Basell to build new Spherilene polyethylene plant at Wesseling, Germany

Basell announced today that it plans to build a new Spherilene S polyethylene plant at its Wesseling industrial site near Cologne, Germany. The plant will be based on Basell’s new Spherilene S single reactor gas phase design. Start up is planned for 2008.

Basell currently operates an 80 KT Lupotech G polyethylene plant at Wesseling. This plant will be converted into a new Spherilene S plant based on latest generation technology including the installation of a new reactor system.

“The new Spherilene S process features low investment and operating costs, high on-stream factors and monomer efficiency,” said Just Jansz, president of Basell’s Technology Business. “Spherilene S plants also have true swing capability between HDPE and LLDPE since both products can be produced from the same Ziegler catalyst family.”

Basell’s new Spherilene technology can be designed in a single reactor configuration (Spherilene S) or with two gas phase reactors in series (Spherilene C) for the production of bimodal grades.

Spherilene S technology is designed to produce products with narrow and medium molecular weight distribution.   Both butene and hexene modified LLDPE can be produced as well as HDPE.

Basell’s complete portfolio of licensed technologies is comprised of:

• Spheripol – polypropylene technology for the production of homopolymer, random and heterophasic copolymers
• Spherizone – latest generation polypropylene technology based on new multi-zone reactor technology
• Spherilene – swing gas phase process for the production of LLDPE, MDPE and HDPE
• Hostalen - low-pressure slurry process for the production of bi-modal HDPE
• Lupotech T – high pressure tubular reactor process for the production of LDPE and EVA copolymers
• Metocene - technology for production of specialty polypropylene products based on proprietary single-site catalyst systems

Basell also produces and commercialises advanced catalyst systems which are sold under the Avant trade name.