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26/01/2021

What kind of material is used to make cellophane?

What kind of material is used to make cellophane?

Cellophane™ is a polymeric cellulose film made from the cellulose from wood, cotton, hemp, or other sources. The raw material of choice is called dissolving pulp, which is white like cotton and contains 92–98% cellulose.

What kind of resistance does Cellophane have to heat?

It has high temperature resistance (typically up to 177°C), excellent moisture and oxygen barrier (depending on the coating), and oil and grease resistance. Cellophane lost ground to lower cost petrochemical-based films such as BOPET and BOPP in the 1980s and 1990s.

Why is cellophane being replaced by polypropylene?

Although cellophane is biodegradable, the way in which it is made results in a lot of other kinds of pollution. The last years, cellophane has been replaced by polypropylene in food packaging, mainly because of its poor performance at low temperature, limited shelf life, and high cost.

How does cellophane get from viscose to cellulose?

Cellophane is formed by casting thick viscose solution though a slot die and carrying the sheet though chemical baths to convert the viscose to cellulose, remove sulfur, bleach the film, and add glycerin to plasticize it. Safoura Ahmadzadeh, Amin M. Khaneghah, in Encyclopedia of Renewable and Sustainable Materials, 2020

Material properties. Cellophane is biodegradable, but highly toxic carbon disulfide is used in most cellophane production. Viscose factories vary widely in the amount of CS2 they expose their workers to, and most give no information about their quantitative safety limits or how well they keep to them.

Is the carbon disulfide used in cellophane toxic?

Cellophane is biodegradable, but highly toxic carbon disulfide is used in most cellophane production. Viscose factories vary widely in the amount of CS2 they expose their workers to, and most give no information about their quantitative safety limits or how well they keep to them.

Where did Courtaulds make cellophane in the UK?

A major production facility was constructed at Bridgwater, Somerset, England, from 1935 to 1937, employing 3,000 workers. BCL subsequently constructed plants in Cornwall, Ontario (BCL Canada), as an adjunct to the existing Courtaulds viscose rayon plant there (from which it bought the viscose solution), and in 1957 at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

Why is Cellophane used to make cigar packaging?

Cellophane is the most popular material for manufacturing cigar packaging; its permeability to moisture makes cellophane the perfect product for this application as cigars must be allowed to “breathe” while in storage. Cellophane sales have dwindled since the 1960s, due to alternative packaging options.