PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION OF FATS AND OILS 33 
SUGAR-CANE WAX 
Sugarcane wax, which is on the outside of the sugar canes, is 
a by-product from the manufacture of sugar. Java and Natal are 
the principal producers. Sometimes this wax is imported into the 
United States, but the bulk of the production is used in Europe. 
By one of the several methods of preparation which have been 
patented the canes are propelled through a tank of hot water and 
the wax which rises to the surface of the water is made to float over 
the top of the tank into a vat, where it is recovered. By another 
process the wax is extracted from the filter-press residues obtained 
from iiming the juice. The crude wax is usually dark brown or 
dark green and is very difficult to bleach. 
Sugar-cane wax is used in making polishes and for insulation. 
For some purposes it can be used in place of carnauba and montan 
waxes. 
WOOL WAX (GREASE) 
Wool grease is composed of wax. cholesterol, free fatty acids, and 
the potassium salts of fatty acids (soaps). 
During the preparation of raw wool for spinning the grease and 
dirt are removed, usually by washing with solutions of soap and 
sodium carbonate, although in some plants extraction by volatile 
solvents is employed. When the extraction method is used, it is im- 
portant not to extract all of the grease. Complete extraction causes 
injury to the fiber by the solvent. In the washing process it is now 
common to pass the wash water through specially designed centrifu- 
gals to separate the wax, using the soapy water for further washing. 
This practice saves soap by increasing the quantity of potassium 
soaps obtained from the repeated treatment of fresh lots of raw 
wool. Sometimes these wash waters are utilized for the production 
of potassium carbonate and other potassium salts. The crude wool 
wax is purified either by repeated treatment with hot water or by 
pressing in a hydraulic press after any adhering soluble soap has 
been removed. The refined product is on the market in two forms, 
the hydrated form being known as lanolin. 
Owing to its property of forming an emulsion with water and to 
the ease with which it is absorbed by the skin, the refined wax is 
used as a basis for ointments, salves, and cosmetics. The crude prod- 
uct, known in commerce as wool grease, is used in stuffing leather, in 
cordage manufacture, and in the preparation of lithograph inks. 
SPERM OIL (WAX) 
Sperm oil is obtained from the head cavities and blubber of the 
sperm whale or cachalot. After being received at the refinery the oil 
is subjected to a graining process (p. 28). Crude sperm oil yields 
10 to 11 per cent of spermaceti. The liquid portion or oil is used for 
lubrication purposes. The solid residue is crude spermaceti, which, 
after being refined, is used chiefly in making candles and cosmetics. 
Sperm oil is a liquid wax and the commercial product contains 
only very small quantities of glycerides. The oil from the smaller 
bottlenose whale, known as Arctic sperm oil, is similar to that from 
the sperm whale. On account of its more pronounced tendency to 
