PROSPECTS FOR ALTERNATIVE USE SHEEP WOOL

This article contains the results of the authors ‘ review of the publicly available literature devoted to the problem of alternative (except for traditional textile) use of sheep wool in various areas of production. It reflects the decline in total wool production and purchase prices for it, as well as outlines the relevance for the development of the sheep industry of finding alternative ways to use it. It is shown that due to its specific physical and technical properties, wool is increasingly used as an environmentally friendly material for the manufacture of composite new building materials-heat and noise – insulating materials, plaster, bricks, concrete. It is also used as mulch and agrofibre substitutes in agricultural technologies for growing grain, vegetable crops, berries and sugar beet, as well as in Horticulture, Forestry and landscape gardening. At the same time, in new materials and technological processes made with the use of wool, heat and sound insulation and mechanical properties (building materials) are significantly improved, yield (crops) increases and the temperature and biological regime of the soil, its saturation with nitrogen, carbon and some minerals improves. Wool, as a natural product that is subject to the action of biodegradation processes, contributes to the greening of production and reducing its energy intensity.