Braskem launches ethanol-based LDPE

Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem has launched a new line of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which will be produced at a plant that uses ethanol feedstock derived from sugarcane in Brazil.
Annual production of the new resin will amount to approximately 30,000 tons. The product will be made available in the market starting in January 2014.
Braskem has been producing high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) from renewable feedstock since September 2010.
Braskem’s line of “green” polyethylene has properties identical to those of traditional polyethylene.
“We believe low-density green polyethylene will meet the growing demand for materials made from renewable resources by enabling other applications in addition to the ones already available,” Luciano Guidolin, vice president of the company’s polyolefins and renewables unit, said in a statement.
LDPE is used mainly in plastic packaging and films.