subject: The Importance Of High Density Polyethylene [print this page] High quality poly tarp is generally made from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). The product has a wide variety of uses. The synthetic material finds agricultural use like hay tarpaulins and poultry supplies. The tarps Australia companies also make tarpaulins from other synthetic sources. Natural components like cotton may also be present. The following text describes in concise form the manufacturing process of the synthetic material.
High density polyethylene or HDPE is a member of the polyolefin family. HDPE manufacturing volumes accounts for a significant proportion of total polyolefin production. The functional unit of the material is one kilogram of HDPE polymer.
HDPE is considered a polyethylene with a density greater than 940kg/m. It is produced in low pressure reactors and thus referred to as high density polyethylene. They are derived from olefin or alkene monomers as the olefins have a reactive double bond. Ethylene is the starting material and is called the monomer. The final product that is produced is made up of thousands of bound ethylene units. The product is called a polymer due to these many bound ethylene units. Higher olefins like butane and hexane are termed co-monomers and are used to control the density and other physical properties.
HDPE production consists of two main techniques: slurry polymerization and gas phase polymerization. In slurry polymerization, the polymer is produced at comparatively low temperatures- ranging from seventy to hundred and ten degrees centigrade and in a low pressure range of one to five MPa in a saturated hydrocarbon medium. The polymer forms a mobile slurry or suspension. The reaction medium is removed and the polymer is separated from the hydrocarbon inert diluents. The powder thus obtained is mixed with stabilizers. It is then extruded into pellets.
In gas phase polymerization, a gas phase reactor is used. The reactor is basically a fluidized bed of dry polymer particles maintained by two ways: stirring it or passing ethylene gas at high speeds through it. Pressures are kept relatively low around 2MPa and temperatures generally hover in the range between seventy and hundred and ten degrees centigrade. The powder thus obtained is mixed with stabilizers and then extruded into pellets.
The reason for such a wide use of HDPE, like poultry supplies and hay tarpaulins is due to its versatility. It can be tailored to a wide range of products. It can be used in sustainable environments in a number of critical applications like potable water collection and food containment. Professionals working at tarps Australia companies follow environmental regulations and are familiar with terms associated with industry and environment. Poly tarp manufacturers routinely use Life Cycle Assessment or LCA for appraising and quantifying the total environmental impact of activities or products over their entire life cycle of specific products and activities. Factors like ODP or Ozone Depletion Potential is considered. It is the environmental impact category. The ODP index is calculated as the contribution to the break down of the ozone layer that would result from the emission of 1 kg of the substance in relation to the emission of 1 kg of CFC 11as a reference substrate.
