VALUABLE BY-PRODUCT.

Shannon News, 6 May 1924, Page 4

VALUABLE BY-PRODUCT.

WASTE OF WOOD GREASE. A" ■Melbourne man who lias been experimenting. with wool grease has come to the conclusion that by not looking after this by-product of tho scouring process, Australia loses well over £300,000,. and by sending Home nine-tenths of her wool unsecured, she places in the hands of manufacturers in Europe and America a.substance which “they put to a score of uses and then send back to Australia under a score of disguises for sale at fancy prices,” wool grease being made the basis of lanoline, same complexion creams,and so forth. At the wool-cour-ing establishments,it is pointed out, the only grease saved is that which floats on the surface of the water about If to 3 per cent, of the-grease extracted. The rest sinks into the mud at the bot* tom of the tank, and goes to waste. Recently the Melbourne experiments treated 210 tons of greasy Merino wool, and when scouring was completed found that tho floating grease represented only one per cent. But out of some 90 tons of' residual mqd, he secured by a new process eight per cent. of grease. In times such as the present, the return represented by quantity of valu. able wool g'rease is not to be despised.