Better Ways to Process Cellulose New Rayonier research center at Whippany, N. J., will explore improved cellulose fibers and films

XVAYONIER is GEARING UP for intensi­fied research on cellulose and its prod­ucts. At a new $1.3 million laboratory at Whippany, N. J., it has installed the latest facilities to improve some of the more than 500 products made from chemical cellulose. Among these are rayon, cellophane, lacquers, and photo­graphic film and paper. Since Rayonier makes none of these end-products, this lab will be mainly concerned with cus­tomer research.

T h e new lab is Rayonier's third re­search center. The other two are at Shelton, Wash., and Vancouver, B. C. These western laboratories are mainly concerned with developing new types of chemical cellulose, new chemicals from wood, and new uses for wood.

T h e new location at Whippany was chosen because of its nearness to Rayonier's executive offices in New York and to customers both in this country and abroad. The lab is a two-story building providing 42,000 square feet of working space. Located on an 82-acre site, it could be readily ex­panded. Sizable expansion in the future is expected, although no definite plans have yet been made.

T h e staff at Whippany totals 7 6 per­sons, about half of whom are tech-

Research is divided main categories: fibers,

nically trained into three films, and fundamental science.

• Washab l e Rayon. Headed by chemist R. Logan Mitchell, the new lab will, as a major project, study the manufacture of improved rayons. One research target: a kmnderable rayon similar to cotton.

The lab contains a new experimental rayon-spinning machine for making either high-strength tire yarn or staple fiber. The lab also has facilities for testing rayon and other fibers for tensile strength, heat resistance, wear resist­ance, and other properties.

Rayonier will also be seeking new ways to modify the cellulose molecule to improve its end-products. It will also be studying the behavior of cellu­lose, straight through from the t ree to the final product. This will be done with the aid of radioactive tracers; car­bon-14 injected into growing trees will be followed through the many later stages of cellulose processing. Using C14, Rayonier will explore the factors influencing wood growth and nutrient uptake, as well as the effects of specific soil conditions. All this, the company points out, is vital to the continuing conservation of trees as one of the nation's prime natural resources. •

Infant pine trees get a shot of carbon-14 for special research studies at Rayonier's newest research center at Whippany, N . J. Radioactive tracers will be used to determine this year's annual growth for use in subsequent pioneering research

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