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WOOL CARBONISING INDUSTRY EXPANDS
LOCAL PLANT IS OPERATING AT
THREE-SHIFT PRESSURE
Ever heard of carbonised wool? The carbonising pro-
cess is at present keeping an industry employing 100 men
in Launceston operating for 24 hours of the day.
Wool free of all foreign matter has
only to be scoured to clean and remove
the grease.
But many sheep collect much that
has to be taken from the wool before
it can go to the mills, notably burrs.
(the rough, prickly heads of plants and
grasses), and also sticks, bracken fern,
seeds and leaves. Some of the wool
is simply a mass of burrs.
No machine could ever remove these
things from the wool in their original
state. The removal is done by the
carbonising process, by which the burrs
and other rubbish are reduced to fine
ash and dispelled.
Before the war 70 per cent. of the
carbonising of Australian wool was
done in Belgium.
In the last few years, however, the
Industry has been developing rapidly
in Australia.
The prevalence of burr in wool is
increasing, because clover sown for
the fat lamb industry is also creating
it.
A lamb free of burr gives from 65
to 74 per cent. of clean scoured wool,
but wool carrying burr returns a 5
to 10 per cent. lower yield. That off-
sets the value of the burr wool in the
grease.
As there are only a limited num-
ber of carbonising plants in Austra-
lia they are all operating under top
pressure, three shifts a day.
Whereas previously each plant did
the work for a variety of owners, all
are now on Government contracts, the
British Government having taken over
the whole of Australia's clip. Much
of the wool treated goes to Austra-
lian, including local, mills.
The industry was started at Laun-
ceston about five years ago by Messrs.
L. W. Smith Pty. Ltd. This firm now
occupied the whole of the buildings of
the former Rapson Tyre Co., near
King's Wharf, and the plant is very
extensive.
It is capable of treating 300 bales of
"burry" wool a week. In three months'
time the firm hopes to have installed
additional plant, extending the capacity
to 450 bales a week.
The demand for the carbonising pro-
cess and pressure on available plants
are indicated by the fact that wool
from Queensland and New South
Wales is being sent to Launceston for
treatment.
Process Outlined
The scouring and carbonising process
is most ingenious and interesting.
Much skill and knowledge has to be
acquired by men in charge of such
plants.
The plan consists, first, of a series
of bowls or channels, placed end to
end, through which the wool is auto-
matically worked with moving forks.
In these the wool is scoured with soda
and soap and rinsed.
At the side of the channels are set-
tling tanks, in which the scum floats
to the top and the heavy dirt settles
at the bottom. A pump draws what
is called the good liquid from between
the scum and the dirt and replaces it
in the main, centre bowl—a continu-
ous process.
After scouring the wool is placed
in metal crates with perforated sides
and lowered into pits of diluted sul-
phuric acid.
It is this acid which enables the
carbonising to be done. Left in the
pit for 20 to 45 minutes, according to
its nature, the wool is then placed
in a hydro extractor, which returns
the surplus acid to the pit.
More combing out, and the wool
enters a dryer, in which hot air pene-
trates it, and then a still hot-
ter machine called the "baker." This
bakes the burr and other foreign mat-
ter, care being taken to prevent the
wood being burnt or damaged by too
much heat or an over-strong acid solu-
tion. On leaving this machine all
moisture is gone from the wool, but
the acid remains and is doing its
work.
Continuing its long journey, the wool
passes into a burr crusher and then
to a machine where revolving blades
with teeth batter the foreign matter
from it in the form of dust. This pro-
cess is repeated and all the foreign
matter has gone.
Then the acid from the wool has to
be neutralised and "killed." More
rinsing bowls of running water, soda
and soap and a final wash, and the
wool emerges from these fluids 100
per cent. pure. A finishing drier at
the end of the plant completes the job.
Huge heaps of the better class
wools that leave the carbonising
plant are so snowy white that they
are hurtful to the eyes to gaze upon.
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