The head of the "SIBUR PolyLab" research center stated, "We are building the foundation for complete technological independence."

Naked Science: Prior to this, we spoke with Ilnaz Zaripov, who leads the innovative direction in science at SIBUR. What is the difference: where do innovative developments end, and where does the “PolyLabs” system begin? Can you provide a vivid example from your activities in recent years?

Konstantin Vernigorov: When it comes to radically new technology or innovative molecules, the developments are handled by “SIBUR Innovations.” Once a product starts being produced in significant quantities on pilot installations, or even more so in series on an industrial scale—from tens to thousands of tons per year—the task of modifying the product to meet market needs, its proper “development,” and positioning in the final product and application is already led by “SIBUR PolyLab.” That’s why all this is referred to as applied R&D.

For instance, there are super-structural plastics that can withstand extremely high temperatures and mechanical loads. These are used to make parts for cars and airplanes, and in medicine… One of them is polyetherketone, a promising and super-cool material. The first stage involves developing our own production technology, which is handled by “SIBUR Innovations.” As soon as it enters mass production, we will take care of its “tuning” to meet specific customer requirements.

We, the “applicators,” have a lot of work: the company produces hundreds of brands of various types of polymers. Accordingly, “PolyLabs” has many development centers: seven, each specializing in its group of products.

N. S.: How does the work on “tuning” new products in “PolyLabs” proceed?

K. V.: For example, our company has been producing polycarbonates or polyethylenes for agricultural needs for quite a while (for instance, for greenhouses, without which there would be no vegetables in the store during winter, or irrigation systems).

Take polycarbonate, for instance—sometimes it can be used instead of glass, not only in greenhouses but also in architecture and decoration. And while everything seems clear, achieving success in specific applications requires considering many nuances. For example, polycarbonate must be scratch-resistant; otherwise, this will affect its appearance and light transmission. What’s the use of a lightweight and non-brittle glass substitute if it poorly transmits light? Additionally, it is important to consider the flammability of the material; only non-flammable and difficult-to-flame materials are allowed in architecture.

This is where “PolyLabs” come into play. The material needs to be modified in such a way as to change its properties to meet customer requirements. We managed not only to create a scratch-resistant grade of polycarbonate but also to increase the light transmission coefficient for this plastic—resulting in its use in automotive headlights.

Another example: a very common problem for any outdoor surface, from advertising banners to plastic traffic noise barriers, is graffiti. Using our “PolyLab” additives, we managed to minimize paint adhesion to polycarbonate—allowing regular water to easily remove the paint applied to polycarbonate.

To avoid focusing solely on polycarbonate, let's consider another material and area of application—polyethylene and agriculture. Polyethylene film is often used as a covering material. It has conflicting requirements: it must retain heat, which means it should not allow part of the infrared radiation to pass through, while at the same time, some part of the infrared spectrum must be transmitted.

If this is not done, not all the energy from sunlight will be available to the plants, which will worsen their photosynthesis efficiency. “PolyLabs” created a grade of polyethylene that transmits exactly the part of the spectrum needed, significantly improving yield, with growth in some cases measured in tens of percentage points.

N. S.: Since 2022, many Russian companies have faced the issue of import substitution. What challenges have “PolyLabs” encountered? Have there been cases in your practice where you had to help any of your partners with urgent replacement of critically important imports? Or perhaps you yourself had to urgently substitute something?

K. V.: Import substitution is a broad term that encompasses very different types of work. On one hand, it means ensuring technological independence of our own productions. For the petrochemical industry, for example, a critical question is the availability of catalysts and special chemicals. In this regard, “PolyLab” has been working in two directions: we tested analogs from friendly countries while simultaneously advancing our own developments that were in SIBUR's research centers.

Replacing catalysts and special components is always a delicate adjustment: you can't just take one catalyst and replace it with another; it requires adapting technological modes and a whole range of tests to confirm that the product obtained using the new component meets all quality and efficiency requirements. We quickly ensured our own needs and production stability. The current ambition is to fully meet our domestic development needs by 2030.

The other aspect of import substitution is that we act as solution providers not just for ourselves but for industries “on the right”—developing new grades of synthetic materials to replace those that have become unavailable. The example of polycarbonate for automotive headlights falls into this category.

N. S.: Can you provide more examples?

K. V.: Tetra Pak packaging: a third of all dairy products on store shelves come in this form. Additionally, it’s used for baby food, juices, and much more.

You might say: what do polymers have to do with it; Tetra Pak is made of cardboard? Many believe so, but in reality, the inner layer of each such package is a layer of polyethylene applied through high-speed lamination. And this polyethylene was exclusively imported until 2022.

Another case involves polymer grades for medicine, from which disposable syringes, single-use medical suits, and packaging for pharmaceuticals are made. By today, all of this has already been developed and gone into series production.

Thus, maintaining the stability of our productions has allowed us to take the next step and respond quickly to the requests of key industries: construction, transportation, medicine, agriculture, food industry, and consumer goods.

From February 2022 to the end of 2024, we have launched over 80 product brands to the market.

N. S.: So, before the sanctions, you didn’t have such brands from which all this could be made?

K. V.: Of course, there were brands that were actively used by many manufacturers. However, many were imported from countries that became unfriendly. The introduction of a new material or polymer brand is always associated with the need for production transitions.

I remember how we quickly addressed requests from our partners to help them replace multilayer films for food products. Without them, food would not reach consumers. We also substituted industrial films, without which many industrial products could not be produced on time. Such products typically use a combination of polymers in different layers. And to replace them, you need to change not just one polymer, but the entire combination; each individual layer is responsible for specific properties.

I’ll mention one figure: from spring 2022 to the end of 2024, we handled one and a half thousand requests from our clients. What were these requests about? Import substitution of polymer grades, technical consultation on working with existing equipment.

In general, our entire team working in this direction had a very high degree of internal engagement. I would also note that such openness with our partners—across all links in the production chain, from granules to finished products—had not been seen before.

N. S.: So, strong in-house developers allowed SIBUR to avoid a downturn under sanctions? Or even grow?

K. V.: We are definitely growing. And we expect even more growth in the coming years: the future lies in our new investment projects. This includes the Amur Gas Chemical Complex with a capacity of 2.7 million tons of polymers per year, DGP-2 in Tobolsk, nearly 600 thousand tons of polypropylene, and several other projects.

N. S.: You mentioned automotive manufacturing, which recently highlighted plastics as an issue—specifically, ABS plastic, used for bumpers and much more. Have you encountered anything like that?

K. V.: Even today, polymer consumption in automotive manufacturing has increased by 24%, confirming the high demand for such solutions, and by 2028, the use of polymers in the Russian automotive industry could double, with the share of domestic materials reaching 80%.

There are many organizational nuances here: homologation, approval of introducing certain materials into the automotive manufacturer's production chain.

Specifically in the transportation direction, SIBUR’s “PolyLabs” has several dozen projects for introducing new materials that are already being used by domestic automakers. The developments are