Operations team received a theory-based training on “Polymerization”

The Operations team received a theory-based training on “Polymerization” at the plant site in Sumgayit. Converting monomer to long chain polymer is the final step in the polymer manufacturing sequence. Advances in catalysis have given a high degree of control over both structure and molecular mass so that grades of a given polymer can be tailored for specific end usage. It is possible to look at polymerization in at least two different ways: the nature of the catalyst used, and the way the chains grow to form the final product. An extra dimension to polymer structure is added by the possibilities of copolymerization, where two or more different monomers are polymerized together. In one sense it is comparable to alloying different metals to produce an appropriate balance of properties in the final product. A basic understanding of polymerization processes is important because polymerization affects structure, and hence properties of the final product, and therefore must take place in technical conditions closest to the ideal scenario.