Trees can be used to make paper! Thank you Captain Obvious. Wait. Trees can be used for film, cabinets, playing cards, fibers, plastics, pharmaceuticals and LCD screens? I must admit, I did not know that and I bet you didn't either.

The UT Science Forum hosted Mark Cox, a UT graduate and a licensed professional engineer who works for Eastman Chemical in Kingsport, Tenn. on Friday, Jan. 30.

While Cox's organization supports a segment of Eastman's business that generates about $4 billion in sales revenue for Eastman according to some estimates, his visit to UT was to discuss the value of trees.

We love the fact that we can use smart chemistry to bring these things to our lives. -Mark Cox, engineer for Eastman Chemicals




In his discussion, "Can Trees Do That? The Remarkable Versatility of Cellulosics," Cox offered a bit of insight into a renewable resource that we sometimes take for granted - trees. But to understand the influence of trees, we must take a brief look at the chemistry behind the science.

It starts with a tree. Eastman, in the early years, used trees to produce wood alcohol that was derivatized into acetic anhydride. The acetic anhydride was then reacted with cellulose (derived from trees) to make cellulose acetate. Today, Eastman produces acetic anhydride from coal, and reacts with cellulose to produce CA.

For instance, before CA, we used cellulose nitrate on the film we put in our cameras. (Little known fact about cellulose nitrate - it's flammable.) However we now use CA, which to our comfort is NOT flammable.

A more enhanced version of CA can be used for the coating on cabinets and playing cards. Architectural paints also use this ingredient.

Cellulosics serve a purpose for the pharmaceutical sector as well.

"The cellulose esters can actually help control the rate of release of the drug," Cox said.

Our generation has grown accustom to hi-definition images on flat-screen TVs. With the unique compensation layers, CA enables scratch resistance, clarity and better viewing angles on the screen.

From pharmaceuticals to LCD screens, the chemicals found in trees are and will continue to be an adaptable purpose for our demanding society.

"We love the fact that we can use smart chemistry to bring these things to our lives," Cox said.