Wool grease as fuel

Press, 16 October 1981, Page 21

Wool grease as fuel

Last week we published an item about work at the Wool Research Organisation on the use of wool grease as a fuel. It emanated from a news release from information services of the Wool Board. It has since drawn a reaction from T. H. Waines. of Christchurch, who says that an inquiry at the Patent Office would show that this was a development of Lemar Products. Mr R. G. Stewart, a senior principal scientist at the Wool Research Organisation, says that they know nothing

about the patent or the patentability’ of the process. However, he says that while Mr L. Halliday, of the W.R.0.. did a series of experiments. at the prompting of the Organisation's industrial members, aimed at examining the problems associated with the use of wool grease as a fuel, neither he nor the Organisation would claim any novelty or invention for this. To their knowledge wool grease had been used as a fuel for many years. In addition, the work re-

ferred to at the Kaputone wool scour was initiated by them and not by the Organisation. After they had successfully used wool grease as a fuel in their commercial steam raising plant, they had invited Mr Halliday to observe and monitor the process. Mr Stewart said he trusted that this would set the record straight on this particular technology and indicated where a local industry had shown considerable initiative and innovation.