Polyolefin Elastomer (POE) is a critical bottleneck material widely used in photovoltaic modules and automotive accessories. Before 2025, domestic downstream enterprises frequently encountered abnormal POE deterioration after long-distance transportation. Loose POE pellets would bond into cement-like hard masses that could not be broken easily. This subtle caking issue often triggered unexpected shutdowns on downstream production lines.
POE is supplied in pellet form after production. During land and sea transportation, high ambient temperature, humid container atmosphere and superposed stacking pressure jointly cause pellet surface adhesion and irreversible caking. Caked POE cannot pass through standard pneumatic conveying systems and frequently clogs feeding inlets. Workers have to break agglomerates manually, which reduces production efficiency, causes raw material loss and brings mechanical abrasion risks to processing equipment.
In 2025, Sinopec Maoming Petrochemical launched a 50,000 tons per annum POE unit, Sinopec’s first POE industrial demonstration unit with complete independent intellectual property rights. Shortly after formal operation, the company received customer complaints regarding POE pellet caking during cross-regional transportation.
The on-site POE operation team conducted field investigations at downstream clients, recording storage temperature, humidity and cargo stacking parameters, and communicating with frontline operators to restore the full caking process. Maoming Petrochemical subsequently launched joint research with Sinopec Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Industry. The production team adjusted on-site process parameters and arranged trial production, while research specialists implemented material composition analysis, data comparison and technical verification. The two parties built a closed-loop optimization workflow including experimental demonstration, industrial trial production, customer feedback and iterative upgrading. Multiple rounds of testing finalized stable anti-caking process parameters.
Maoming Petrochemical solidified optimized parameters via unit technical renovation. The upgraded POE products feature prominent anti-adhesion performance and maintain complete pellet morphology throughout long-distance shipping. The improved product has gained widespread recognition from photovoltaic and automotive downstream buyers. The team is currently developing customized POE grades for segmented application scenarios.
The upgrade from rigid caked agglomerates to stable qualified pellets is not a disruptive technological breakthrough. It targets the core demand of domestic high-end polymer materials: transforming customer operational pain points into targeted internal R&D tasks.
Maoming Petrochemical’s anti-caking breakthrough marks accelerated localization across the domestic POE sector. Sinopec Dushanzi Petrochemical has realized large-scale production of gas-phase POE, advancing localized substitution of core photovoltaic raw materials. A total of 9 domestic POE industrial units with 790,000 tons of annual capacity are scheduled for capacity release in 2026. Industry sources show that the Lianhong Huisheng POE project has been commissioned, while official announcements shall prevail for final confirmation.
