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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Cotton Structure and Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #207669
Title: PRELIMINARY COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS of AT-LINE FIBER MOISTURE MEASUREMENT METHODS

Author
item Rodgers Iii, James
item Thibodeaux, Devron
item MARTIN, VICKI - COTTON INCORPORATED
item WATSON, MIKE - COTTON INCORPORATED
item Delhom, Chris

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/2006
Publication Date: 2/1/2007
Citation: Rodgers Iii, J.E., Thibodeaux, D.P., Martin, V., Watson, M., Delhom, C.D. 2007. Preliminary comparative evaluations of at-line fiber moisture measurement methods. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference. pp. 1786-1792.

Interpretive Summary: Moisture is a key quality and processing parameter for cotton fiber. Several new instruments and techniques for the measurement of fiber moisture have been commercialized. A program was initiated on cotton fiber to compare various new laboratory moisture measurement techniques to moisture results obtained with a conventional oven drying method. Domestic and international cotton fiber samples were preconditioned at different relative humidity and temperature so as to obtain different fiber moisture levels. Several new non-destructive testing instruments (laboratory and at-line) were used to measure the cotton fiber moisture for each sample, and their results were compared to each other and to the reference oven method. Two Near Infrared (NIR) analyzers (one bench-top and one portable unit) and one conductance-based moisture meter from China were evaluated and compared for moisture. NIR analyses overall yielded very good method agreement with the reference method, including those of a portable NIR unit. The method agreement results for the conductance-based moisture unit from China was not as good as the agreement obtained with the NIR units.

Technical Abstract: Moisture is a key quality and processing parameter for cotton fiber. Several new instruments and techniques for the measurement of fiber moisture have been commercialized. A joint program was initiated between CSQ, CQRS, and Cotton Incorporated to compare various laboratory moisture measurement techniques to moisture results obtained with a conventional reference oven drying method. Domestic and international cotton fiber samples were preconditioned at different relative humidity and temperature so as to obtain different fiber moisture levels. NIR and conductance non-destructive testing instruments—the Bruker MPA NIR analyzer, the portable Brimrose Luminar 5030 NIR analyzer, and the portable conductance Y412B Chinese Moisture Meter—were used to measure the cotton fiber moisture for each sample, and their results were compared to each other and to the reference oven method. NIR analyses overall yielded very good to excellent agreement with the reference method, including those of a portable NIR unit. Each NIR unit yielded high R2s, low residuals, and with over 90% of the samples agreeing within ±0.3% moisture with the reference method. The results for a conductance Chinese Moisture Meter were only fair at best, with a moderate R2, moderate residuals, and <50% of the samples agreeing within ±0.3% moisture with the reference method. The NIR results for the portable NIR unit were encouraging and yielded definite indications for a precise, accurate, and rapid measurement of cotton moisture in the field and at-line.