confidence the market has in our technologies.”
 
The Spherizone breakthrough multi-zone circulating reactor provides a unique and innovative platform to manufacture polypropylene products with novel architecture and enhanced product properties.
 
The Hostalen ACP process technology manufactures high performance, multi-modal HDPE resins with an industry-leading stiffness/toughness balance, impact resistance, high stress cracking resistance and process advantages used in pressure pipe, film and blow molding applications.
 
The Sinopec Spherizone plant will commence operations using Avant ZN catalyst. The Hostalen plant will commence operations using Avant Z501 and Avant Z509-1 catalysts to produce a full range of multi-modal HDPE products.
 
New licensees can take advantage of LyondellBasell’s in-house expertise of continuous production improvement, sustainable product development and catalyst knowhow, by optionally joining our Technical Service program.
 
In addition to the Spherizone and the Hostalen ACP process technology, LyondellBasell’s portfolio of licensed polyolefin processes and catalysts includes:
• Spheripol – The leading PP process technology with more than 25 million tons of licensed capacity with globally recognized quality grades with leading monomer consumption and investment costs to make it the technology of choice
• Lupotech – The market leader on high pressure technology offers, with its high conversion rates and effective heat recovery system, the lowest operating and investment costs for the production of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers
• Spherilene – Flexible gas phase process technology for the production of LLDPE, MDPE and HDPE
• Metocene PP – Innovative add-on technology for the production of specialty polypropylene products using single-site catalyst systems
• Avant – Advanced Ziegler-Natta, including non-phthalate, chromium and metallocene catalysts for entire range of polyolefin production.