Sinopec

China Petrochemical, as the leading enterprise in China's petrochemical industry, demonstrates strong technical capabilities and strategic planning in the high-end polyolefins sector. Multiple projects under its umbrella have made significant progress, laying a solid foundation for the development of China's high-end polyolefins industry.

Tianjin Nangang 100,000 tons POE, 100,000 tons ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene project successfully started and operated smoothly on November 11, 2024, fully producing high-end new materials. Among them, the 100,000 tons/year ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene unit marks a significant breakthrough in domestic independent intellectual property rights. This unit has successfully addressed the issue of core equipment localization in the process flow, with the slurry pump capable of handling gas-liquid-solid three-phase materials, with a solid content as high as 40% wt, effectively reducing costs and shortening the procurement cycle. At the same time, relying on Sinopec's new material R&D center in Tianjin, the project combines proprietary technology and Ineos technology to produce a variety of high-end new materials, including medical low-odor high-density polyethylene, high-performance metallocene linear low-density polyethylene, PE100+, POE, high-carbon alpha-olefins, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, etc.

Maoming Petrochemical's 50,000 tons/year POE and raw materials project is also steadily advancing. On August 29, 2024, the 35 kV substation of Maoming Petrochemical's 50,000 tons/year polyolefin elastomer (POE) industrial test facility successfully received power for the first time, laying a solid foundation for the commissioning of the facility and achieving the goal of mechanical completion. The main raw materials required for the project, such as ethylene, 1-octene, 1-butene, and hydrogen, are produced by the chemical plant area itself, while catalysts, n-hexane, triisobutylaluminum, and other raw materials need to be purchased externally. The designed annual production capacity is 50,000 tons, with the production capacities of 1-octene elastomer and 1-butene elastomer being 30,000 tons and 20,000 tons, respectively. In addition, to ensure the supply of raw materials for the POE project, Maoming Petrochemical announced on March 7, 2024, that the environmental impact report for the 50,000 tons/year ethylene tetramerization to 1-octene unit has been completed, with a total investment of 868 million yuan, using technology from the Yanshan Branch of Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Industry. A new 50,000 tons/year ethylene tetramerization to 1-octene unit and supporting storage and transportation systems, environmental protection projects, etc., will be constructed.

The Zhenhai Refining 1.5 million tons/year ethylene and downstream high-end new materials industrial cluster project has also attracted significant attention. In May 2023, the project was approved, involving a steam cracking capacity of 1.5 million tons/year and a series of downstream high-end new material production facilities, including 800,000 tons/year of cracked gasoline hydrogenation, 500,000 tons/year of aromatics extraction, 200,000 tons/year of butadiene extraction, etc. Additionally, it will include the construction of an 180,000/60,000 tons/year methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)/butene-1 facility, a 400,000 tons/year full-density polyethylene facility, and a 2.2 million tons/year polyolefin elastomer (POE/alpha-olefins) combined facility. Currently, the 2.2 million tons/year polyolefin elastomer combined facility has received approval from the NDRC and officially started construction on November 24, 2023. On October 21, 2024, the bidding for the first section of the civil construction and installation project of the 100,000 tons/year polyolefin elastomer (POE) facility by Sinopec Ningbo Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co., Ltd. opened, with Sinopec Ningbo Engineering Co., Ltd. as the first candidate for the bid, quoting 20,375,640 yuan.

In addition, Sinopec has also achieved significant results in the research and development of high-end polyolefin materials such as propylene-based elastomers (PBE) and poly-1-butene (PB-1). On December 6, 2024, the first domestic PBE pilot plant at the Tianjin Scientific Experimental Base of Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Industry successfully completed the entire production process with a one-time start-up success. The pilot plant uses solution polymerization technology independently developed by the institute, along with self-developed catalysts, to produce a series of new propylene-based elastomer products, marking that the institute has successfully mastered the technology for developing propylene-based elastomers based on single-site catalysts and a solution polymerization platform. On November 29, 2024, the PB-1 pilot plant at the Tianjin Scientific Experimental Base also successfully completed the entire process with a one-time start-up success. This pilot plant employs liquid-phase bulk olefin polymerization technology independently developed by the institute, using self-developed catalysts, to develop a series of high-end polyolefin materials mainly consisting of PB-1. This will continuously expand the application fields of PB-1 products, providing strong support for achieving independent control over key materials and enhancing market competitiveness. Poly-1-butene (PB-1), due to its excellent physical and chemical properties, is hailed as the "gold of plastics" and is currently one of the most advanced chemical materials in the world.

China National Petroleum Corporation

China National Petroleum Corporation is actively laying out in the high-end polyolefins field, achieving a series of remarkable results with its strong technical research and development capabilities and rich industrial experience.

On the morning of March 15, 2025, Blue Ocean New Materials Company held a groundbreaking ceremony for a high-end polyolefin new materials project, marking the official entry into a new phase of comprehensive construction of key core facilities. This project is an important part of the strategic cooperation agreement between China National Petroleum Corporation and Jiangsu Province, planning to build 18 chemical plants, all using domestic technology, with 16 sets selecting proprietary technology from China National Petroleum. The project plans to construct facilities including a 200,000 tons/year FDPE plant, 2×25,000 tons/year ethylene propylene rubber plants, a 100,000 tons/year POE plant, a 100,000 tons/year 1-hexene/1-octene plant, and 2×1,000 Nm³/h electrolysis water hydrogen production plants, along with supporting public utilities and auxiliary facilities.

China National Petroleum Corporation Dushanzi Petrochemical has made a significant breakthrough in POE production. On the morning of December 25, 2024, Dushanzi Petrochemical Company announced that the output of its new series of polyolefin elastomer (POE) products had exceeded ten thousand tons. On May 6, the company switched to producing POE as planned and achieved a technological breakthrough in the domestic gas-phase production of polyolefin elastomers the next day. After professional technical evaluation and analysis of the trial products, their performance was found to be comparable to imported products. The company then promoted the trial use of the products among more than 80 customers in over 10 downstream fields, including photovoltaic film and modification, continuously improving the product based on market feedback. In August, after clarifying the direction for product improvement based on market feedback, Dushanzi Petrochemical scheduled another round of POE production, with the resulting products showing significantly improved performance, further reduced density, and better light transmittance compared to similar imported products. The products received full recognition from customers and were used in bulk as substitutes for imports in areas such as photovoltaic films and graft modifications. In the future, Dushanzi Petrochemical will continue to increase R&D efforts, develop new products with even lower density, accelerate facility upgrades, and aim to achieve an annual production capacity of 244,000 tons within three years, advancing domestic technology to a new level.

Wanhua Chemical

Wanhua Chemical (Penglai) Co., Ltd.'s 400,000 tons/year polyolefin elastomer project is a significant layout in the high-end polyolefins field. In September 2021, Wanhua Chemical completed the pilot production of POE products and laid out multiple sets of 200,000 tons/year POE capacity, which is one of the key installations in the company's "1.2 million tons/year ethylene and downstream high-end polyolefins project."

On June 29, 2024, the first phase of the 400,000 tons/year polyolefin elastomer project (200,000 tons/year POE project) of Wanhua Chemical (Penglai) achieved full process connectivity and successfully produced qualified products, marking the successful high-quality start-up of China's first large-scale independently developed POE industrial facility.

By the end of February 2025, the second phase of Wanhua Chemical (Penglai)'s 400,000 tons/year polyolefin elastomer project began construction. As a downstream product of the second phase of ethylene, this project is an important high-end downstream product in the ethylene product chain, capable of significantly enhancing the value of the ethylene industry chain. It is understood that this project is currently the largest industrial production facility in its field in China, utilizing self-developed technology by Wanhua. It is expected to be completed and put into operation by the end of 2025. Once the project reaches full production, it can operate in synergy with the nine major production units from Wanhua's first phase, achieving shared raw materials and facilities, and helping Penglai to build a world-leading green and low-carbon new materials industrial cluster.

other enterprises

In addition to the aforementioned industry giants, there are numerous domestic enterprises actively exploring the high-end polyolefins field, each showcasing their strengths and contributing to the development of China's high-end polyolefins industry.

The 900,000 tons/year polyolefins project of China Coal Yulin commenced main facility construction on June 18, 2024. The project is expected to invest 23.88 billion yuan, with the main construction content being 2.2 million tons/year methanol, 900,000 tons/year polyolefins, and at the same time optimizing and upgrading the existing phase one coal chemical engineering, constructing a 250,000 tons/year LDPE/EVA extension and supporting engineering project. The main facilities of the project include air separation, gasification, purification, sulfur recovery, methanol synthesis, MTO, olefin separation, 3 sets of polyolefins, and 1 set of EVA facilities, etc. It is expected to be handed over in mid-2026 and start trial production. The first phase of the China Coal Yulin coal deep processing base project has a facility scale of 2.05 million tons/year methanol, 600,000 tons/year polyolefins, and supporting utility engineering, which was completed and put into operation in July 2014.

The Zhejiang Petrochemical high-end new materials project commenced on July 19, 2024, at the Zhoushan Green Petrochemical Base. The project includes a 350,000 tons/year α-olefin unit and 2×200,000 tons/year POE units, with plans to complete construction by 2026. On January 5, 2025, the POE combined cabinet room of the Zhejiang Petrochemical high-end new materials project was successfully capped, and the first lifting task for the nitric acid unit was also successfully completed, marking a significant breakthrough in the project's construction.

The first domestic α-olefin comprehensive utilization high-end new materials industrial park project invested and constructed by Satellite Petrochemical in Xuwei New District, Lianyungang, officially started construction on June 24, 2024. The total investment of the project is 26.6 billion yuan, serving as a core strategic deployment for Satellite Chemical to build a low-carbon chemical new materials technology company based on light hydrocarbon integration. The project adopts independently developed high-carbon α-olefin technology, extending downstream to high-end polyolefins, polyethylene elastomers, lubricant base oils, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylenes, and other high-end new materials, with a broad market space. Additionally, it promotes the resourceful utilization of by-product hydrogen, facilitating the construction of a new energy system.

Hengli Petrochemical and Dingjideli Petrochemical's POE high-end new materials project has been established in the Changxing Island Economic Development Zone, Xizhong Island Petrochemical Industry Base, Dalian, Liaoning in September 2023, with plans to complete construction and commence operations by June 2025. This project will not only fill a gap in the industry and overcome technological bottlenecks but is also expected to lead in terms of technology and industrial capacity.

Shandong Dongming Petrochemical Group's 300,000 tons/year ethylene-based polyolefin elastomer (EPOE) project has also made significant progress. On February 28, 2025, the project officially embarked on its construction journey. Dongming Petrochemical, in collaboration with Professor Chen Changle's research team from the University of Science and Technology of China, successfully developed a new process route for preparing ethylene-based polyolefin elastomers (EPOE) using ethylene as the sole raw material. This technology fills a global gap, is a world-first, and holds complete independent intellectual property rights. Previously, Dongming Petrochemical, in conjunction with Zhongke Keler Company authorized by the University of Science and Technology of China, had successfully built the world's first 5,000 tons/year EPOE pilot and industrial test facility, producing high-quality qualified products, accumulating valuable experience for the industrial application of EPOE technology.

Yueyang Xingchang's subsidiary company HuiZhou LiTuo's 300,000 tons/year high-end polyolefins project officially entered trial operation on January 31, 2024, producing qualified products, marking the full completion and commissioning of the project. The project investment is approximately 1.2 billion yuan, which passed the board review in July 2021 and was approved by the shareholders' meeting in August of the same year. Yueyang Xingchang's successful commissioning in the high-end polyolefins field has injected new vitality into its development in the petrochemical industry.