Grace Expands Operating UNIPOL® PP Technology Capacity in China with Oriental Energy Co. Ltd.


COLUMBIA, Md., Nov. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- W. R. Grace & Co. (Grace), the leading independent supplier of polyolefin catalyst technology and polypropylene (PP) process technology, today announced that Oriental Energy Co. Ltd. (Oriental Energy) has started up a new plant with Grace’s UNIPOL ® PP Process Technology. Located in Maoming, China, the new 400 kilotons per annum (KTA) reactor line began producing high-quality homopolymers and random copolymers on September 15, 2023.

Oriental Energy now operates four sites utilizing the UNIPOL® PP technology offering 1.6 million tons of PP licensed capacity: 400 KTA at Zhangjiagang (which started up in 2015); two 400 KTA reactor lines in Ningbo (which started up in 2021); and the new plant in Maoming. Oriental Energy currently holds the largest total UNIPOL® PP process technology capacity in operation in China.

Sandra Wisniewski, President of Specialty Catalysts at W. R. Grace, said, "The collaboration with Oriental Energy towards the successful start-up in Maoming marks another milestone in our partnership. Our advanced PP process technology delivers on our Plant Lifetime Performance™ commitment, as evidenced by the longstanding relationship between our two companies."

Echoing the sentiment, Mr. Sun Canqian, General Manager at Oriental Energy (Maoming) Co. Ltd., added, "We appreciate the joint effort the Oriental Energy and Grace teams provided to ensure a successful start-up, demonstrating a catalysis reaction that occurred within 10 minutes of injection. This new UNIPOL® PP technology line aligns with our commitment to providing quality polypropylene products in China."

Oriental Energy selected UNIPOL® polypropylene process technology because of its reliable production capabilities, cutting-edge PP technology, proven catalyst performance, and technical service. The process technology enables the production of high-performance polypropylene resins used for a variety of applications, such as automotive parts, packaging, consumer goods and infrastructure materials.

Visit the Grace website for more information about our catalysts and our UNIPOL® PP technology.

About Grace

Built on talent, technology, and trust, Grace, a Standard Industries company, is a global leader in specialty chemicals. The company’s two industry-leading business segments—Catalyst Technologies and Materials Technologies—provide innovative products, technologies, and services that enhance the products and processes of our customers around the world. With approximately 4,500 employees, Grace operates and/or sells to customers in more than 100 countries. More information about Grace is available at grace.com. GRACE® is a registered trademark in the United States and/or other countries of W. R. Grace & Co.-Conn.

About Grace’s UNIPOL® PP Technology

Grace's all gas-phase UNIPOL® PP technology delivers innovative solutions for a Plant Lifetime Performance™ commitment to its licensees, allowing them to successfully participate in today’s highly competitive global polypropylene resin market. The UNIPOL® PP technology community, with more than 100 reactor lines licensed worldwide, manufacture the broadest range of PP homopolymers, random and impact copolymers, plus terpolymers in the industry with a choice of close to 300 standard grades.

The UNIPOL® PP technology is a state-of-the-art engineering solution that achieves mechanical and operational simplicity and delivers lower total installed cost and lower operating expense, accelerated project schedules, fast start-ups, adaptable grade transitions, and business results for our customers. The technology, coupled with Grace’s proprietary CONSISTA® catalyst and donor systems and the UNIPOL UNIPPAC® software, allows for maximum performance.

Product and economic performance are derived from the unique combination of Grace’s proprietary UNIPOL® PP technology, CONSISTA® catalyst and donor systems, UNIPOL UNIPPAC® process control software, and global technical service & support. This provides all licensees with an unparalleled advantage that enables them to achieve optimum Plant Lifetime Performance™ and better business results.

UNIPOL® and UNIPOL UNIPPAC® are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company or an affiliated company of Dow. W. R. Grace & Co.-Conn. and/or its affiliates are licensed to use the UNIPOL® and UNIPOL UNIPPAC® trademarks in the area of polypropylene. CONSISTA® is a trademark, registered in the United States and/or other countries, of W. R. Grace & Co.-Conn. PLANT LIFETIME PERFORMANCE™ is a trademark of W. R. Grace & Co.-Conn.

Contact:
Peter Murdza
W. R. Grace & Co.
T +1 443-766-3634
peter.murdza@grace.com