Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Polyolefins—The History and Economic Impact

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Polyolefin Compounds and Materials

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Polymer and Composite Materials ((SSPCM))

Abstract

Olefins, or alkenes, are hydrocarbon molecules with at least one double carbon–carbon bond. Polyolefins are polymer molecules made in an addition (chain-growth) polymerization, producing essentially linear high molecular weight thermoplastic polymers. A global industry of almost 170 million tons and value around $200 billion, has been created and developed in about 80 years, since the serendipitous discovery of polyethylene in 1933 at the research laboratories of ICI [Imperial Chemical Industries) in the UK and the start of PE commercial production in 1938. These polyolefin polymers are now  the major fraction (62 %) of the plastic materials which have transformed modern life. No other major material has appeared on the scene and achieved such a dominant and ubiquitous place in such a short time. As new materials, polyolefins have introduced new possibilities and benefits at attractive price points. Their annual growth rate remains exponential. Polyolefins are used in every sector of life and are processed by every significant polymer processing technology. The history of this polyolefin industry is inextricably linked with progress in the understanding and development of polymer science and technology, and the economic and commercial impact of this progress.  Consistent themes in this history are serendipity, discovery, research, feedstock, capital intensity, intellectual property, globalisation, merger & acquisition, and product and application development. Polyolefins remain highly technology-driven; they are indispensable to modern life; their significant growth and economic impact will continue.

The original version of this chapter was revised: The erratum to this chapter is available at DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-25982-6_15

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Because olefins combine readily with halogens to form oily liquids

  2. 2.

    In May 1942 ICI introduced the trademark Alkathene to replace Alketh.

  3. 3.

    Source: US Patent 3541074.

  4. 4.

    Source: US Patent 2692257.

  5. 5.

    Source: US Patent 2825721.

  6. 6.

    Source: US Patent 2699457.

  7. 7.

    Source: German Patent 973626 K. Ziegler.

  8. 8.

    Source: US Patent 4076698

  9. 9.

    Source: US Patent Application WO 9623010.

  10. 10.

    Source: US Patent 2825721.

  11. 11.

    Source: US Patent 4376851.

  12. 12.

    Phillips finally wins its patent—Chemical Week 23 March 1983.

  13. 13.

    Source: US Patent 3254070.

  14. 14.

    Source: US Patent 4376851 Hogan.

References

  1. Polyolefins Report. IHS Chemicals (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  2. P. Galli, J.C. Haylock, E. Albizzati, A. Denicola, High performance polyolefins: polymers engineered to meet needs of the 21st century. Macromol. Symp. 98(1), 1309–1332 (1995)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Polyisobutylene: 2014 World Market Outlook and Forecast up to 2018, Research & Markets. January, 2014

    Google Scholar 

  4. H. Morawetz, Polymers the Origins and Growth of a Science. Wiley-Interscience (1985) pp. 20–132-3, ISBN 0-471-89638-1

    Google Scholar 

  5. M.E.P Friedrich, C.S. Marvel, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 52, 376 (1930)

    Google Scholar 

  6. R.B. Seymour and T.C. Cheng, History of Polyolefins The World’s Most Widely Used Polymers. (D Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht NL, 1986) ISBN-13: 978-94-010-8916-6, doi: 10.1007/978-94-009-5472-4

    Google Scholar 

  7. F.M. McMillan, The Chain Straighteners, Fruitful Innovation: The Discovery of Linear and Stereo-Regular Synthetic Polymers. (Macmillan Press, London, 1979), ISBN 0-333-25929-7

    Google Scholar 

  8. L. Trossarelli, V. Brunella, Polyethylene: discovery and growth, UHMWPE Meeting (University of Torino, Italy, 2003)

    Google Scholar 

  9. C. Flavell-While, Plastic Fantastic. www.tcetoday.com Nov 2011, pp. 49–50

  10. M. Lauzon, PE: the resin that helped win World War II. Plastics News 19(23), p27 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  11. D.A. Hounshell, J. Smith, Science and Corporate Strategy: Du Pont R&D, 1902–1980. (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2006)

    Google Scholar 

  12. S. Ali, Polyolefin catalyst market overview. Catal. Rev. 27(4), 91–6 (2014) ISSN 0898-3089

    Google Scholar 

  13. A. Clark, Olefin polymerization on supported chromium oxide catalysts. Catal. Rev. Sci. Eng. 3, 145–173 (1970) doi:10.1080/01614947008076858

    Google Scholar 

  14. M.W. Haenel, Historical Landmarks of Chemistry: Karl Ziegler (Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Mülheim an der Ruhr, 2008)

    Google Scholar 

  15. H. Martin, Polymers, Patents, Profits: A Classic Case Study for Patent Infighting. (Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 2007), ISBN: 9783527318094, doi: 10.1002/9783527610402

  16. M. Gahleitner, W. Neissl, C. PAULIK, Two Centuries of Polyolefins. (Kunststoffe international, 2010), pp. 8–11

    Google Scholar 

  17. E. Vandenberg, History of Polyolefins Chapter 5. (D Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht NL, 1986), ISBN-13: 978-94-010-8916-6

    Google Scholar 

  18. W. Kaminsky, The Discovery of Metallocene Catalysts and Their Present State of the Art, Institute for Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry. (University of Hamburg, May 2004), doi:10.1002/pola.20292

    Google Scholar 

  19. A. Shamiri, M.H. Chakrabarti, S. Jahan, M.A. Hussain, W. Kaminsky, P. Aravind, W. Yehye, The influence of ziegler-natta and metallocene catalysts on polyolefin structure. Prop. Process. Ability Mater. 7, 5069–5108 (2014). doi:10.3390/ma7075069

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. G.M. Benedikt, B.L. Goodall, Metallocene Catalyzed Polymers: Materials, Processing and Markets. (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2008), ISBN 0080950426

    Google Scholar 

  21. World Polyethylene, Demand and Sales Forecast, Market Share Market Sixe, Market Leaders (The Freedonia Group, Report, 2014)

    Google Scholar 

  22. J.C. Sworen, Modeling Linear Low Density Polyethylene: Copolymers Containing Precise Structures, PhD Dissertation, University of Florida (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  23. J. Karger-Kocsis, Polypropylene: Structure, blends and Composites, vol 1, 2, 3. (Springer Science & Business Media, 1995)

    Google Scholar 

  24. C.W. Adams, Allocating Patent Rights Between Earlier and Later Inventions. St. Louis U.L.J. 54, 47–55 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  25. H. Sailors, J.P. Hogan, History of polyolefins. J Macromol Sci Part A Chem 15(7), 1377–1402 (1981). doi:10.1080/00222338108056789

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. C. Freeman, L. Soete, The Economics of Industrial Innovation, 3rd Edition. Routledge, Polyethylene §5.7 pp. 123–124 (1997), ISBN-10: 1855670704

    Google Scholar 

  27. J. Soarez, T. McKenna, Polymer Reaction Engineering. “Polyolefin Reactors and Processes”. (Wiley, Hoboken, 2012) doi:10.1002/9783527646944.ch4

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Business Development Consultant, Pan Gulf Holding, Al Khobar, 31952, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Trevor J. Hutley

  2. Head of Research and Development, QAPCO, Doha, Qatar

    Mabrouk Ouederni

Authors
  1. Trevor J. Hutley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mabrouk Ouederni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Trevor J. Hutley .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

    Mariam Al-Ali AlMa'adeed

  2. Center of Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

    Igor Krupa

List of Patents Referenced in the Chapter

List of Patents Referenced in the Chapter

  • US Patent 2816883

  • Product and process of polymerizing ethylene

  • Arthur W. Larcher and Donald C. Pease

  • E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc.

  • Filed 2 August 1951, Published 17 December 1957

  • Continuation-in-part of application 739,264, filed 3 April 1947

  • US Patent 2153553

  • Polymerization of olefins

  • Eric William Fawcett, Reginald Oswald Gibson, Michael Willcox Perrin

  • ICI Limited

  • Priority date 4 February 1936, Published 11 April 1939

  • US Patent 4076698

  • for what we now call LLDPE

  • Arthur William Anderson, Gelu Stoeff Stamatoff

  • DuPont

  • Filed 4 January 1957, Published 28 February 1978

  • Continuation-in-part of application 568,707, filed 1 March 1956

  • US Patent 3012023

  • Production of Olefln Polymers

  • John Macmillan Bruce, Nicholas George Merckling, William Lawrence Truett, Arthur William Anderson

  • E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

  • Filed 25 January 1955, Published 5 December 1961

  • US Patent 3541074

  • Olefin polymerization catalysts comprising divalent titanium and process for polymerization of ethylene therewith

  • Arthur William Anderson, John Macmillan Bruce Jr, Nicholas George Merckling, William Lawrence Truett

  • I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

  • Filed 16 August 1954, Published 17 November 1970

  • US Patent 2692257

  • Ethylene polymerization with conditioned alumina-molybdena catalysts

  • Alex Zletz

  • Standard Oil Company of Indiana

  • Filed 28 April 1951, Published 19 October 1954

  • Max Fischer, German Patent 874,215, Published 20 April 1953

  • US Patent 2699457

  • Polymerization of ethylene

  • Karl Ziegler, Hans-Georg Gellert

  • Filing date 19 June 1951, Publication date 11 January 1955

  • German Patent 973626

  • Verfahren zur Herstellung von hochmolekularen Polyäthylenen

  • Process for Preparing High-Molecular Polyethylenes

  • Karl Ziegler, Heinz Breil, Erhard Holzkamp, Heinz Martin

  • Filed 18 November 1953, Published 14 April 1960

  • US Patent 2825721

  • Polymers and production thereof

  • John Paul Hogan, Robert L. Banks

  • Phillips Petroleum Company

  • Continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 333,576, filed 27 January 1953

  • Publication date 4 March 1958

  • US Patent Application WO 9623010

  • The following US patents are all divisionals of that initial broad US filing.

  • As a result of the procedures to handle divisional cases in the US Patent Office, they all contain the same examples though the claims (which are of interest to the community of those who patent) will be different.

  • With some indication of the claims, the divisionals are as follows:

    1. (a)

      Arthur, S. D.; Bennett, A. M. A.; Brookhart, M. S.; Coughlin, E. B.; Feldman, J.; Ittel, S. D.; Johnson, L. K.; Killian, C. M.; Kreutzer, K. A. U.S. Patent 5866663, Feb 2, 1999 to DuPont (Polymerizations).

    2. (b)

      Brookhart, M. S.; Ittel, S. D.; Johnson, L. K.; Killian, C. M.; Kreutzer, K. A.; McCord, E. F.; McLain, S. J.; Tempel, D. J. U.S. Patent 5880241, May 3, 1999 to DuPont (Polymer compositions).

    3. (c)

      Brookhart, M. S.; Johnson, L. K.; Killian, C. M.; Wang, L.; Yang, Z.-Y., U.S. Patent 5880323, March 9, 1999 to DuPont (R-Olefins).

    4. (d)

      Arthur, S. D.; Bennett, A. M. A.; Brookhart, M. S.; Coughlin, E. B.; Feldman, J.; Ittel, S. D.; Johnson, L. K.; Killian, C. M.; Kreutzer, K. A.; Parthasarathy, A.; Tempel, D. J. U.S. Patent 5886224, March 23, 1999 to DuPont (Ligand compositions).

    5. (e)

      Arthur, S. D.; Brookhart, M. S.; Johnson, L. K.; Killian, C. M.; McCord, E. F.; McLain, S. J. U.S. Patent 5891963, April 6, 1999 to DuPont (Copolymers)

  • US Patent 4376851

  • High density, heat resistance polypropylene

  • John P. Hogan, Robert L. Banks

  • Phillips Petroleum Company

  • Continuation-in-part of applications Serial No. 333,576, filed 27 January 1953

  • Publication date 15 March 1983

  • US 4342854

  • Solid polymers of 4-methyl-1-pentene

  • John P. Hogan, Robert L. Banks

  • Phillips Petroleum Company

  • Continuation-in-part of applications Serial No. 333,576, filed 27 January 1953

  • Publication date 3 August 1982

  • US Patent 3112300

  • Isotactic polypropylene

  • Natta Giulio, Pino Piero, Mazzanti Giorgio

  • Montecatini-Societa Generale per lIndustria Mineraria e Chimica

  • Priority date 8 June 1954 on the basis of an Italian application filed on that date

  • Published 26 November 1963

  • US Patent 3112301

  • Prevailingly Isotactic polypropylene

  • Natta Giulio, Pino Piero, Mazzanti Giorgio

  • Montecatini-Societa Generale per lIndustria Mineraria e Chimica

  • Filed 8 June 1954 on the basis of an Italian application filed on that date

  • Published 26 November 1963

  • US Patent 3113115

  • Polymerization catalyst

  • Ziegler Karl, Breil Heinz, Martin Heinz, Holzkamp Erhard

  • Priority date 19 January 1954

  • Published 3 December 1963

  • US Patent 3715344

  • Regular linear head-to-tail polymerizates of certain unsaturated hydrocarbons and filaments comprising said polymerizates

  • G Mazzanti, G Natta, P Pino

  • Priority date 8 June 1954

  • Published 6 February 1973

  • US Patent 2691647

  • Conversion of ethylene and/or propylene to solid polymers in the presence of group 6a metal oxides and alkali metals

  • Field Edmund, Feller Morris

  • Standard Oil of Indiana

  • Priority date 6 December 1952

  • Published 12 October 1954

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Hutley, T.J., Ouederni, M. (2016). Polyolefins—The History and Economic Impact. In: Al-Ali AlMa'adeed, M., Krupa, I. (eds) Polyolefin Compounds and Materials. Springer Series on Polymer and Composite Materials. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25982-6_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation