Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area
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Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
Feasibility Study
Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in
the Black Mountains Area
October 2020
Bracken on the Black Mountains A rolled wool fleece
For:
Black Mountains Land Use Partnership:
Managing Resources Sustainably in the Black
Mountains Sustainable Management Scheme Project
Report by:
Bob Kennard BSc(Agric) Hons FRAgS MIAgM
Graig Farm, Dolau, Llandrindod Wells, Powys LD1 5TL 07415 855530
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Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... 5
Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... 6
1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 9
2. Wool economics ................................................................................................................. 9
Government Action ............................................................................................................................... 11
3. Wool and its uses ............................................................................................................. 11
a. Use of sheep wool for building insulation ........................................................................................ 13
i. Wool Insulation Prices and Barriers ............................................................................................. 13
ii. Externalised costs of alternative insulation materials ................................................................. 14
iii. Conclusions on wool insulation.................................................................................................... 14
b. Sound proofing ................................................................................................................................. 15
Conclusion for wool as a sound insulator .............................................................................................. 15
c. Raw wool .......................................................................................................................................... 16
i. Weed control ............................................................................................................................... 16
ii. Oil contamination removal from sea water ................................................................................. 16
Conclusions on uses for raw wool ......................................................................................................... 16
d. Hydrolysis of raw wool to produce fertiliser..................................................................................... 16
Conclusions about hydrolysis of raw wool ............................................................................................ 17
e. Wool Pellets ...................................................................................................................................... 17
i. Fertiliser ....................................................................................................................................... 17
Conclusions on wool fertiliser pellets .................................................................................................... 18
ii. Slug-control wool pellets and mats .............................................................................................. 18
Conclusions on wool pellets and mats for slug control ......................................................................... 19
f. Wool as a weed controller ................................................................................................................ 20
Conclusions on wool mats as a weed suppressant ................................................................................ 20
g. Solidwool .......................................................................................................................................... 21
Conclusions on Solidwood ..................................................................................................................... 21
h. Wool in packaging............................................................................................................................. 22
i. Thermal insulation ....................................................................................................................... 22
ii. Protective packaging .................................................................................................................... 22
iii. Conclusions on wool packaging ................................................................................................... 23
i. Chimney draught excluder ................................................................................................................ 23
Conclusions on Chimney draught excluder ........................................................................................... 24
j. Traceable woollen household products............................................................................................ 24
i. Carpets ......................................................................................................................................... 24
Conclusions on carpet manufacture ...................................................................................................... 25
ii. Rugs and blankets ........................................................................................................................ 26
Conclusions on Rugs and Blankets......................................................................................................... 26
iii. Mattresses ................................................................................................................................... 26
Conclusions on Mattresses .................................................................................................................... 27
iv. Wool Duvets and bedding ............................................................................................................ 27
Conclusions on woollen duvets and bedding ........................................................................................ 28
v. Furnishing Fabrics ........................................................................................................................ 28
Conclusions on Wool Fabrics ................................................................................................................. 29
vi. Yarn .............................................................................................................................................. 29
Conclusions on Yarn Production ............................................................................................................ 29
vii. Clothing ........................................................................................................................................ 30
Conclusions on woollen clothing ........................................................................................................... 31
viii. Wool coffins and shrouds ........................................................................................................ 32
Conclusions on wool coffins .................................................................................................................. 32
4. Bracken and its uses ......................................................................................................... 32
a. Growth and cutting of bracken ......................................................................................................... 32
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Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
b. Uses of Bracken ................................................................................................................................ 34
c. Health concerns ................................................................................................................................ 35
d. Experience with Harvesting and Utilising Bracken............................................................................ 36
i. National Trust, Long Mynd, Shropshire ....................................................................................... 36
ii. George Winn-Darley, Landowner, North York Moors .................................................................. 36
iii. Shropshire Hills AONB .................................................................................................................. 37
iv. Sion Brackenbury, Gower Commoners ........................................................................................ 37
Specialist harvesting machinery for bracken.............................................................................................. 37
Conclusions on Specialist Mechanical Harvesting Equipment ............................................................... 39
e. Bracken as a fuel – ‘Brackettes’ ........................................................................................................ 40
i. Bracken Brackettes compared to Wood Briquettes..................................................................... 42
ii. Price comparisons of bracken and waste wood briquettes. ........................................................ 42
iii. Conclusions on bracken for briquettes ........................................................................................ 43
f. Bracken for Bioethanol production .................................................................................................. 43
Conclusions on Anaerobic Digestors and Bioethanol ............................................................................ 44
g. Bracken for Biochar production ........................................................................................................ 44
i. What is Biochar ............................................................................................................................ 44
ii. What are Biochar’s uses and benefits? ........................................................................................ 45
iii. Activated Carbon.......................................................................................................................... 45
iv. A practical project ........................................................................................................................ 46
Conclusions on bracken for biochar ...................................................................................................... 47
h. Bracken compost in landscape reclamation ..................................................................................... 48
Conclusions for use of bracken compost in landscape reclamation ...................................................... 48
5. Peat-free composts .......................................................................................................... 48
a. The importance of Peat Bogs ............................................................................................................ 48
b. Destruction of UK peatlands ............................................................................................................. 49
c. Peat-Free Composts .......................................................................................................................... 50
d. Use of sheep wool as a peat/compost alternative ........................................................................... 51
e. Composting of wool .......................................................................................................................... 52
i. 2010 Texan University Trial .......................................................................................................... 53
ii. Ideal composting parameters ...................................................................................................... 53
iii. Mechanical problems ................................................................................................................... 53
iv. Legislative requirements for compost ......................................................................................... 54
f. Use of bracken as a peat/compost alternative ................................................................................. 55
i. Bracken compost on the Gower Commons ................................................................................. 55
ii. Composting Bracken temperatures ............................................................................................. 57
iii. Bracken composting trials by the Forestry Commission .............................................................. 57
iv. Impact of cutting on the bracken ................................................................................................. 58
g. Harvestable areas of bracken in Black Mountains ............................................................................ 59
6. Effectiveness of Bracken/Wool compost .......................................................................... 60
a. Comparative Trials ............................................................................................................................ 61
b. Compost Prices ................................................................................................................................. 64
The costs of growing tomatoes using wool and bracken compost........................................................ 64
c. Conclusions on Dalefoot, and wool and bracken composts ............................................................. 65
7. Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 67
a. Learning lessons from previous experience...................................................................................... 67
b. Marketing potential of products ....................................................................................................... 68
c. Potential products ............................................................................................................................ 69
8. Recommendations ........................................................................................................... 69
a. Potential Products ............................................................................................................................ 69
b. Study to selecting most suitable enterprises .................................................................................... 70
c. Sheep numbers ................................................................................................................................. 70
e. Working with British Wool ................................................................................................................ 71
f. Exploring the potential for wool and bracken compost ................................................................... 71
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Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
g. Structure of legal entity to take forward future work ...................................................................... 72
h. Government policy issues ................................................................................................................. 72
i. Peat-free compost ....................................................................................................................... 72
ii. Shearing support .......................................................................................................................... 72
iii. Wool carpets ................................................................................................................................ 72
iv. Wool insulation ............................................................................................................................ 73
v. Horticultural products .................................................................................................................. 73
i. Ownership of bracken....................................................................................................................... 73
j. Sources of expert advice and sources of funding ............................................................................. 73
i. British Wool.................................................................................................................................. 73
ii. Bangor University - Novel product research and funding ............................................................ 73
iii. Welsh Textile Group ..................................................................................................................... 74
Useful Links .............................................................................................................................. 76
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................. 77
Appendix 2 Suggested steps for trials on wool and bracken compost ....................................... 78
Appendix 3 ............................................................................................................................... 79
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Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
Acknowledgements
The author is very grateful for the kind assistance given by a number of individuals in the
production of this report.
In particular:
• Louise Moon and Phil Stocker from BMLUP
• Neville Powell, John Morris and Jeff Gwilliam, of Black Mountains Graziers
Association
• Harry Legg-Burke, Landowner, Black Mountains
• Iain Paterson, Landowner, Black Mountains
• Sion Brackenbury Gower Commons and BMLUP bracken mapping
• Bradley Welsh, Black Mountains bracken mapping
• Hugh Bulson, composting expert, Reselan Ltd
• Peter Carty, National Trust, Shropshire
• Nigel Elgar, Welsh Water
• Rob Elias, Director of Biocomposites, Bangor University
• Joyce Gervis, Ty Mawr Lime Co
• Beki Gilbert, Natural Fibre Company
• David Griffiths, Griffiths Mill
• Eifion Griffiths, Melin Tregwynt Mill
• Andrew Hogley, Director of Wool Sales and Producer Services, British Wool
• Cath Landels, Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Beauty
• David Letellier, National Resources Wales
• Lesley Prior, Campaign for Wool
• Alan Walsh, Brannach Olann Ltd (wool merchants)
• George Winn-Darley, Landowner, North York Moors, Bracken Control Group
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Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
Executive Summary
This report looks at a range of products which the Black Mountains Land Use Partnership
could potentially develop to add value to their wool and bracken.
The state of UK farming, particularly in the uplands is currently in a state of great
uncertainty. Wool prices are at historically low levels, lower quality wools are likely to be
virtually worthless in the 2020 season, and well below the cost of shearing. Wool prices in
2019, in real terms, excluding inflation, were just 6% of their value in the 1950’s, when the
saying was that the wool would “Pay the farm rent”.
Bracken is another major cost to sheep farmers. Spreading at up to 2-3% per year, it reduces
grazing areas, and is expensive, and in steep areas almost impossible, to control.
This report has looked at over 20 potential products most of which would be worth
examining in more detail. These potential products can be grouped as:
• Household woollen products: Carpets, Fabrics, Duvets and Bedding, Mattresses,
• Woollen yarn: for knitting and weaving, knitwear, clothing
• Horticulture and gardening: Raw wool pellets for fertiliser, and as slug and snail
control, wool sheet mulching, Wool and Bracken Compost, Biochar production
• Wool Packaging
• Bracken fuel Briquettes
• Anaerobic digesters for: energy production, bioethanol, ingredients in chemical
extraction for bio-pest control
The time available for this study was not sufficient to delve deeply into all the subjects and
issues raised by the research, and should be considered as a first trawl through the
possibilities.
A starting point for further work will be to know accurate numbers of sheep and their
breeds within the BMLUP area. Once this is established, the volumes of each type of wool
will determine what uses they can be put to. Some of the products reviewed here may not
be appropriate if there is insufficient volume of the correct quality of wool available.
The area of the Black Mountains is limited, and so is the output of wool and bracken within
it. As a result, the Partnership cannot compete with mass-produced, low margin products.
The BMLUP could however add value to their wool and bracken if they made products
which were exclusive to the Partnership, or if they had cost-effective access to processing
facilities for other products, either on contract or by investing in the processing equipment
themselves. There would also be advantage to be an early adopter of new technology.
To maximise income from products exclusive to the Partnership, it would make sense to
develop a Black Mountains brand, covering suitable high quality, fully traceable, premium-
priced products. Other products may be profitable if the Partnership had their own
processing facilities, and were able to add a margin from the processing. This would apply to
such items as compost, anaerobic digestion and biochar production.
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Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
The Black Mountains brand could have a commercial yet communal ownership structure,
using professional management. This would ensure that the maximum amount of value was
retained within the BMLUP area. Details of such structures would depend on which
products were eventually developed. In drawing wool and bracken supplies from across the
BMLUP area, it would be important to ensure widespread support for and involvement in
any final development proposals.
It is almost universally true that wool-based products are more expensive, by several-fold,
than synthetic alternatives, due largely to high processing costs. The unique benefits of wool
must therefore be strongly emphasised, in simple messaging.
There are several areas where a change in government policy could make wool products
more price competitive, including:
• Firm government commitments to ban peat in commercial composts would
encourage the development of peat-free alternatives.
• With sheep shearing being an animal welfare issue, and therefore a public good, a
guaranteed top-up for farmers to ensure that they at least broke even when
shearing would help those farmers particularly in the difficult upland areas.
• The stimulation of demand for wool carpets through a government guarantee of
public buildings having at least half their carpeted area being UK woollen carpets
would boost the natural carpet sector, and go some way to reducing dependence on
oil-based manmade materials.
• If the Welsh government in particular is intending to develop the horticultural sector
within the Principality, it would be useful if some inputs from the BMLUP such as
woollen mulch, soil compost and biochar, could be integrated into such an initiative.
In the case of bracken, the operations in which some recent attempts to make a profit from
the plant have failed are in harvesting and transport. If bracken utilisation by BMLUP, for
any added value purpose, is to be profitable, it is essential that these two critical points are
well understood, and that practical, cost-effective solutions are found to carry them out.
The remotely controlled machinery now available may hold part of the answer to this
problem, if the costs can be justified.
The range of potential products has been grouped (see table below) into those which could
be sold as retail products, under a brand; those which could be sold as bulk, in-house
processed items; and one, baled bracken, which may have a market as a raw material. Some
products will require collaborative or contractual processing carried out elsewhere, and
others where processing could potentially be established within the BMLUP area. A priority
level has also been ascribed to each product.
Most of the products to be considered have already been produced elsewhere in the UK,
but with varying degrees of success. The use of wool in composting has been tried, but only
one company has been commercially successful. Similarly, commercially exploiting bracken
has a chequered history. It is important that lessons are learned from past mistakes in
developing any of the products.
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Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
Potential Unbranded
Sell raw own Potential bulk
Product material Collaborate processing own brand wholesale Priority* Action proposed
WOOL
Wool and Bracken Compost x x x x 1 trials/discussion with Dalefoot
Carpets x x 1 discussion with manufacturers
Rugs and Blankets x x 1 further investigation
Mattresses x x 1 discussion with manufacturers
Duvets and Bedding x x 1 discussion with manufacturers
Yarn for knitting & weaving x 1 discussion with manufacturers
Knitwear using Black Mountain yarn x x 1 further investigation
Hydrolysis for fertiliser x x x 1 investigation/trial?
raw wool pellets for fertiliser x x x x 1 investigate processing equipment
Raw wool pellets for slugs x x x x 1 investigate processing equipment
Crop mulch matting x x 1 investigate processing equipment
Packaging x x x 1 further investigation
Fabrics x x 2 discussion with manufacturers
Woven Clothing 0 not worth pursuing at this stage
Wool coffins and shrouds 0 not worth pursuing at this stage
Wool Insulation 0 not worth pursuing
Raw wool for weeds 0 not worth pursuing
Solid Wool' 0 not worth pursuing
BRACKEN
Baled bracken x 1 investigate harvesting machinery
Compost for Landscape uses x x 1 further investigation
Biochar production x x x 1 further investigation
Anaerobic digestion x x 1 further investigation
Briquettes x x x 1 investigate processing equipment
*Priorities: 1 = first; 2 = later; 0 = not worth pursuing
It is essential to be clear before embarking on any further work precisely how much raw
material is available to the Partnership within the BMLUP area.
Mapping data for bracken accessibility suggests that around 2,000 hectares are on land
which could potentially be harvested. At average yields of around 6 tonnes of dry matter
per ha per year, this could produce up to 12,000 tonnes per year. However, biennial
harvesting is more likely, which would produce around 6,000 tonnes DM.
For wool, there is no accurate data currently available on numbers, location or breeds of
sheep. This is obviously a sensitive area, but if any developments are to be carried out to
add value to the wool, such information is essential before any more research can be
carried out. This work can be potentially taken forward by BMLUP.
The report proposes that a second stage of developing added-value products within the
Black Mountains should look more closely at the list of potential products to determine
their practicality within BMLUP and their financial viability. As well as assessing the increase
in incomes to the farmers and landowners of the BMLUP, it should also look at the Black
Mountains area and assess the potential benefit to the whole community of developing a
local industry and employment.
Several of the products identified, including biochar, potentially linked to anaerobic
digestion, and wool hydrolysis for fertiliser, are industries in the early stages of
development, and would potentially require significant investment. Interest from the
University of Bangor in assisting in these and other pioneering products would be worth
pursuing.
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Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
1. Introduction
Sheep wool has been used by man for thousands of years, indeed, it was generally, until the
18th century, the most valuable product of sheep farming. Used mainly for clothing over the
centuries, its uses have diversified in modern times to include carpets, bedding, fashion,
house interiors, such as curtains and upholstery, and insulation. It is also sustainable,
renewable and biodegradable, and different breeds produce wool of varying characteristics,
from very soft to coarse and durable. Wool has a number of very useful characteristics,
including durability, flexibility, pest resistance (including slugs and snails), and flame and
water resistance. It also has potentially useful hydroscopic (water-holding) qualities, and
even within medicine it has the ability to help blood to clot. It also has bacteriological
properties, and even Hippocrates advocated greasy wool’s use in dressing wounds. Wool
has the unique ability to arrange its fibres into felt, offering its use as a natural fabric. Its
production is very low in carbon terms compared with alternative man-made fibres, and has
a low fertiliser requirement compared with plant-based fibres, as sheep can convert low
quality pastures into useful fibre crops with little external input.
And yet, despite these many significant advantages, wool production has not been
profitable for decades. An old farming saying was that the wool crop would pay the farm
rent, but it is now a cost to the farming business.
2. Wool economics
The decline in the price of wool since the middle of the 20th century was a result of the
introduction of oil-based synthetic fibres. This decline in wool values has increased and
reached a crisis point in late 2020, with 5 million Kg unsold out of a total 2019/2020 clip of
27 million kilos, and average prices likely to fall to an all-time low possibly around 32p/kg.
Below is a graph of UK average raw wool prices from 1952 to 2019, adjusted for inflation,
and therefore showing all values in 2019 terms. In 1952 the average price achieved for wool
was £12.42, in today’s terms. On the same basis the 2019 price was 74p – an historically low
figure, and a drop from 1952 of 94% in real terms. It can be seen on the graph that the oil
crises of the 1970s, when oil prices increased rapidly, resulted in man-made fibres becoming
too expensive and wool enjoying temporary surges in demand and consequent spikes in
price, but that the decline continued thereafter. As fossil fuels are phased out, it remains to
be seen what the impact will be on the wool market.
The Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has led to further pressures on the UK wool price. The
highest volumes of UK wool are sold at auction in January to April, and for much of that
period, the auctions were closed due to the Coronavirus.
Contract carpets account for 50% of UK wool demand, so when hotels, airports and cruise
liners, suddenly stop replacing them, as has happened in 2020, domestic demand for UK
wool plummets, particularly for that of the hill breeds, according to British Wool (The British
Wool Marketing Board)1.
1
British Wool, personal communication
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Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
Demand for wool from China also slumped with the arrival of Covid and has not yet revived.
As 25 per cent of the annual UK wool clip is sold to China, the impact on demand and thus
prices of UK wool has come from both domestic and export markets.
UK AVERAGE WOOL PRICE 1952-2019
£ per Kg (excluding inflation) in 2019 terms
Sources: Wool Marketing Board & HMG RPI data
£16.00
£14.00
£12.00
£10.00
£ per kg
£8.00
£6.00
£4.00
£2.00
£0.00
1952
1955
1958
1961
1964
1967
1970
1973
1976
1979
1982
1985
1988
1991
1994
1997
2000
2003
2006
2009
2012
2015
2018
A further impact comes from New Zealand, whose cross-bred wool clip is five times that of
the UK, and it too is looking for markets, which further depresses the market.
Further analysis from the Wool Board added that although China has now been out of
lockdown for some months, the market remains quiet and many Chinese companies have
stopped making wool products and are now making PPE equipment2.
It is likely that demand from the Chinese market will eventually return, but as British Wool
has still (of October 2020) some 5 million kg of last year’s crop to sell, prices are likely to be
low for a while.
From the point of view of upland sheep, the prices are particularly bad. Welsh Mountains
wool, for example, is selling for around 32-33p/kg. It costs British Wool 43-44p/kg to get the
wool to the auction, and so every kg is sold at a loss to British Wool ,leave alone the farers
producing the wool.
For most sheep farmers, the situation is dire, as the cost of shearing is greater than the
value of the wool. Dave Jones farms in Shropshire. His shearer wrote to his MP in 2020 “This
farmer received £700 from the Wool Marketing Board for five tonnes of wool, representing
revenue of 28p per fleece. The shearers alone are paid £1 per fleece (and this farmer has a
good deal - many pay more). Thus, last year’s revenue was £700 and the payment to
shearers was £2,500, plus other expenses associated with the process.”3 This would be wool
2
http://www.richmondshiretoday.co.uk/covid-19-hitting-global-wool-market-dales-farmers-told/
3
The Shropshire Star July 21st 2020 https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/farming/2020/07/20/low-cost-of-
wool-forces-shropshire-farmer-to-use-fleeces-for-compost/
10Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
from the 2019 clip, so with the price dropping significantly in 2020, this loss is likely to be
greater.
A number of farmers wrote on Twitter of their exasperation with the wool price (compiled
by James Rebanks):
• “I’d burn it rather than sell it for that.”
• “Sold 202kg of mainly Cheviot fleeces and got 30 Euro. That would hardly sharpen
the combs and cutter to shear them.”
• “I am looking to build a house next year and REALLY want to use wool insulation –
but wool insulation is SOOOO expensive! What aren’t more companies making wool
insulation?!?! (Win-Win-Win for everyone!)”
• “I used to knit a lot, but stopped because it’s so expensive to make a simple jumper…
though maybe, now I write this. I’m part of the problem”
• “Wool needs a rebranding, ”eco-fleece” – all natural, insulating, British made, lasts
years, fully repairable, 101 uses and transforms into felt with nothing but hot water
only. Get it while you can, roll up, roll up! What’s not to love?!”
Government Action
A UK-wide petition, with almost 30,000 signatures in September 2020, has called for the use
of British Wool for British insulation and carpeting. The Welsh Government has responded
by pledging to “consider the more widespread use of wool in our estate in future, subject to
the required compliance testing and certification.” A Welsh Government spokesman said it
was working to "mitigate the impacts of Covid-19 on farming and support long-term
profitability. The use of wool as a building material is already acknowledged, and while we
continue to encourage those in the wool sector to develop in line with these demands, there
are regulations on the use of specific materials in the construction of buildings - wool can be
used provided it complies with the technical requirements of such regulations."
However, campaigners and political opposition parties have called for a more cast-iron
commitment from the Welsh Government. There has not yet been a reaction from other UK
Governments.
Shearing sheep is an animal welfare issue, and is routinely carried out by sheep farmers. So,
with the new concept in the UK Agriculture Bill of farm payment from the public purse being
for public good, there is a good case to say that sheep farmers should be supported through
government payment so that at the very least they do not lose money by the very necessary
act of shearing of their sheep.
Similarly, for upland sheep, a UK-wide government policy of carpets for public buildings
being at least 50% made from British wool would give a very necessary boost to demand for
carpet wools, and boost the governments’ environmental credentials by weaning them off
oil-based carpeting onto sustainable natural wool.
3. Wool and its uses
The crash in the wool price, making wool now a cost to farmers has further stimulated
interest in the potential alternative uses for wool. Over recent years there has been a
proliferation of initiatives to promote wool. These include Wool Project/Campaign for Wool,
Wonderwool Wales, Peak Wool Heritage Project, Woolfest Cambrian Wool/Cambrian
11Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
Mountains Initiative, to name but a few. British Wool is now keen to help groups of farmers
to market their own wool, and provenance is becoming an increasingly important element
of products towards the top of the market.
Apart from the familiar uses in clothing, and home furnishings, novel uses for wool have
been developed over the past few years, spurred on by environmental pressures and public
tastes.
Wool is processed through a number of stages, which are:
Shearing - A professional shearer can shear a sheep in less than 2 minutes, although
2-3 minutes is more common. The world record is 37.9 seconds.
The fleece should be removed in one piece, after which it is rolled, tied and put into
sheets (sacks) ready to be transported to wool depots and on to sale and processing.
Sorting – fleeces are braded by fibre type and colour
Scouring – fleeces are washed with detergent in warm water through a series of
baths to remove dirt, vegetable matter and lanolin, leaving only the raw fibre
remains. Some 30% in weight is lost through scouring.
Carding – after drying, the wool is then carded (combed), so all of the fibres are
running in the same direction. The carded wool is then either ready for spinning (the
woollen process) or combing and spinning (the worsted process).
• The woollen process involves taking the wool direct from carding - with long and
short fibres distributed at random – and then spinning it.
• The worsted process involves an additional stage, combing, which involves passing
the wool through teeth in a machine to remove short fibres and draw out long ones
to align them in one direction. A continuous rope, or sliver of wool is produced called
a ‘top’ which is then wound into a ball ready for spinning.
Spinning - The spinning process is the same for woollen or worsted yarn. The sliver
of wool is passed onto a series of machines which twist and draw out the fibres into
a continuous thread of the correct thickness. Worsted yarn is spun more tightly and
is stronger than woollen yarn. Woollen yarn has a woolly (or hairy) irregular
appearance, and is used for knitwear and carpets. Worsted yarn has a smooth,
regular appearance, and is used for cloth.
Felt production – after carding the layers of wool are treated with water, and
pressure and oscillation are applied so that the fibres matt together to form felt.
The more novel uses of wool use it in three main forms (some variation between products):
• Raw, unwashed fleeces and dags - composting
• A loose multi-layering of carded wool – thermal and sound insulation, mulching
mats and anti-slug mats
• Felted wool – wool packaging, draught excluders
• Yarn – clothing, furnishings, carpeting
Facilities for producing all these wool products-types are available on a relatively large or
small scale in the UK.
This study has looked at some 20 products which could potentially be made using Black
Mountains wool and bracken.
12Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
These are listed below.
a. Use of sheep wool for building insulation
Wool used for building insulation is a well-established principle, dating back
beyond the yurts of Genghis Khan.
As an insulating material for use in buildings, wool has many advantages:
• It has excellent thermal properties with
thermal conductivity of between 0.0035 -
0.04 W/mK (Watts per Metre Kelvin)
Typical mineral wool has a thermal
conductivity of 0.044 W/mK. The lower the
value the better the insulation.
• It can absorb a third of its weight in
moisture without losing these thermal
properties, and is therefore a useful
natural product to combat dampness.
• It absorbs potentially harmful airborne materials from building materials in new
houses, such as formaldehyde4.
• It is a resilient product, which keeps its structure better than other man-made
insulation materials
• It has natural fire-retardant properties, without the use of any additive
chemicals. Due to its high nitrogen content, it will simply smoulder rather than
burst into flame under 560°C.
• It is easy to handle and does not require protective clothing required for other
insulating materials such as glass mineral wool.
• At the end of its life, it can be recycled or composted.
Most wool insulation products contain borate salts for insect pest control.
Unfortunately, the Energy Saving Trust5, which advises on energy savings in
homes and elsewhere, does not mention sheep’s wool insulation in relation to
loft insulations or indeed anywhere, on its website.
There are now two main UK wool insulation companies, Thermafleece and Black
Mountain Insulation Ltd (based in Rhyl, north Wales). Thermafleece produces a
Welsh wool product in collaboration with Ty Mawr, based at Brecon6.
The products are sold in rolls or slabs.
i. Wool Insulation Prices and Barriers
Price
Wool insulation faces the same limitations under current market
conditions as wool and bracken compost - cost. In a survey of retailers in
September 2020, 100mm loft insulation made of glass wool cost in the
region of £1.65/m2. 100mm thick sheep wool insulation cost £9.50
4
Curling, S.F., Loxton, C. And Ormondroyd, G.A. (2011). A rapid method for investigating the absorption of
formaldehyde from air by wool. Biocomposites centre, Bangor University.
5
https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/
6
https://www.lime.org.uk/products/insulation.html
13Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
(Thermafleece). A 5-fold price differential between glass wool and
sheeps’ wool is a major barrier to large volume sales.
Certification
In order for insulation materials to be used in new buildings, it is
necessary for them to have approval and certification from the British
Board of Agrément7 (BBA) that the product has reached standards
required by Building Regulations. Whilst there is little doubt that wool
insulation products would achieve such certification, the scale of current
production does not warrant the current £50,000 cost of certification.
However, as of January 2021, a new system is to be introduced as a
consequence of Brexit, to be known as UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA).
Assuming the costs of registration for this will be affordable, this would
open the doors to sales for new buildings, including through the NHBRC
new house guarantee.
ii. Externalised costs of alternative insulation materials
The comparative low cost of manmade rockwool/fibreglass insulation has
hidden costs which are not paid for at the time of purchase. Rockwool
has a limited life expectancy as it flattens with time, after which most of
it will be sent to landfill. Wales has only some 8 years of landfill capacity
remaining, and so a major problem of disposal is looming. Wool on the
other hand can be reused in compost, which in a circular economy
returns valuable nutrients to the soil.
iii. Conclusions on wool insulation
Using wool for insulation would appear to be an obvious opportunity for
farmers to add value to their waste wool. Indeed, in 2013 the Welsh
government invested in such a venture, but by 2015 the company
became officially dormant8.
In a product with a low raw material price, such as wool insulation,
farmers could in theory make an additional margin either by getting a
better price for their raw wool, or by adding a premium by marketing a
premium product under their own brand. Unfortunately, there are
problems with both of these approaches.
Firstly, the raw material is ‘Black Wool’ – ‘waste’ wool, from the belly and
around the tail. This has virtually no other commercial value. As can be
seen above, the price of wool insulation is several-fold more expensive
than fibreglass insulation, meaning that any increase in raw material
prices would decrease the product’s competitiveness further. The reason
for the high costs of production of wool insulation is in the processing of
the raw dirty wool, and the manufacture of the insulation product.
7
https://www.bbacerts.co.uk/PAC/insulation
8
Companies House BLACK MOUNTAIN INSULATION LIMITED Company number 08714419
14Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
Secondly, the total insulation market penetration of wool insulation in
the UK is well under 1% - in Germany this figure is 5%. This is due to the
large price premium required for wool insulation, the lack of public
awareness of wool benefits, and a current unwillingness to pay more than
is necessary for building insulation. Apart from the Welsh government
support, there is also little practical central government backing for
natural building materials. The option of farmers creating their own brand
and story for their wool in insulation becomes a niche within a niche, and
initial volumes at least would not be viable to process separately.
Whilst an excellent product, the conclusion of this study is that this is not
a market worth pursuing for BMLUP.
b. Sound proofing
The ability of wool to absorb sound makes it an ideal natural sound insulator. It
has good sound absorption and reduction properties (NRC 1.05 @ 100mm and
Rw 40dB @ 75mm respectively), sufficient to comply with Part E of The Building
Regulations 2000, which requires houses, flats, and rooms for residential
purposes to be designed and constructed to provide reasonable resistance to
sound from other parts of the same building and from adjoining buildings. For
internal walls, the minimum value for the regulations is Rw = 40dB. A 75mm layer
of wool insulation will achieve this value if incorporated in a stud wall.
Different wool types offer varying sound proofing efficiencies, but in a study in
2005, wool was found to be “equal or better (1 dB in case of compressed
insulation) than mineral wool with same thickness”9
Thermal wool manufacturers also supply acoustic wool insulation, either in
blocks or rolls.
In both sound and thermal insulation10, a mixture of wool and recycled polyester
fibres (RPET) in a ratio of 50:50 gave the best results for insulation, acoustic,
moisture absorption and fire properties.
Conclusion for wool as a sound insulator
As wool sound insulation is substantially the same material as heat insulation,
the problems of low raw material cost and low-priced alternative manmade
materials makes this market of doubtful benefit to Black Mountains farmers.
9
Sustainability of Acoustic Materials and Acoustic Characterisation Of Sustainable Materials, 2005; Victor
Desarnaulds, Ezilda Costanzo, António Carvalho and Blaise Arlaud; Twelfth International Congress on Sound
and Vibration, Lisbon
10
Thermal and sound insulation materials from waste wool and recycled polyester fibers and their
biodegradation studies 2015; Asis Patnaik, Mlando Mvubu, Sudhakar Muniyasamy, Anton Botha, Rajesh
D.Anandjiwala. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03787788
15Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
c. Raw wool
Raw wool has characteristics which make it useful in a number of products.
i. Weed control
Loose raw waste wool has long been used as a mulch for fruit trees and other
horticultural and garden crops. As outlined elsewhere in this report, it also
enables water retention, slug and snail control and slow-released fertiliser.
ii. Oil contamination removal from sea water
In 2010, widespread environmental damage was caused by a massive oil spill
from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. In Biella in
northwest Italy, a town known for its woollen processing and fashion houses,
a group of business leaders, shocked by the disaster, experimented with
using raw greasy wool to see how good the fleece was at gathering oil. It
turned out to be very good.
Using cheap, coarse wool with a fibre diameter of between 25 and 40
microns, it was able to absorb ten times its own weight of heavy fuel oil, a
refinery product similar to crude. Moreover, the oil could be squeezed out
and the wool reused, and even after a dozen immersions in oil, the wool's
absorptive capacity did not decline.
Several scientific papers have been produced on the subject but there is no
evidence of the system yet being used widely on a commercial basis.
Conclusions on uses for raw wool
Using raw wool for weed control has phytosanitary implications which would
not make it a suitable commercial product. Similarly, uses in collecting waste
oil in marine environments is beyond the limits of feasible commercial uses
for BMLUP.
d. Hydrolysis of raw wool to produce fertiliser
In 2015 research findings were published from an EU project to produce liquid or
dry fertiliser from raw wool. Life+GreenWoolF11 aims to recycle waste wools into
organic nitrogen fertilisers, through a green, sustainable conversion process
known as hydrolysis, using superheated water.
Waste wool is treated with the superheated water in small local plants costing
around €20,000, without the need of expensive and polluting preliminary
scouring operations.
The hydrolysis can be tailored so as to obtain different proportions of fast or
slow release nutrients with the elements being released over time as the fibres
decompose.
11
http://www.life-greenwoolf.eu/?page_id=7&lang=en
16Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
In addition, the
wool’s ability to
retain water and act
as an ion exchanger,
absorbing excess
ions will reduce the
run-off of nutrients
into waterways.
The product of the
hydrolysis can be
dried and used as fertilizer for grasslands and other cultivation purposes
According to the research report, the break-even point for a 100 kg plant (150 t/y
wool, corresponding to about 300 t/y liquid or 400 t/y solid fertiliser), with a
payback period of 2 years, has been calculated 0.46 €/kg for the liquid fertiliser,
and 0.52 €/kg for the solid one.
With typical upland sheep fleeces weighing around 1.6kg, 150 tonnes of wool
equates to some 94,000 sheep. Without any accurate data on the number of
sheep within the BMLUP, it is not possible to judge what proportion of the
94,000 fleeces could be supplied from within the area. However, with the Brecon
Beacons close by, additional supplies could be found within an economically
transportable area.
Conclusions about hydrolysis of raw wool
On the face of it, this project would be a potentially ideal project for the BMLUP,
due to its environmental and circular economy benefits, and modest scale of
operations.
The detailed report outlined above12 would be worth assessing in detail, as well
as any plants which have been established already.
e. Wool Pellets
Wool can be compressed into pellets for a number of uses.
i. Fertiliser
Sheep farmer Albert Wilde from Utah has patented a system of pelletising
raw sheep’s wool13, and in 2017 paid his farming suppliers £0.95/kg for waste
wool – dags and belly. The farmers’ alternative was to destroy the wool as it
had no commercial value. Initially started in his own barn, he now sends the
raw wool to a wood pelletiser in Salt Lake City. It is marketed by Wild Valley
Farms14.
12
http://www.life-greenwoolf.eu/?page_id=7&lang=en
13
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQkC2jJtnUY
14
https://www.wildvalleyfarms.com/
17Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
A 22lb (10kg) sells for $135 (£106) equivalent to £10/kg. The packaging claims
that the 22lb ‘commercial bag’ will “mix into one cubic yard of soil”.
The Wild Valley company gives the fertiliser value from pelleted raw wool of
9:0:2 (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium). Other sources quote Sulphur,
Iron, Magnesium, Calcium and other micronutrients as being available to
plants as a slow-release fertiliser.
Whilst some heat will be produced by the pelleting process, it would be
worth checking the potential pathogen load in pelletising raw wool, if that
was then applied to the soil.
For some horticultural crops the pellets also offer protection against slugs
and snails (see below).
It should be borne in mind that the pelleting process uses high levels of
energy, which, unless sustainably sourced, could mitigate against the green
nature of the natural product.
No comments were found on whether there were any odours with the
pellets.
Conclusions on wool fertiliser pellets
On the face of it, this fairly low-tech product may be an option for BMLUP to
pursue. Further investigation would be worthwhile, with the caveats of
potential phytosanitary risks and high energy use..
ii. Slug-control wool pellets and mats
Wool pellets and mats are used in the UK as an environmentally friendly slug
and snail control for gardeners, and are based on the premise that slugs and
snails will not cross a barrier of wool. According to Alan Titchmarsh, this
product has worked well on the Chatsworth estate.15
15
https://youtu.be/do2EHSJTbts;
18Sustainable Uses of Bracken & Wool in the Black Mountains Area – Draft FINAL
One such range of products is Vitax’s ‘Slug Gone’16. These are compressed
natural sheep wool pellets in the form of dry pellets, made from daggings.
When applied to the soil in a 10cm ring around
the plant, and watered, they swell and create an
irritating mat which acts as a natural slug
repellent, preventing slugs and snails from
reaching the plant, whilst adding nutrients to the
soil as they biodegrade, and locking in moisture.
The self-felting mulch is an irritant to slugs and
absorbs moisture from the slug’s ‘foot’. It is said
to be effective for 6 to 14 months in delivering
nutrients as the wool breaks down.
The manufacturers also claim that Slug Gone can
be used to protect against cabbage root fly.
Another UK-manufactured product range is ‘Slugs Away’17, which offers a
similar pellet to Slugs Gone.
They also produce wool mats, which are “Sold in a sheet measuring 60 x
80cm, the Wool Mat can be cut as required to fit around plants that are
already present in the garden. Alternatively, the
whole sheet can be applied to the ground where
planting is planned. Cut slits into the material to
plant through. The pressed woven fibres will allow
plants to grow through the slits, moving around the
changing growth, but will suppress weed growth
from underneath where there are no gaps. The
natural fibres within the mat irritate the ‘foot’ of any
slugs or snails which come into contact with it, and
deter them, forcing them away from the protected
plants. The mat is suitable for use around flowering
plants, vegetables, and fruit. Additional benefits
include acting as a frost protector and soil insulator.”
Both the pellet products retail for around £6-£7 for 3.5 litres. The 60x80cm
wool mats are priced at around £5.
Conclusions on wool pellets and mats for slug control
Whilst no sale statistics were located for this study, this may be a future
branding possibility for BMLUP. As a ‘natural’ slug repellent, it would be in
line with the increasing preference of many gardeners, and maybe for
commercial-scale growers. With the Herefordshire/Worcestershire
horticultural industries on the doorstep, bulk sales of these and other
products may be viable.
16
https://www.vitax.co.uk/; https://youtu.be/l6-xu7GlS8M
17
https://www.stvpestcontrol.com/our-brands/defenders/slug-snail
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