Officially Commenced Production! 140,000 Tons/Year Ultra-High Purity High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Project

The development of domestically produced ultra-high-purity polymer special materials is reaching a critical juncture. On October 28, Pookeen located in the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park...Special Polyolefin Materials Project for New Energy (Phase I) As a benchmark project for major engineering projects in Shanghai for the years 2024 and 2025, the completion and production of the Purity Polyethylene project marks a historic leap for China from reliance on imports to independent control in the field of ultra-high-purity high molecular weight polyethylene, a key strategic material.

High-end polyolefins are a key category of new materials to be developed during China's 14th Five-Year Plan, with high strategic value and large consumption. However, the current domestic self-sufficiency rate remains relatively low, particularly in high-tech areas where some raw materials still largely rely on foreign imports. From the perspective of the sustainable development of the new energy industry alone, it is imperative to research and produce high-end polyolefin specialty materials with independent intellectual property rights to achieve domestic substitution.

The Puxijin New Energy Special Polyolefin Special Material Project, with an investment of 2.25 billion yuan, has been carrying the mission of breaking foreign technology monopolies and filling gaps in the industrial chain since its construction began on June 28, 2024. The ultra-high purity high molecular weight polyethylene produced by this project is a core raw material for lithium battery separators, semiconductor filter materials, and high-end medical materials, directly addressing long-standing pain points such as a high reliance on imports, high supply chain risks, and uncontrollable costs.

High molecular weight polyethylene materials often possess excellent characteristics such as puncture resistance, tensile strength, impact resistance, high strength, and high toughness. Polyethylene with a molecular weight exceeding 300,000 is classified as "high molecular weight" or "special" polyethylene. Generally, the higher the molecular weight, the better the physical properties and the higher the hardness. In addition to molecular weight requirements, high-end application scenarios often demand higher levels of cleanliness and consistency for the products, which imposes extremely stringent standards on the cleanliness of the production environment, production processes, and the level of separation and impurity removal techniques.

Puxin Crystal has recognized the historic opportunities brought by China's industrial upgrade, especially the new energy revolution. Since its establishment, it has been committed to cutting-edge research and development in the field of specialty polymers, successfully breaking through key technological barriers in catalyst, polymerization processes, and application scenario development.

The recently commissioned core unit of the first phase—a 140,000-ton/year ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene unit—employs the ultra-high purity slurry process independently developed by Puxianjing, which is technologically advanced. It is complemented by advanced equipment imported from Germany and Japan, ensuring the product features exceptional properties such as high purity, high molecular weight, and high consistency. Taking high-performance lithium battery separator materials as an example, the company has developed ultra-high purity materials of 9μm, 7μm, and 5μm, which are at the forefront of the industry and have been recognized by major domestic lithium battery separator enterprises, significantly promoting the safe, autonomous, and controllable domestic supply chain for power battery separators.

Industry insiders have stated that the commissioning of the Puxin Crystal project is an important measure for Shanghai to seize the high ground of future industries in the new materials field. The project has successfully overcome the "bottleneck" issue of upstream key raw materials for new energy lithium battery separators, achieving the "domestic replacement" of high-end polyolefins. This is not only a major breakthrough for the Puxin Crystal company but also a crucial step for Shanghai in improving the new energy vehicle industry chain and enhancing the resilience of the supply chain. It will provide large-scale and stable raw material support for leading downstream enterprises such as Enjie Co., Ltd. and Senior Materials, forming a promotion mechanism of joint participation and close collaboration in research and application across the industry chain.

According to the plan, the second phase of the project is expected to be put into production in the third quarter of 2026. Once the project is fully operational, it will achieve a production scale of 280,000 tons per year of ultra-high purity high molecular weight polyethylene.

Puxijin's innovative breakthroughs have not stopped there. After achieving domestic substitution in the lithium battery separator niche industry, Puxijin will accelerate the expansion of its product pipeline with a platform-based approach, advancing into high-value application scenarios such as chip filter materials and artificial joints, continuously filling domestic gaps. As envisioned by Puxijin's Chairman Zhang Wenlong, the company is moving towards the goal of becoming a "global leader in ultra-high purity polymers," committed to achieving a leap from "product leadership" to "demand leadership" and "technology leadership."

The rapid growth and successful commissioning of Puxinjing are inseparable from the first-class industrial ecosystem and business environment of the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park. It took only 16 months for the Puxinjing project from groundbreaking to completion and commissioning, which is rare for projects of similar scale in the industry, creating a "Shanghai Speed"!

At the commissioning ceremony, Mr. Ruan Li, Director of the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park Administrative Committee, delivered a congratulatory speech. He pointed out that the efficient advancement of the Pu Xinjing project from planning to commissioning is the result of the foresight of entrepreneurs, the hard work of builders, and the joint efforts of government-business collaboration, which will inject new momentum into the high-quality development of the park. Looking ahead to the "15th Five-Year Plan," the chemical industry park will continue to adhere to high-quality development, optimize the service chain around the industrial and innovation chains, further strengthen the foundation, address shortcomings, and shape advantages, striving to become an important base for Shanghai's new quality productive forces. It is hoped that Pu Xinjing Company will fully leverage its advantages and actively contribute to the development of the chemical new materials industry in the park and the entire city.

Zhang Wenlong stated that the Shanghai Chemical Zone has strong specialization, standardized management, a concentration of leading enterprises, and well-developed infrastructure, providing a fertile ground for companies to take root and grow. The complete industrial chain and the "fully utilized" circular economy model in the chemical zone offer the best "industrial neighborhood" environment for high-tech enterprises like Puxin Crystal. The efficient inter-supply of materials through closed pipe corridors and the cascading utilization of energy have significantly reduced operational costs for enterprises and enhanced their competitiveness. In particular, the Shanghai Chemical Zone's commitment to "understanding the needs of enterprises and providing proactive services" has greatly benefited companies.

It is worth mentioning that the project of Puene Crystal's production is a fruitful outcome of Shanghai's "Hai Ju Ying Cai" Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, and is also a typical case of Shanghai's construction of a sci-tech innovation center and support for sci-tech enterprises. The project not only won the highest award, the Golden Gathering Award, at the fourth "Hai Ju Ying Cai" Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition but also continuously received strong capital support through Shanghai, a global financial center. The parent company, Puene Crystal New Energy Materials (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., completed a nearly 500 million yuan B+ round of financing in June 2025, attracting strong institutions such as Zheneng Group, Zhoushan Sci-Tech Innovation Fund, and Chongqing Sci-Tech Investment. Previously, well-known institutions such as Sequoia China, Shanghai Lianhe Investment, Guoke Dongfang, and Xiangfeng Investment had also made deep investments. Among them, existing shareholders like Sequoia China, Shanghai Lianhe Investment, and Lianxin Capital have continuously increased their investments over two rounds.