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Sinopec SABIC Tianjin Petrochemical Co.,Ltd Full Analysis of PP Products: Supply Record of High-Performance Polypropylene Raw Materials from an Integrated Joint Venture Base

1. Basic Overview of the Enterprise and PP Plant

Sinopec SABIC Tianjin Petrochemical Co.,Ltd (abbreviated as SS-TPC) is a large integrated ethylene joint venture with 50% equity held respectively by China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) and SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation). Registered in 2009 and officially put into operation in 2010, the facility is located in Dagang Petrochemical Park, Tianjin Binhai New Area. The total investment of the Phase I project reached RMB 18.38 billion, supporting a complete industrial chain of cracking, polyolefin and aromatic hydrocarbons, making it a core polyolefin production base in the Bohai Rim region.

The company is equipped with a single polypropylene (PP) production line with a designed annual capacity of 450,000 tons, and its stable actual output can reach 453,000 tons per year. It is China’s first industrial production line adopting the Basell Spherizone multi-zone circulating polypropylene process. This single production line can simultaneously produce four major product categories including homopolymer PP, random copolymer PP, impact copolymer PP and terpolymer without reactor switching, boasting leading flexible production capacity in the industry. The whole plant is matched with one of the world’s largest single-set extrusion granulation units, which once set an industry record of 5 consecutive months of safe continuous operation. The enterprise cooperated with universities to develop an online detection patent for reactor caking, solving the bottleneck restricting long-cycle stable operation of the plant. The catalyst consumption was reduced by 2%, the unit load was raised by over 5%, and the stability of quality control was greatly improved.

Propylene feedstock is directly supplied from the self-owned 1 million-ton ethylene cracking unit on site via closed pipelines without external procurement and transit links, delivering superior raw material purity and supply stability compared with independent PP manufacturers. Finished products are fully automatically packed in 25kg coated paper bags and intelligently palletized for warehouse storage. A dedicated delivery channel for bulk materials is also available. In 2020, the annual outbound volume of bulk PP exceeded 10,000 tons, making SS-TPC the first enterprise within Sinopec system to achieve this milestone, catering to mass procurement demands of large modification factories and film manufacturers.

2. Core Technical Advantages of the Spherizone Process

Different from traditional gas-phase and slurry polypropylene processes, the PP plant of Sinopec SABIC Tianjin Petrochemical adopts a dual-cycle zoned reaction system, which can flexibly adjust the injection ratio of hydrogen and ethylene co-monomers with an extremely wide adjustable range of molecular weight distribution, forming a differentiated product performance matrix:

  1. Narrow molecular weight distribution products: PI value as low as 2.4, featuring high transparency and fast spinning speed, suitable for high-speed BOPP films, superfine fibers and thermoformed transparent products, capable of partially replacing metallocene PP;
  2. Broad molecular weight distribution products: maximum PI value up to 15, outstanding processing fluidity and wide extrusion & injection molding window, lowering equipment energy consumption and product defects;
  3. High flexibility in copolymer regulation: ethylene content of random copolymer can reach up to 7%, delivering prominent heat sealing and transparency performance; the rubber phase proportion of impact copolymer can be precisely controlled to balance rigidity and low-temperature toughness, with low-temperature impact strength increased by 15% under the same rigidity;
  4. Full-category coverage by a single line: one production line covers all grades for drawing, fiber, film, pipe, general injection molding, high-flow thin-wall injection molding and high-rigidity impact modification substrates, cutting losses caused by frequent shutdowns for grade switching.

3. Classification, Performance and Downstream Applications of Main PP Grades

Benefiting from process advantages, Sinopec SABIC Tianjin Petrochemical has formed a complete product portfolio. All grades pass full factory inspection and comply with compliance standards including GB food contact regulations, RoHS and toy safety standards. Objective parameters and application scenarios of mainstream circulating grades are as follows:

(1) Homopolymer PP (HP Series: High-rigidity, heat-resistant general-purpose materials)

  1. HP550J Drawing Grade: moderate melt flow rate, high tensile strength and excellent bending fatigue resistance, used for woven bags, ropes, non-woven fabrics and industrial strapping bands;
  2. HP525J Film Grade: homopolymer blown film substrate with good stiffness, applicable to ordinary packaging films and middle layers of composite films;
  3. HP565S Fiber Grade: narrow molecular weight distribution, compatible with high-speed spinning to produce filament, staple fiber and sanitary non-woven fabrics with low yarn breakage rate;
  4. HA840K Thermoforming Grade: high transparency and rigidity, an alternative to PS for disposable water cups, food packaging boxes and transparent blister trays with uniform light transmittance and no white spots;
  5. HA1152 Broad-distribution Injection Grade: superior processing fluidity, a universal substrate for large home appliance housings and logistics turnover boxes.

(2) Random Copolymer PP (RP Series: High-transparency, heat-sealing special materials)

  1. RP220M Cast Film Special Grade: high-ethylene random copolymer with excellent transparency and strong low-temperature heat sealing performance, applied to composite food cast films and inner layers of flexible packaging;
  2. RP1314 Blown Film Random Grade: low haze, suitable for daily commodity packaging and frozen food bags;
  3. H5416 PPR Pipe Special Grade: resistant to long-term water pressure and environmental stress cracking, specially developed for cold & hot water supply pipes, a mainstream raw material for home decoration and municipal water supply & drainage projects.

(3) Impact Copolymer PP (EP & MK Series: Balanced rigidity and toughness, core materials for industry & automotive sectors)

  1. EP200K General Impact Injection Grade: balanced fluidity and toughness, standard raw material for daily necessities, small home appliance shells and small turnover parts, resistant to brittle cracking after repeated bending;
  2. 87MK40T Medium-flow High-impact Grade: built-in antistatic and nucleating system with outstanding low-temperature toughness, widely used in automotive battery casings, child safety seats, luggage shells and washing machine bases;
  3. 511MK40T Ultra-high-flow Thin-wall Impact PP with MFR of 28g/10min, shortening injection molding cycles, suitable for thin-wall food containers, power tool housings and modified plastic substrates;
  4. PPH2483 High-rigidity Pipe Impact Grade: flexural modulus over 1800MPa, notched impact strength over 8kJ/m² at -20°C, special material for building drainage and municipal sewage pipes;
  5. EP5074X New High-rigidity Impact Grade: domestically mass-produced exclusive grade with performance comparable to imported high-end copolymer PP, able to replace PS for electrical plugs and structural parts with balanced hardness and drop resistance.

(4) Special Modified Substrates

EP5076X ultra-high MFR triple-high grade and ICP04X high-flow degradation-specific copolymer fill the domestic gap of similar products, matching high-end segmented tracks such as modified granulation, degradable masterbatch for non-woven fabrics and fast thin-wall injection molding, alleviating domestic reliance on imported high-end PP.

4. Core Objective Competitive Advantages of PP Products

  1. Integrated Raw Material Cost & Stable Supply Advantages Propylene is self-produced by the on-site cracking unit and directly delivered to the PP plant, eliminating procurement and transportation costs of externally purchased propylene. Supported by Sinopec’s national chemical sales network, stable long-term supply is guaranteed for North, East and Northeast China in both peak and off seasons. The stable annual capacity of 450,000 tons can meet bulk procurement demands of large traders and scaled processing enterprises. Located adjacent to the Lingang Logistics Zone of Tianjin Port, it delivers remarkable cost advantages in short-distance transportation for downstream processors in northern China.
  2. Flexible Production Advantage of Full-category Single Line It is one of the few domestic single 450,000-ton PP plants capable of producing full-range homopolymer, random copolymer, impact copolymer and terpolymer products. Customers can source multiple raw materials for film, pipe, injection molding and fiber in one stop to reduce coordination costs with multiple suppliers. Minor adjustments to co-monomer ratio and melt index can be made to provide small-batch customized special grades per client requirements.
  3. Stable Process & Quality Control Advantages The patented Spherizone process enables controllable molecular weight distribution with minimal physical property fluctuations between product batches, so downstream factories rarely need to adjust processing parameters frequently. Real-time online monitoring of key indicators including melt index, density, ash content and impact strength is implemented throughout polymerization, granulation and packaging. Self-developed patents for stable reactor operation support long-cycle high-load production, delivering more consistent supply compared with production lines adopting intermittent switching processes.
  4. Green Compliance & Import Substitution Advantages The plant is equipped with waste heat recovery and waste gas purification systems to ensure stable pollutant discharge up to national standards, honored as a benchmark for green production in the industry. All conventional grades meet GB 9685 National Standard for Food Contact Materials, and some grades reach FDA food contact requirements, adapting to strict scenarios such as food packaging and maternal & infant products. Multiple high-rigidity impact and high-flow special grades realize import substitution, cutting raw material procurement costs for domestic plastic processing enterprises.

5. Industrial Positioning and Industrial Chain Value Summary

China’s PP supply landscape consists of three major segments: Sinopec & PetroChina refinery bases, private large refining & chemical complexes, and coal chemical PP manufacturers. The 450,000-ton Spherizone-process PP plant of Sinopec SABIC Tianjin Petrochemical holds stable market share in four segmented tracks including high-end transparent random film grades, PPR pipe grades, automotive high-rigidity impact injection grades and high-flow thin-wall modified substrates, relying on its unique full-category single-line production capacity, integrated propylene matching and Bohai Rim location advantages.

From the industrial chain perspective, the plant locally consumes propylene by-product from ethylene cracking to realize efficient conversion of upstream refining resources. Downstream industries covered include packaging, agriculture, building materials, automotive, home appliances, non-woven fabrics and modified plastics, a trillion-yuan manufacturing sector that supplies raw materials for both civilian consumer goods and high-end industrial manufacturing. As a landmark Sino-Saudi energy cooperation project, its products integrate SABIC’s R&D experience in polyolefin materials and Sinopec’s localized production operation capabilities, continuously iterating new high-end special PP grades to fill the domestic supply gap of high-performance copolymer polypropylene.

Driven by industry trends including lightweight injection molding, upgraded food flexible packaging, home decoration pipes, automotive lightweighting and degradable modified materials, the full series PP grades of Sinopec SABIC Tianjin Petrochemical precisely match industrial upgrading demands. Supported by stable production capacity, complete logistics system and standardized full-process quality control, the enterprise continuously provides cost-effective domestic polypropylene raw materials for China’s plastic processing industry.