How Chevron Phillips Have Lost Market Share to Borealis for Geomembrane Resins: Bimodal vs Unimodal
Chevron Phillips Marlex K306/K307 HDPE resins have long been the mainstay resin for the geomembrane industry but they have recently lost market share to Borealis whose more advanced bimodal catalyst systems are advantageous for the changing geomembrane market needs and the drive toward ever enhanced high-performance geomembranes.
The move away from the Marlex K306/K307 resins have been mainly driven by the need to adopt bimodal resins with improved SCR.
The combination of the advanced catalysts and the proprietary multi-modal process for producing HDPE and LLPDE has allowed Borealis to fine-tune the molecular structure of the polymer to meet very specific performance needs for geomembranes such as long-term stress crack resistance and reliable processability. The two resins of choice for geomembrane production from Borouge are:
- Borouge FB1350 also known as Borstar® FB1350 a high molecular weight HDPE grade produced using Borstar® bimodal technology.
- Borouge FB2230 also known as Borstar® FB2230 a high molecular weight LLDPE grade produced using Borstar® bimodal technology.
Key Features of these resins are:
- Bimodal molecular weight distribution
- Excellent stress crack resistance (NCTL-SCR)
- Good stiffness and dimensional stability
- Good weldability
In contrast the older Marlex K306 and K307 are unimodal HDPE resins, not bimodal. Unimodal HDPE has a single molecular weight distribution, generally offering lower toughness and slower crack growth resistance compared to bimodal.
Adoption by Solmax in Asia
Import data for Solmax the world’s largest geomembrane manufacture shows the Malaysia operation has been importing both Borouge FB1350 and Borouge FB2230 for some time.
According to data from international trade aggregator Volza, Solmax, a global leader in geosynthetics, is extensively using Borstar® resins across its operations in Asia. Solmax’s adoption underscores the resin’s compatibility with their production lines and market demands in the region.
