HDPE - High-density polyethylene.
High density polyethylene (HDPE) is a thermoplastic made from oil.
It takes 1.75 kg of oil (in terms of energy and raw materials) to make 1 kg of
HDPE. HDPE is resistant to many different solvents and is often used in food containers
(ie certain tupperwares, containers for milk, liquid laundry detergent, etc.),
some plastic bags, containment of certain chemicals, chemical resistant piping
systems, and geothermal heat transfer piping systems.
HDPE
has little branching and thus stronger intermolecular forces and tensile strength.
The lack of branching is ensured by an appropriate choice of catalyst (e.g. Ziegler-Natta
catalysts) and reaction conditions.
