| For Immediate Release
June 23, 2008
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
Mitsui Chemicals to Develop a Highly Active
Catalyst for 1-Hexene Production
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (MCI) announces the development of
its own homogeneous catalyst technology to produce 1-hexene
(C6).
| 1-Hexene is mainly
used as a comonomer for high performance polyethylene,
and utilized as an auxiliary material for HAO-LL EVOLUE™,
a core product of MCI’s group company, Prime Polymer Co.,
Ltd. |
| |
HAO-LL: Linear
low-density polyethylene of which comonomer is exchanged
from 1-butene (C4) to 1-hexene (C6) or 1-octene (C8),
with the aim of improving strength, heat-seal property
and processability. |
MCI has successfully developed the original homogeneous catalyst
which selectively trimerizes ethylene by innovating olefin
polymerization catalyst technologies the company has accumulated.
So far, only a chromium catalyst technology has succeeded
in producing 1-hexene through selective trimerization of ethylene.
The newly developed catalyst exhibits high selectivity and
high activity, 600 fold of the chromium catalyst. Furthermore,
the excellent activity is achieved under conditions with low
temperatures and low pressures, thus enabling simple and energy-saving
process design. MCI is planning to establish a 1-Hexene Plant
by using this catalyst technology (annual production of 30,000
t) around 2010.
MCI has set its basic strategy of the Basic Chemicals business
as “Strengthening international competitiveness against the
threat of the Middle East” in the Mid-term Business Plan,
and determined concrete measures as “High-value production
by differentiated technologies.” The newly developed catalyst
technology is expected to establish the optimized production
structure including propylene by securing ethylene demand
in the Chiba Area as well as differentiating the products
from those made by Middle East competitors. Furthermore, it
will contribute to strengthening competitiveness of EVOLUE™
manufactured by Prime Polymer Co., Ltd.
|
Press
Release 