Location: Cotton Ginning Research
Title: USDA gin lab updatesAuthor
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Submitted to: Annual Arizona Cotton Industry Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 6/30/2017 Publication Date: 6/30/2017 Citation: Whitelock, D.P. 2017. USDA gin lab updates. Annual Arizona Cotton Industry Meeting. Presentation only. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: There are four USDA-ARS labs involved in cotton harvesting, processing & fiber quality research; The Southwestern Cotton Ginning Research Laboratory (Mesilla Park, NM); The Cotton Production and Processing Unit (Lubbock, TX); The Cotton Ginning Research Unit (Stoneville, MS); and The Cotton Structure & Quality Research Unit (New Orleans, LA). Each lab addresses issues important to its particular region and they work together to address issues important to the whole U.S. cotton industry. Stakeholders give input and guidance for research projects and these same stakeholders are also recipients of research results through technical reports and cooperative field tests of many kinds. This presentation at the Arizona Annual Cotton Industry Meeting provides an overview of the current research projects at the SWCRGL and its sister labs. Topics include: detecting, quantifying, and removing stickiness caused by late-season sucking insects; preventing, detecting, and removing cotton plastic contamination; quantifying drying system energy use and effectiveness to determine best practices; improving process control to reduce energy use; managing cotton module logistics with wireless devices and RFID tag readers; evaluating models used to predict emissions dispersion; adding value to cotton gin byproducts by developing acoustic absorbers; developing a mechanical alternative to acid delinting cotton seed; testing cryogenic metallurgy for improved gin saw longevity; testing cotton gin dust to show that it is not flammable, avoiding unnecessary regulation and hazard ratings; and improving cotton fiber length uniformity for better spinning mill performance. |
