Polymer such as rubber, suberin, melanin and lignin. Naturally occurring polymers such as cotton, starch and rubber were familiar materials for years before synthetic polymers such as polyethene and perspex appeared on the market. Many commercially important polymers are synthesized by chemical modification of naturally occurring polymers. Prominent examples include the reaction of nitric acid and cellulose to form nitrocellulose and the formation of vulcanized rubber by heating natural rubber in the presence of sulfur. Ways in which polymers can be modified include oxidation, cross-linking and endcapping. Especially in the production of polymers the gas separation by membranes has acquired increasing
Frasch process Frasch process The Frasch process is a method to extract sulphur from underground deposits. It is the only industrial method of recovering sulphur from elemental deposits. Most of the world's sulfur was obtained this way until the late 20th century, when sulfur recovered from petroleum and gas sources became more commonplace (see Claus process). In the Frasch process, superheated water is pumped into the sulphur deposit; the sulfur melts and is extracted. The Frasch process is able to produce high purity sulfur. The Frasch sulfur process works best on either salt domes or bedded evaporite deposits, where sulfur is found