Borstar® Technology

Enabling tailor-made polymer solutions for demanding applications

Combined with Borealis' unique catalyst technology, Borstar® supports the production of a wide range of enhanced polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) products for the most demanding applications by enabling molecular design. The Borstar process offers simultaneous improvements in conversion economics and in key environmental aspects, such as energy efficiency and raw material recycling.

Borealis Borstar PE2 plant in Porvoo, Finland

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What Is Borstar Technology?

Borstar is Borealis' state-of-the-art multi-modal proprietary technology for manufacturing PE and PP. Borealis provides continued Borstar development and is further commercializing the next generation of Borstar such as Borstar PE 3G. The new developments represent a leap forward in process technology, allowing flexible polymer design from bi-modal to multi-modal PE/PP resins and facilitating the development of an ever-widening range of new plastics that outperform alternative materials in meeting the needs of manufacturers and end users.

Global growth through Borstar PE and PP capability and capacity expansion is a core ingredient of the Borealis strategy. Significant growth projects include Borouge, the joint venture with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in the United Arab Emirates and Bayport Polymers LLC (Baystar™), the 50/50 joint venture owned by TotalEnergies and Borealis in North America. Following the successful start-up of the Borouge 3 project in 2016, the site in Ruwais is now the world’s largest integrated polyolefins complex, with a production capacity of 4.5 million metric tons and aiming at further growth. Baystar includes a 625,000 metric ton per year Borstar polyethylene unit at its production site in Pasadena, Texas, and a one-million metric ton per year steam cracker in Port Arthur, Texas. The new cracker processes ethane and will supply feedstock for its existing 400,000 ton per year polyethylene unit as well as the new unit in Pasadena.

Scope of Borstar

The cornerstone of the Borstar technology is delivering innovative products through its efficient and flexible design. Borstar's key components are proprietary polyolefin multimodal process technology and proprietary catalyst systems.

The Borstar multimodal polymerization process enables tailor-made polymer materials for demanding applications via:

  • broad ranging polymer design freedom (e.g. molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, comonomer distribution and crystal morphology)
  • large product property window and feature combinations (e.g. high strength and processability, stiffness and impact, clarity and toughness)
  • high and consistent quality; supported by a proprietary developed Advanced Process Control (BorAPC)

This makes it possible to create more sophisticated, customer-oriented solutions characterized by a unique property combination.

Why Borstar?

Borstar delivers what its customers need - consistently superior property products that can be converted into applications, which give sustainable value. The Borstar process provides innovative polymers with both superior mechanical properties and excellent processability in a broad range of product applications (e.g. automotive, pipe, packaging, etc.) at competitive cost and improved environmental sustainability (e.g. downgauging).

Borstar materials feature, depending on the application, a number of special property and structural benefits, which are realized from tailoring the resin's molecular structure in both the Borstar PE and Borstar PP processes. These include:

  • toughness and high environmental stress-cracking resistance (ESCR)
  • long-term creep/burst resistance
  • uniquely high stiffness/impact balance is in combination with add-on functionalities like surface aesthetics and dimensional stability

Sustainability

  • World-class process safety performance
  • Low energy consumption
  • Zero CO2 footprint capability
  • Leading circular economy performance with Borstar enabling incorporation of more than 50% post-consumer recycled materials in various end products
  • Greater resource efficiency thanks to lightweighting of products
  • Focus on durable and recyclable applications
  • High-performance Borstar materials enables downgauging and greater design freedom: design for circularity, mono-material solutions

Value-Added Products

  • Bimodal Borstar PE technology and multimodal Borstar PP technology enable lighter, tougher, and stronger product solutions, including non-phthalate PP resins
  • Improved resin processability – faster and more efficient
  • Global leader for black specialty Borstar PE resins, such as for infrastructure applications
  • Superior technology flexibility
  • Proprietary catalyst technology
  • Securing the future with continuous innovation of the technology and the Borstar PE 3G platform

Highly Competitive

  • Highest proven bimodal PE capacity in the world
  • Excellent plant reliability thanks to robust plant design and vast operations experience with mega-plants
  • Capability to run complex grade mix to serve diversified markets in changing market environments
  • Borstar offers a very wide density and product range with one single platform

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