Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks to identify the specific term used in the textile industry for the washing and cleaning stage of raw wool.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's review the sequential steps of wool processing:
Shearing: This is the very first step, where the woolen fleece is cut and removed from the sheep's body.
Scouring: Freshly sheared raw wool (also called "greasy wool") contains large amounts of natural oil called lanolin, dried sweat (suint), dirt, and burrs. Scouring is the intensive washing process using warm water and alkaline detergents to dissolve and wash away these impurities.
Carding: After the wool is washed and dried, it passes through metal teeth to disentangle, separate, and align the individual fibers into a continuous web.
Spinning: The final stage where the aligned fibers are drawn out and twisted together to form a continuous strong yarn.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The process of removing grease and dirt from wool by washing is called Scouring.