Top 10 POE Manufacturers

Polyolefin elastomer (POE) is a thermoplastic elastomer that uses metallocene catalyst to achieve in-situ polymerization of ethylene and α-olefin, in which the polyethylene chain crystalline region (resin phase) acts as a physical cross-linking point and has typical plastic properties.
, after adding a certain amount of α-olefin (1-butene, 1-hexene, 1-octene, etc.
), the crystalline region of the polyethylene chain is weakened, and an amorphous region (rubber phase) showing rubber elasticity is formed, The product has the properties of elastomer again
.

Basic Concepts of POE

Polyolefin elastomer (POE) is a thermoplastic elastomer that uses metallocene catalyst to achieve in-situ polymerization of ethylene and α-olefin, in which the polyethylene chain crystalline region (resin phase) acts as a physical cross-linking point and has typical plastic properties.
, after adding a certain amount of α-olefin (1-butene, 1-hexene, 1-octene, etc.
), the crystalline region of the polyethylene chain is weakened, and an amorphous region (rubber phase) showing rubber elasticity is formed, The product has the properties of elastomer again
.

POE has the dual characteristics of plastic and rubber and has excellent comprehensive performance, so POE can be regarded as a bridge product between plastic and rubber
.

Application of POE in photovoltaic industry

Photovoltaic modules encapsulated by POE film have low water vapor transmission rate, which eliminates the corrosion problem caused by the use of EVA encapsulation film, and can have a longer product life cycle and better durability
.
Improve the power generation, power generation efficiency, reliability and service life of photovoltaic modules, improve tolerance to potential-induced decay PID, and reduce the possibility of premature failure and replacement of modules
.

In addition, bifacial power generation modules and PERC cell modules are more inclined to use POE on the back in order to solve PID
.
N-type TOPCon is easy PID on the front and POE on the front
.

Compared with transparent EVA film, multi-layer co-extruded POE film has greater advantages
.
The multi-layer co-extruded POE film has a low water permeability, which is close to 1/5 of the EVA film of the same thickness, which can greatly improve the weather resistance of the module
.
At the same time, the co-extruded POE film has the advantages of EVA film in the production process, that is, the module production yield is high, the production efficiency is high, and the film itself is easy to store
.

POE application direction

PP modification, improvement of PP/PE recycling performance, toughening of engineering plastics such as PA nylon, compatibilizer, foaming with EVA, POE for EVA extrusion hose modification, color masterbatch or filler masterbatch, hot melt adhesive , cable materials, film products, non-woven fabrics
.

POE has lower cost, lighter weight, lower energy consumption, and more environmental friendliness to obtain elasticity, and has been widely used in auto parts, photovoltaic films, wires and cables, machine tools, household items, toys, entertainment and Sports goods, soles, seals, hot melt adhesives and other fields
.

The main manufacturers of POE

The overall performance of POE is excellent.
At present, the global apparent consumption of POE has exceeded 1.
2 million tons, and the production capacity has exceeded 1 million tons.
Only a few foreign companies have mastered the core technology and intellectual property rights of POE production, which is in a state of short supply
.

Data source: Current Situation and Research Progress of Polyolefin Elastomers

1.
Exxon Mobil

ExxonMobil Chemical is one of the world's largest chemical companies with production capabilities in major global locations
.

In 1991, ExxonMobil (ExxonMobil) used the Exxpol process to copolymerize ethylene and butene on its ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM) device to obtain a new type of polyolefin elastomer material POE, whose brand name was Exact, and later used this process.
Produced ethylene, propylene and hexene copolymerized polyolefin elastomers with the grades Vistamaxx and Exceed, which were put into production in 2001/2004
.

Capacity: about 200,000 tons per year

Official website: www.
exxonmobilchemical.
com.
cn/zh-cn/

2.
Dow Chemical

Dow operates at 18 locations in Greater China, including eight manufacturing sites, and employs approximately 3,200 people, serving customers in industries such as consumer care, infrastructure, and packaging
.
The Dow Chemical Company is the world's No.
1 POE supplier, with the largest production capacity, high product quality, complete grades, and a wide range of applications
.

In 1993, Dow (Dow) Chemical Company adopted a new type of polyolefin elastomer material POE made by constrained geometry catalytic technology (CGCT) and INSITE process.
Later, Dow (Dow) Chemical Company also developed ethylene and propylene, butene copolymer polyolefin elastomer POE, the brands are Versify, Affinity and so on
.
This process can produce products on ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM) equipment
.
DOW's main grade in the photovoltaic field is ENGAGE™ PV
.

ENGAGE™ POE acts as a bridge between rubber and plastic products, inspiring new design possibilities
.
ENGAGE™ POE is one of the first polymers to incorporate Dow's INSITE™ technology, offering an excellent balance of properties.

Dow Chemical's POE production capacity reached 455,000 tons/year in 2016, and its Engage brand products can produce more than 30 brands

Capacity: about 460,000 tons per year

Official website: https://cn.
dow.
com/zh-cn.
html

3.
Mitsui Chemicals

Mitsui Chemicals Co.
, Ltd.
was established in 1997 by the merger of Japan's Mitsui Petrochemical Industry Co.
, Ltd.
and Mitsui Toyo Chemical Co.
, Ltd.
, mainly engaged in basic petrochemical raw materials, synthetic fiber raw materials, basic chemicals, synthetic resins, chemicals, functional products, and fine chemicals.
, licenses,
etc.

Mitsui Chemical Company built a 100,000 t/a POE production unit in Singapore in 2005.
The company's technology came from Dow Chemical to produce ethylene and 1-octene, butene copolymer polyolefin elastomer POE , the grade is Tafmer, and it was put into production in 2003/2005
.

Capacity: about 200,000 tons per year

Official website: LG Chem

LG Chem was established in 1947 and is a subsidiary of the LG Group
.
Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, the company is the most representative chemical company in South Korea
.

LG uses self-developed metallocene catalyst, using ethylene and 1-octene or 1-butene as raw materials, to produce polyolefin elastomer (POE), its brand name is Lucene, which was put into production in 2007
.

Shin Hak-cheol, CEO of LG Chem in South Korea, said at a live webcast investor seminar on February 8, 2022 that LG Chem implements a blue ocean transfer strategy
.
The company will increase the annual production capacity of polyolefin elastomer films for solar panels by 100,000 tons
.
The project, which will start production in 2023, will make LG Chem the world's second-largest producer of POE materials, with an annual capacity of 380,000 tons
.

Capacity: about 10,000 tons per year

Official website: SABIC-SK

SABIC SK Nexlene Company (SSNC), a joint venture holding company between Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and South Korean petrochemical company SK General Chemicals, was established in Singapore in July 2014 and has vigorously developed POE, a polyolefin elastomer, which uses Nexlene™ solution Polymerization technology, and began to put on the market in 2015, the brands are Smart, Solumer, vigorously promoted, and put into production in 2015
.

At Chinaplas 2021, SABIC's main POE resins, FORTIFYTM C5075DP and C13075DP, are used as encapsulation materials for photovoltaic modules, which can provide excellent protection for photovoltaic modules and ensure efficient and reliable energy output
.

Capacity: about 170,000 tons per year

6.
Borealis

Borealis AG is an Austrian chemical company and the eighth largest polyethylene and polypropylene producer in the world, headquartered in Vienna, Austria
.

Commodities include POE, POP, brand name Queo, located in Heron, the Netherlands, put into production in 2013

Capacity: about 30,000 tons per year

Official website: present, some domestic enterprises are already actively deploying POE projects
.

7.
Wanhua Chemical

Wanhua Chemical is a global chemical new material company, relying on innovative core technologies, industrialized devices and efficient operation models to provide customers with more competitive products and solutions
.

Wanhua Chemical started to develop POE a few years ago.
The 1,000-ton/year POE unit will be piloted in the first quarter of 2021, and it is expected to have a production capacity of 200,000 tons by 2025
.

Wanhua Chemical applied for the invention patent "An olefin polymerization catalyst, an olefin polymerization catalyst composition and a method for preparing polyolefin" in April 2020.
Its self-developed catalyst has high activity and good thermal stability, and is suitable for high temperature solution polymerization preparation Polyolefins, especially polyethylene, ethylene/1-octene copolymers
.

Official website: Sinopec Tianjin

Sinopec Tianjin Nangang Ethylene Project takes the 1.
2 million tons/year ethylene plant as the leader, aims at the world's leading, fills the domestic gap, replaces imports, and extends the industrial chain to build ultra-high molecular weight, α-olefin, ALL-PE, ABS, POE, HDPE, etc.
12 sets of high-end new material installations
.
Among them, the POE polyolefin thermoplastic elastomer device is 100,000 tons/year, which belongs to the C4 type POE
.

The 100,000-ton/year POE project of Tianjin Petrochemical Phase II is scheduled to be put into operation in 2023
.

Official website: http://tjsh.
sinopec.
com/tjsh/

9.
Wison

Wison Group is a diversified group company mainly engaged in energy and chemical services.
Its main business is engineering services, marine engineering and new chemical materials
.

Wison Group's 1,000-ton/year POE plant has been pilot-tested in the first quarter of 2021.
According to industry sources, Wison's 100,000-ton POE plant will be put into operation in 2023
.

Official website: Jingbo Petrochemical

The industry of Shandong Dongbo Petrochemical Co.
, Ltd.
involves three major sectors: high-efficiency fuels, high-end chemicals, and high-performance materials
.

The 1,000-ton/year POE unit of Jingbo Petrochemical will be piloted in June and July 2021.
The initial plan of Jingbo Petrochemical's POE unit is 50,000 tons/year, and the preliminary plan is to put it into operation in 2025
.

Official website: addition, Daqing Petrochemical, Yanshan Petrochemical, etc.
have POE construction plans, and the specific production capacity has not yet been determined
.
It is expected that in the short term, the domestic supply of POE particles will continue to be highly dependent on imports
.

With the increasing demand for POE in photovoltaic and other fields, more and more powerful Chinese chemical companies have joined the research and development and production of POE, and will become an important participant in the POE market in the next few years
.