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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Cotton Ginning Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #286727
Title: Evaluation of fiber and yarn quality with and without seed cotton cleaner material produced in a commercial cotton gin

Author
item Byler, Richard
item Delhom, Chris

Submitted to: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/25/2013
Publication Date: 10/17/2013
Citation: Byler, R.K., Delhom, C.D. 2013. Evaluation of fiber and yarn quality with and without seed cotton cleaner material produced in a commercial cotton gin. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. 29(5):621-625.

Interpretive Summary: The main product of cotton gins is the bale of ginned lint but additional valuable fiber is also available at the gin. Cotton gins have several machines to clean the seed cotton before ginning and to clean the lint after ginning. In recent years some gins have installed equipment to reclaim the fiber which is inadvertently removed by the seed cotton cleaners. Data and samples were collected at one commercial gin which had installed such equipment. Three upland cotton cultivars were used in the data collection. These data showed that about 8.6 kg (19.0 lb.) of material was reclaimed from the seed cotton cleaners per bale and most of the cleaned material was loose lint and motes, which are short fibers and entangled longer fibers, with little seed cotton. The overall reclaimed fibrous material was of lower quality than the lint ginned from the seed cotton but included a considerable amount of valuable fiber. Some quality differences due to cultivar were detected but no differences were detected by HVI or AFIS in bale lint quality, in the amount of card waste, or in measurements of yarn quality made from the cotton fiber depending on whether this reclaimed material was mixed with the seed cotton before being ginned or not. This valuable fiber which was found in the waste stream should be used in some way by the cotton industry, but different portions of the industry need to agree on how it is to be marketed. This study will help clarify the nature and quantity of this fiber. Despite the fact that no differences were seen in the lint or yarn quality related to the inclusion of the reclaimed material the inclusion of this material in cotton bales is not recommended because of current objections by representatives of the spinning industry.

Technical Abstract: The main product of cotton gins is the bale of ginned lint but valuable fiber exists in several additional streams coming from the gin. In recent years some gins have installed equipment to reclaim the fiber in the material removed by the seed cotton cleaners. Data and samples were collected at one commercial gin which had installed such equipment. Three cultivars were used in the data collection. These data showed that about 8.6 kg (19.0 lb.) of material was reclaimed from the seed cotton cleaners per bale and most of the cleaned material was loose lint and motes with little seed cotton. The overall reclaimed fibrous material was of lower quality than the lint obtained from the seed cotton but included a considerable amount of valuable fiber. Some quality differences due to cultivar were detected but no differences were detected by HVI or AFIS in bale lint quality, in the amount of card waste, or in measurements of yarn quality made from the cotton depending on whether this reclaimed material was mixed with the seed cotton before being ginned or not. Despite the fact that no differences were seen in the lint or yarn quality related to the inclusion of the reclaimed material the inclusion of this material in cotton bales is not recommended because of objections by representatives of the spinning industry.