Process Considerations to Maximize Catalyst Activity in Solution Polyolefin Polymerizations

Production of polyolefins by coordination catalysts in solution reactors is of increasing industrial importance. The development of novel, complex catalyst structures is improving the performance of existing products and expanding the market into new applications. However, as the complexity of these catalyst structures increases so too does the cost. In order to maintain reasonable manufacturing costs, greater attention must be given to maximizing the activity of these catalysts in the polymerization reactor. This paper reviews chemical processing techniques to maximize catalyst activity in solution polyolefin, polymerization reactors.