Until the 19th century, renewable raw materials were the major source of energy generation and material use. With the Industrial Revolution, the use of coal increased sharply and coal quickly developed into a key raw material in the chemical industry, mainly in the production of dyes. In the past century, there has been a consistent changeover in fossil fuel sources from coal to crude oil and natural gas due to lower prices, simpler logistics and the versatility in usage of oil and gas. In view of the limited availability and increasing price of crude oil and natural gas, the question now arises as to how the raw material base will develop in the future?

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As a prelude to studying drying characteristics of wool in superheated steam, wool yellowing in that medium at short exposure times at various temperatures is measured with an apparatus that reduces uncertainties in time/temperature exposure conditions. This has led to a useful database of wool yellowing characteristics at various temperatures, times, and moisture conditions, which extends the information formerly available. The data from these experiments are generally consistent with other data in the literature, given the experimental uncertainties inherent in most of the latter. The magnitudes of yellowing changes are not sufficiently great to disbar superheated steam drying of wool, even though drying will be confined to temperatures where drying rates (though still acceptably high) will be below those in air at comparable temperatures.