Trimodal polyethylene for use in blow moulding

1. A trimodal polyethylene comprising three polymeric weight fractions A,B,C, wherein the low molecular weight fraction A is a homopolymer and the medium and the high molecular weight fractions B and C, respectively, are copolymers of ethylene and 1-butene as the comonomer,

the polyethylene comprising 50 to 60% (w/w) of homopolymer A, 22 to 28% (w/w) of copolymer B, 18 to 24% (w/w) of copolymer C, and 0 to 5% (w/w) of non-polymeric additives and/or polymeric lubricants selected from the group consisting of: (i) colorants, (ii) antioxidants; (iii) stabilizers; (iv) inorganic or carbonic acids or acid anhydrides; (v) non-polymeric lubricants; (vi) a fluoropolymer lubricant; and (vii) polybutene-1, based on the total weight of the polymer, and wherein the polyethylene is obtained by stepwise polymerization in the presence of a solid Ziegler-Natta catalyst component, where the solid catalyst is the product of a process comprising (a) reacting magnesium diethoxide with titanium tetrachloride carried out in a hydrocarbon at a temperature of 50-100° C., (b) subjecting the reaction mixture obtained in (a) to a heat treatment at a temperature of 110° C. to 200° C. for a time ranging from 3 to 25 hours (c) isolating and washing with a hydrocarbon the solid obtained in (b), said solid catalyst component having a Cl/Ti molar ratio higher than 2.5,

wherein the trimodal polyethylene has a density of 0.950 to 0.960 g/cm 3 , a melt index (HLMI) according to ASTM D-1238, at 190° C. and 21.6 kg, of 2.9-6 g/10 min, and

the polyethylene is produced by polymerization with a Ziegler-Natta catalyst.

2. The trimodal polyethylene of claim 1 , wherein the stepwise polymerization is carried out in such a way, optionally using a prepolymerized catalyst, that in a first step, the homopolymer A is obtained having a melt index according to ASTM D-1238, at 190° C. and 21.6 kg, of from 18 to 30 g/10 min, and wherein in a second step, copolymer B is obtained the polymer mixture in the reactor having a melt index according to ASTM D-1238, at 190° C. and 21.6 kg, of from 8 to 14 g/10 min, and wherein in a third step, copolymer C is obtained, the polymer mixture of A, B and C in the reactor having a melt index according to ASTM D-1238, at 190° C. and 21.6 kg, of from 3 to 6 g/10 min.

3. The trimodal polyethylene of claim 1 , wherein the stepwise polymerization is carried out in three reactor steps wherein at least the first two reactor steps are carried out in suspension and wherein the last reactor step is carried out in a gas phase or suspension reactor.

4. The trimodal polyethylene of claim 1 , having a dimensionless ratio of HLMI:MI 5 of from 16 to 23, wherein MI 5 is the melt index according to ASTM D-1238, at 190° C. and 5 kg.

5. The trimodal polyethylene of claim 1 , wherein the reaction of the magnesium alcoholate with TiCl 4 is carried out at a molar ratio of Ti/Mg in the range 1.5 to 4, at a temperature from 60 to 90° C. and for a time of 2 to 6 hours.

6. The trimodal polyethylene of claim 5 , wherein the Ti/Mg ranges from 1.75 to 2.75.

7. The trimodal polyethylene of claim 1 , wherein the heat treatment in step (b) is carried out at a temperature ranging from 100 to 140° C., for a period of time ranging from 5 to 15 hours.

8. The trimodal polyethylene of claim 1 , wherein the Cl/Ti molar ratio is at least 3.

9. The trimodal polyethylene of claim 1 , wherein the solid obtained after (c) has the following composition:

Mg:Ti:Cl=1:0.8−1.5:3.2−4.2.

10. The trimodal polyethylene of claim 1 , wherein the solid catalyst component is further contacted in a step (d) with an aluminum alkyl halide compound selected from dialkylaluminum monochlorides of the formula R 2 3 AlCl or the alkylaluminum sesquichlorides of the formula R 3 3 Al 2 Cl 3 in which R 3 can be identical or different alkyl radicals having 1 to 16 carbon atoms.

11. The trimodal polyethylene of claim 10 , wherein the aluminum alkyl halide is an aluminum alkylchloride compound, and wherein the aluminum alkylchloride compound is used in amounts such that the Al/Ti molar ratio, calculated with reference to the Ti content of the solid catalyst component as obtained by the previous step, is from 0.05 to 1.

12. A process comprising blow molding the trimodal polyethylene of claim 1 .

13. The trimodal polyethylene of claim 1 , wherein the stepwise polymerization further comprises the presence of trialkylaluminum as a cocatalyst component.

14. The trimodal polyethylene of claim 2 , wherein in the stepwise polymerization, the partial pressure of 1-butene is controlled at 3 to 10% of that of ethylene in the gas phase of a reactor in the second step.

15. The trimodal polyethylene of claim 2 , wherein the melt index of the polymer mixture is from 4 to 5 g/10min.