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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Cotton Ginning Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #103482
Title: EVALUATION OF A MILL-TYPE LINT CLEANER

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

Submitted to: Cotton Gin and Oil Mill Press
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/11/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: Mangialardi Jr, G.J., Anthony, W.S. 1999. Evaluation of a mill-type lint cleaner. Cotton Gin and Oil Mill Press. pp. 6-10

Interpretive Summary: Lint cleaners at cotton gins improve the grade and market value of cotton, but excessive cleaning 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 determine if a mill-type lint cleaner (MDX Micro-Clean) could be used at gins to supplement lint cleaning with only one saw-cylinder cleaner and ensure acceptable market return. One mill-type lint cleaner gave about one-half the cleaning that was obtained with one saw-type lint cleaner, and caused almost as much fiber damage as the one saw lint cleaner. Two saw lint cleaners tended to shorten the fiber length more than two stages of the mill cleaner. Overall, it appears that the MDX cleaner does not meet the requirements for replacing a saw-type lint cleaner at gins. Information from the experiments will be used to help improve the performance of low-aggressive lint cleaners while preserving fiber quality.

Technical Abstract: Mill-type lint cleaners generally cause less fiber damage than the saw-type lint cleaners now used at cotton gins. In a 2-year study a mill-type cleaner (MDX Micro-Clean) was evaluated to determine if it could be adapted for use at gins. Its performance was compared to that of the saw lint cleaner. In the experiments one and two stages of the mill-type cleaner gave cleaning efficiencies of about 18 and 32%, respectively, compared to 35% for one saw-cylinder lint cleaner. Two saw-type cleaners tended to give shorter fiber length than two mill-type cleaners. However, use of the mill cleaner in place of a saw lint cleaner did not improve the overall quality of the cotton.