
228 Process Techniques for Engineering High-Performance Materials
On the downside, the cellophane process employed a toxic cocktail of
chemicals to perform the magic transformation of raw plant bers into a
clear plastic lm. The disposal of the spent chemicals generated a signicant
water pollution problem. This factor damaged cellophane’s market position
in comparison to that of polyolen polymers as stricter environmental regu-
lations were implemented in the middle of the century.
There are often trade-offs and compromises when running development
trials on small-scale equipment or large production lines. Even if the produc-
tion equipment is ...