PRODUCTION OF POLYETHYLENE
Polyethylene is a type of polymer that is thermoplastic, meaning that it can be melted to a liquid and remolded as it returns to a solid state. It is chemically synthesized from ethylene, a compound that's usually made from petroleum or natural gas. Ethane is thermally cracked in steam to form ethylene:
Ethylene is then polymerized with a catalyst to create polyethylene:
Polyethylene is the most commonly used and produced plastic and is used most often in the packaging industry. Approximately 80 million tons are produced anually.