Extraction, Chemical Characterization, and Preliminary Scale-Up Design of Lanolin from Libyan Sheep Wool: A Pathway to Valorizing Underutilized Animal By-Product
Keywords:
Agricultural waste valorization, FTIR spectroscopy, Lanolin extraction, Process scale-up, Wool wax.Abstract
The valorization of agricultural and livestock byproducts is a critical component of the transition towards a circular economy. Lanolin (wool wax), a complex mixture of esters, fatty acids, and high-molecular-weight alcohols, is a valuable byproduct of the sheep wool industry, widely utilized in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and industrial applications. Despite its global economic importance, commercial extraction in regions with significant livestock populations, such as Libya, remains underexploited. This study investigates the extraction, chemical characterization, and preliminary industrial scale-up of lanolin from raw Libyan sheep wool. A comparative laboratory-scale study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of hot aqueous scouring followed by liquid-liquid extraction (using n-hexane) versus cold extraction. The optimized hot extraction process yielded a lanolin recovery of 16.69% (w/w), aligning with optimal industrial benchmarks (5–25%). Chemical characterization via Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detection (GC-FID) revealed a predominantly composed of long-chain aliphatic ester-related components, specifically C29 (21.8%), C30 (18.9%), and C32 (59.2%). Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the amphiphilic structural amphiphilic nature of the extract, highlighting characteristic absorption bands for hydroxyl groups (3414 cm⁻¹), aliphatic carbon chains (2925–2855 cm⁻¹), and ester carbonyl groups (1736 cm⁻¹). Furthermore, a preliminary engineering design for a 10,000 kg/year pilot plant was developed, encompassing mass and energy balances, agitator power requirements (4.53 kW), and heat exchanger sizing. The findings demonstrate the technical feasibility of localized lanolin production, offering a scalable, economically viable framework for converting livestock converting livestock by-productsinto high-value bio-based products.
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