Phillips Petroleum Co. has announced plans to build a metallocene compound plant at the company's research center in Bartlesville, Okla., that will allow the high density polyethylene market leader to enter the linear low density PE arena.
The compounds will be used to manufacture the company's proprietary metallocene catalysts.
``LLDPE is the world's fastest-growing polyethylene market,'' Jack Howe, Phillips senior vice president of chemicals and plastics, said in a statement. ``With our new metallocene catalysts, Phillips can enter this market with existing plants and technology. This gives our company a significant competitive edge and boosts our position as a major polyethylene supplier on a global basis.''
The plant, scheduled to come onstream late in the first quarter of 1997, is expected to be able to serve Phillips and its licensees through 2000.
With 1.9 billion pounds of HDPE capacity in Pasadena, Texas, Phillips ranks second in North American capacity to Solvay Polymers of Houston.
