Mechanisms of Raw Wool Scouring—The Role of the Protein Contaminant Layer

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Abstract
The mechanisms of grease removal from raw wool by various scouring solutions were studied. The protein contaminant layer (PCL) played a key role and the "classical" mechanism of rolling up of the grease from the fiber was not significant in most scouring solutions. In surfactant solutions, there were four stages in the removal mechanism: (a) an initial swelling of the proteinaceous contaminants; (b) formation of grease globules within, or on, the swollen PCL; (c) removal of the swollen PCL with attached globules; and (d) breaking up of the swollen PCL/grease complex into spherical or irregularly shaped particles in the solution. The mechanism was not affected by desuinting the wool; however, adding small quantities of builders to the surfactant solutions affected the swelling of the PCL, the temperature of globule formation, and the ease of removal of the PCL/grease complex. In concentrated builder solutions, such as those used in the Lo-Flo process, swelling of the PCL was suppressed and the grease formed globules that were displaced free of any observable PCL. Several previously anomalous situations in wool scouring related technologies are briefly discussed on the basis of the observed mechanisms.

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