Advancements in Homopolymer Polypropylene Manufacturing
8 patents in this list
Updated:
Modern polypropylene manufacturing faces increasing demands for material consistency and performance, particularly in packaging applications where melt flow indices must remain within ±2 g/10min and impact strength variations cannot exceed 5% batch-to-batch. Current processes struggle to maintain these tolerances while incorporating post-consumer recycled content above 30% by weight.
The fundamental challenge lies in balancing molecular weight distribution and crystallinity control during polymerization while accommodating varying feedstock quality and increasing recycled content requirements.
This page brings together solutions from recent research—including multilayer extrusion techniques for barrier enhancement, thermal-mechanical recycling processes that preserve material properties, and advanced polymer stabilization methods for high-temperature applications. These and other approaches focus on maintaining material performance while improving recyclability and process efficiency in industrial-scale production.
1. Polypropylene Stand-Up Pouch with Dual-Layer Structure and Integrated Sealing Configuration
CAPRI SUN AG, 2024
Recyclable stand-up pouch for beverages made entirely of polypropylene that can be hot filled, sealed, and recycled. The pouch has a thin outer layer for printing and a thicker sealing layer. The outer layer is extruded and glued to the sealing layer. The pouch is formed by connecting the front, back, and base sections using a sealing structure. The sealing layer is thicker than the outer layer to provide sealing properties. The pouch can be hot filled, sealed, and recycled as a single-material polypropylene structure.
2. Monomaterial Polypropylene Stand-Up Pouch with Layered Structure for Enhanced Barrier Properties
CAPRI SUN AG, 2024
Recyclable stand-up pouch for beverages that is made entirely of polypropylene, is easier to recycle compared to traditional multi-material pouches, and has improved barrier properties. The pouch has separate outer, inner, and base layers all made of polypropylene. The inner layer is thicker than the outer layer to provide sealing. This allows the pouch to be sealed and filled without needing a separate sealing layer. The barrier properties of the polypropylene layers prevent spoilage and evaporation. The pouch can be recycled as a single material instead of separating layers.
3. Packaging Material Comprising Propylene-Based Plastics with High-Temperature Decomposing Inks and Additives
CONSTANTIA PIRK GMBH & CO. KG, 2024
Packaging material with improved recyclability and a method to predict recyclability of packaging containing printing inks, adhesives, and additives. The packaging material contains only propylene-based plastics like polypropylene (PP) and ethylene-propylene copolymers (EPP) to enhance recyclability. The printing ink, adhesive, and additives are selected to decompose at temperatures above 320°C, preventing gas bubbles in recycled material. The decomposition profile is analyzed to predict recyclability.
4. Polypropylene Packaging with Multi-Layer Barrier Structure Formed by Deposition and Wet Coating Techniques
YOULCHON CHEMICAL CO LTD, 2023
Easily recyclable oxygen and moisture barrier packaging material made of polypropylene (PP) that provides superior barrier properties while enabling easy recycling. The packaging has a base film, a multi-layer barrier layer on it containing at least one barrier, and an outer layer on the barrier layer. The barrier layers are formed using deposition and wet coating techniques to combine metal adherence and barrier agents. This allows improved barrier properties by supplementing single barrier materials and merging functions. The use of PP throughout provides recyclability.
5. Multilayer Polypropylene Packaging Material with Biaxially Oriented Layers and Adhesive Bonding
CONSTANTIA TOBEPAL S L U, CONSTANTIA TOBEPAL SLU, 2022
Recyclable multilayer packaging material with improved chemical resistance for applications like pharmaceuticals and personal care products. The material is made of multiple polypropylene (PP) layers bonded together using different adhesives. This allows recyclability since it uses a single plastic type. The PP layers are preferably biaxially oriented PP (BOPP) for strength. The use of PP instead of other plastics like PE provides better chemical resistance against aggressive fillers. The packaging material can be made by adhesive lamination or extrusion lamination.
6. Multilayer Polypropylene Fabric with Woven and Heat-Sealable Layers for High-Temperature Sealing
POLI&JUTE, 2021
A multilayer polypropylene fabric for making bagged products that allows hot sealing like heat-sealable PE films while maintaining mechanical strength like woven PP fabrics. The fabric consists of two layers: an outer layer made of woven PP (WWP) for mechanical strength, and an inner layer made of heat-sealable PP (CPP) for sealing. The fabric can be extruded into PP bags that can be closed using heat sealing like PE bags. The heat sealing temperature is between 110-120°C. The fabric allows hot sealing the bag mouth without affecting the mechanical properties. This provides a 100% PP bag that can be sealed like PE bags but has better recyclability and reusability compared to mixed material bags.
7. Multilayer Polypropylene Fabric with Woven Outer Layer and Thermo-Weldable Inner Layer for Heat-Sealable Packaging
POLI&JUTE S A, POLI&JUTE SA, 2021
A multilayer polypropylene fabric for making bagged packaging that can be sealed shut using heat welding instead of sewing. The fabric consists of multiple layers including an outer woven polypropylene layer for strength and an inner thermo-weldable layer for sealing. The outer layer provides mechanical rigidity while the inner layer allows heat sealing to create a watertight closure. The multilayer fabric allows making 100% PP bags that can be sealed shut using existing heat sealing equipment without compromising strength or waterproofing.
8. Polymer Food Packaging Recycling Process into Polypropylene Granules via Mechanical Shredding, Cleaning, Densifying, and Extruding
SHAKTI CORPORATION, 2021
Recycling process for polymer food packaging containing BOPP, PE, PET, printing and metalizing agents into polypropylene granules suitable for reuse in applications like injection molding. The process involves shredding, cleaning, drying, densifying, mixing, extruding, and cooling the packaging waste to form high-quality recycled polypropylene with properties like melt flow index and impact strength similar to virgin polypropylene. The recycling process avoids solvents and chemicals.
