Chapter 1 - Introduction

Abstract

This chapter introduces the book which deals with polyolefins (POs) and PO additives. This brief introduction will cover broader issues with PO. Plastics would not be so common in daily life if not for the technologies behind one general family of polymers—POs. The sheer total volume of POs that are used reflects their importance. Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), make up over half of the +150 million metric tons of thermoplastics demanded worldwide (with PE accounting for nearly two-thirds of all POs). The production and use of POs in the world continues to grow, though at changing growth rates over time. PP, fueled by its particular versatility and improved properties, continues to grow ahead of other resins. Given their low cost, PE and PP have traditionally been categorized as “commodity plastics.” But this is misleading; POs have been used for some engineering applications for years. Their properties continue to be expanded by the use of material additives whose contributions for improving properties are often under-reported and poorly understood. Additive reinforcements such as glass fibers are likely to continue to be the main way PP is strengthened for its most extreme engineering applications. The plastics industry has seen more complex additives become available whose purpose and cost-effective use are not always adequately explained or demystified by suppliers.