The at least one polypropylene resin can be produced by polymerizing propylene and one or more optional comonomers, in the presence of a catalyst being a metallocene catalyst or a Ziegler-Natta catalyst.
In a preferred example, the catalyst system may comprise a Ziegler-Natta catalyst. The term “Ziegler-Natta catalyst” refers to catalysts of the general formula MXn, wherein M is a transition metal compound selected from groups IV to VII, wherein X is a halogen, and wherein n is the valence of the metal. Preferably, the metal is titanium, chromium or vanadium. Most preferably, the metal is titanium.
The Ziegler-Natta catalyst system, under the disclosure, comprises a titanium compound having at least one titanium-halogen bond and an internal electron donor, both on a suitable support, an organoaluminium compound, and an optional external electron donor. Suitable support is, for example, a magnesium halide in an active form. A suitable external electron donor (ED) is, for example, phthalate or succinate or a diether compound. The organoaluminium compound used in the process of the present disclosure is triethyl aluminium (TEAL).
Advantageously, the triethyl aluminium has a hydride content, expressed as AlH3, of less than 1.0 wt. % for the triethyl aluminium. More preferably, the hydride content is less than 0.5 wt. %, and most preferably, the hydride content is less than 0.1 wt. %. It would not depart from the scope of the disclosure if the organoaluminium compound contains minor amounts of other compounds of the trialkyl aluminium family, such as triisobutyl aluminium, tri-n-butyl aluminium, and linear or cyclic alkyl aluminium compounds containing two or more Al atoms, provided they show polymerization behaviour comparable to that of TEAL.