- The future of rayon is bright. Not only is there a growing
demand for rayon worldwide, but there are many new technologies that
promise to make rayon even better and cheaper.
For a while in
the 1970s there was a trend in the clothing industry toward purely
synthetic materials like polyester. However, since purely synthetic
material does not "breath" like natural material, these products were
not well received by the consumer. Today there is a strong trend toward
blended fabrics. Blends offer the best of both worlds. With the present
body of knowledge about the structure and chemical reactivity of
cellulose, some scientist believe it may soon be possible to produce the
cellulose molecule directly from sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. If
this technique proves to be cost effective, such hydroponic factories
could represent a giant step forward in the quest to provide the raw
materials necessary to meet the world wide demand for man-made fabric.