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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Cotton Ginning Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #82631
Title: EVALUATION OF AIR-TYPE LINT CLEANING

Author
item MANGIALARDI, GINO - RETIRED ARS AG ENGINEER
item Anthony, William

Submitted to: Cotton Gin and Oil Mill Press
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/25/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Excessive lint cleaning at cotton gins improve the grade and market value of cotton and at the same time, can reduce bale values and some quality factors. Textile mills prefer that ginned lint be cleaned at gins with only one saw-type lint cleaner, but many gins use two stages of saw lint cleaning to obtain higher grades. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the characteristics and efficiency of flow-through air-type lint cleaners operating under commercial gin conditions. Comparisons were also made to a controlled-batt saw-type lint cleaner. One air-type lint cleaner gave only 25% of the cleaning that was obtained with one saw-type lint cleaner. However, the air-type cleaners caused less fiber damage than the saw-type cleaners. Information from the field study will be used to (1) advise cotton ginners on the proper use of air-type lint cleaners, and (2) plan new studies to develop lint cleaners that better supplement lint cleaning with only one saw-cylinder cleaner and ensure acceptable market return. Results should improve fiber quality and enhance the marketability of U.S. cotton.

Technical Abstract: Experiments at three commercial gins evaluated the characteristics and efficiency of flow-through air-type lint cleaners operating under standard field conditions. Comparisons were also made to a controlled-batt saw-type cleaner. Thirty bales were sampled from 16 modules of seed cotton. Measurements included lint foreign matter content, classer's grade, HVI data, nep count, and seed-coat fragment content. Overall, the air-type lint cleaner gave a cleaning efficiency of 9 percent compared to 36 percent for one saw-type lint cleaner. The air lint cleaner did not change the color grade but improved the leaf grade index significantly. Over the entire test, the air lint cleaner improved the leaf grade designation from 4.0 to 3.7, and the saw lint cleaner gave a further improvement to 2.9. The air-type cleaners caused less fiber damage than the saw-type cleaners. The study showed that an air-type lint cleaner rcan help to supplement lint cleaning with only one saw-cylinder lint cleaner when a second stage of saw-type lint cleaning is not desired.