Investigating the chemical composition of lanolin waste to improve the production of sustainable natural fibre materials.
Summer Studentship Report 2023.
By Daisy Grundy, Alwin Abraham, Paul Sutton and Michael Wilde- University of Plymouth.
The Natural Fibre Company were experiencing intermittent manufacturing difficulties downstream of the scouring process of raw wool. A thicker, paste-like grease deposit formed at the point of processing difficulty. The chemical composition of different raw wool lanolin extracts were compared against a sample of problematic grease using high temperature gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The wool extracts contained varying distributions of fatty acids, cholesterol and cholesteryl derivatives and wax esters. The problematic deposit had a markedly different composition. Major components were tentatively identified as psi-cholesterol, pentadecenol, palmitic and oleic acid, and a homologous series with mass spectra consistent with glycol ethers. The identification of chemicals predominantly with high interfacial properties was indicative of a potential issue with the surfactants used in the scouring process. The high inorganic content indicated the presence of potassium salts derived from the suint, warranting further investigation of the inorganic fraction using ICP-OES or MS.
ChromSoc/BMSS Summer Studentship program information.
