【Ten Years of Great Progress in Chemical Technology】131-2023: The World’s First 30,000-ton/year Slurry Loop Continuous Process Plant for Ultra-High Molecular Weight PE

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Ten years of rapid development in chemical technology – praise for China’s prosperity and strength. This is just a starting point; more participation from everyone will make things even more lively. HaiChuan becomes even better with you here; we welcome everyone to join in the forum discussions. Be careful with fire as the heat increases in July. ------------------------------------------ On March 23, 2023, Henan Watson’s ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene production facility with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons was completed and put into operation using the slurry loop process. The construction project for a 30,000 tons/year slurry loop continuous process ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene plant was officially approved in July 2018, with construction beginning in May 2020. Since the start of construction, the Puyang Municipal Party Committee, the municipal government, and the Economic Development Zone have paid close attention to this project and provided strong support, ensuring its successful completion. The project utilizes the continuously operated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene slurry loop reactor process technology, which was developed for the first time in the world by the Shanghai Research Institute of Chemical Industry. All equipment used in this process is domestically produced, and the technology and processes involved are at an internationally advanced level. The Shanghai Research Institute of Chemical Industry was the first research institution in China to develop projects related to ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. Over the years, with the care and support of Henan Province, Puyang City, and Puyang Economic Development Zone, as well as the great attention and support from the Shanghai State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission and Huayi Group, and under the thorough guidance of numerous academicians and experts, through the unremitting efforts of all those involved, various difficulties were overcome. This enabled the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene industry in Puyang, Henan, to develop step by step, growing from small to large and from weak to strong, until it reached its current stage of industrialization. The successful commissioning of this production facility marks a significant breakthrough in the development of the world’s first continuous-process technology for producing ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene slurry in ring reactor systems by the Shanghai Institute of Chemical Technology. It will also play a key role in facilitating the industrialization of higher-quality ultra-high molecular weight fibers, lithium battery separators, and resins designed for use in the biomedical industry, as well as in enabling the upgrading of related products in the future.