High density polyethylene (HDPE) is a polyethylene thermoplastic made from petroleum. It takes 1.75 kilograms of petroleum (in terms of energy and raw materials) to make one kilogram of HDPE. HDPE has little branching, giving it stronger intermolecular forces and tensile strength than lower density polyethylenes. The lack of branching is ensured by an appropriate choice of catalyst (e.g. Ziegler-Natta catalysts) and reaction conditions .

HDPE is resistant to many different solvents and has a wide variety of applications, including:

food containers

• tupperware
• milk jugs

liquid laundry detergent containers

plastic bags

containment of certain chemicals

chemical-resistant piping systems

geothermal heat transfer piping systems

HDPE is also used for cell liners in subtitle D sanitary landfills, wherein large sheets of HDPE are either extrusion or wedge welded to form a homogeneous chemical-resistant barrier, preventing the pollution of soil and groundwater by the liquid constituents of solid waste.

fabric Definition

fiber Definition

HDPE is an acronym.