Editing Wax (section)

==== Polyethylene and related derivatives ====

{{As of|1995}}, about 200 million kilograms of polyethylene waxes were consumed annually.<ref name=Ullmann/>

Polyethylene waxes are manufactured by one of three methods:

# The direct polymerization of ethylene, potentially including co-monomers;
# The thermal degradation of high molecular weight polyethylene resin;
# The recovery of low molecular weight fractions from high molecular weight resin production.

Each production technique generates products with slightly different properties. Key properties of low molecular weight polyethylene waxes are viscosity, density and melt point.

Polyethylene waxes produced by means of degradation or recovery from polyethylene resin streams contain very low molecular weight materials that must be removed to prevent volatilization and potential fire hazards during use. Polyethylene waxes manufactured by this method are usually stripped of low molecular weight fractions to yield a flash point >500 °F (>260 °C). Many polyethylene resin plants produce a low molecular weight stream often referred to as low polymer wax (LPW). LPW is unrefined and contains volatile oligomers, corrosive catalyst and may contain other foreign material and water. Refining of LPW to produce a polyethylene wax involves removal of oligomers and hazardous catalyst. Proper refining of LPW to produce polyethylene wax is especially important when being used in applications requiring FDA or other regulatory certification.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}