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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Cotton Ginning Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #195602
Title: HIGH SPEED ROLLER GINNING OF UPLAND COTTON

Author
item Armijo, Carlos
item GILLUM, MARVIS - ARS- RETIRED

Submitted to: Applied Engineering in Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/3/2006
Publication Date: 11/3/2006
Citation: Armijo, C.B., Gillum, M.N. 2006. High speed roller ginning of upland cotton. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 23(2):137-143.

Interpretive Summary: The roller ginning process, when compared to saw ginning, does the least amount of damage when separating fiber from cottonseed. Roller ginning is a slow process and consequently not used to gin upland cotton which makes up about 97% of US production. An experiment found that upland cotton could be roller ginned at a rate and horsepower requirement comparable to saw ginning without compromising fiber properties. Roller ginning, when compared to saw ginning, produced upland fiber that was about one staple length longer, had fewer short fiber and neps, had higher turnout, but contained more foreign matter in the lint and cottonseed. Roller ginning did not increase bale value. Improvements in fiber quality of roller-ginned upland cotton may open up new markets for upland cotton, especially in export markets that value the significance of staple length and short fiber measurements.

Technical Abstract: An experiment was conducted to determine if upland cotton could be roller ginned at considerably higher rate than standard without compromising fiber properties, and at a rate comparable to saw ginning. A standard roller gin stand was modified to run at high speed by increasing the frequency of the ginning roller and rotary knife, and increasing the force between the ginning roller and stationary knife. Other changes included adding a spray system to cool the ginning roller, enlarging the lint-flue transition, and modifying the seed-cotton feeder for increased throughput. When ginning upland cotton, the high-speed roller gin stand ginned at a rate comparable to saw ginning. The high-speed roller gin stand had the same horsepower requirement of a saw gin stand. Roller ginning, when compared to saw ginning, produced upland fiber that was about one staple length longer, had fewer short fiber and neps, had higher turnout, but contained more foreign matter in the lint and cottonseed. Although roller ginning did not increase bale value, the improvement in fiber properties may open up new markets for upland cotton, especially in export markets that value the significance of staple length and short fiber measurements.