Recently, a chemical manufacturer with over 30 years of R&D and manufacturing experience for EVA raw materials has officially launched its new intelligent green production line for low-odor solid EVA resin pellets. Adopting integrated environmental technologies including closed-loop deodorization, low-residual polymerization and waste heat recovery, the line mass-produces high-purity, weather-resistant EVA pellets with no pungent odor for PV encapsulation film and foamed footwear materials. It effectively meets the global green upgrading demands of downstream photovoltaic and footwear industries and eases the domestic supply shortage of high-end eco-friendly export-grade EVA raw materials.
Solid EVA resin pellets serve as vital base materials for two major sectors: photovoltaic encapsulation and foamed footwear. Conventional EVA pelletizing processes suffer high residual small molecules, strong irritating odor and massive waste gas discharge. When applied to PV encapsulation, volatile substances released during high-temperature lamination cause yellowing and bubbles inside modules, shortening the service life of solar panels. For footwear production, finished products with heavy odor fail environmental tests such as EU REACH and California Proposition 65, blocking high-end overseas orders. Driven by the rapid expansion of global new energy PV industry and surging demand for sustainable footwear materials, the market demand for low-odor, low-precipitation and low-carbon EVA raw materials keeps rising sharply.
The newly built green line achieves technological upgrades covering the whole process of polymerization, devolatilization, pelletizing and waste gas treatment. A multi-stage vacuum devolatilization system is installed to remove residual monomers and volatile additives generated in ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymerization, greatly lowering odor levels of finished pellets. Equipped with catalytic combustion and waste heat recovery facilities, over 98% of production waste gas is purified, and recycled heat supports pelletizing procedures, cutting overall energy consumption by 22% and carbon emissions, fully complying with international carbon border adjustment mechanisms and green procurement rules. Real-time online detectors for melt index, VA content and odor grade are deployed to guarantee consistent performance of every batch, avoiding discoloration, agglomeration and excessive odor.
Two mainstream special grades are available: PV-grade EVA pellets feature high light transmittance and stable crosslinking performance, with no volatile impurities released under high-temperature processing to extend the outdoor service life of photovoltaic modules, suitable for single-glass and double-glass film mass production. Footwear-grade low-odor EVA pellets deliver uniform foaming ratio and excellent shock absorption, producing midsoles, clogs and children’s shoes without harsh odor, safe and eco-friendly for supercritical foaming and one-step injection molding.
Supported by a complete industrial chain covering VAM Monomer, VAE Emulsion, EVA Emulsion and solid EVA pellets, the company provides one-stop sourcing of full-range EVA raw materials for PV and footwear manufacturers. The first batch of low-odor EVA pellets has been delivered to PV module factories and footwear industrial clusters in Europe and Southeast Asia, with multiple leading overseas brands completing sample verification and signing long-term supply contracts.
The production director stated that the new line greatly boosts annual output of solid EVA pellets. The enterprise will keep developing bio-based low-odor modified EVA products in the future. Relying on green manufacturing strengths, it will support low-carbon sustainable development of global photovoltaic new energy and eco-footwear industrial chains.
