Comparison of the Goldenlion Contamination Cleaner with standard seed cotton cleaning machinery

Authors: Whitelock, Derek; Armijo, Carlos; Funk, Paul; Pelletier, Mathew; Holt, Gregory; Wanjura, John; KOTHARI, NEHA - Cotton, Inc; MARTIN, VIKKI - Cotton, Inc

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/6/2021
Publication Date: 5/1/2021
Citation: Whitelock, D.P., Armijo, C.B., Funk, P.A., Pelletier, M.G., Holt, G.A., Wanjura, J.D., Kothari, N., Martin, V. 2021. Comparison of the Goldenlion Contamination Cleaner with standard seed cotton cleaning machinery. 2021 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, Jan. 5-7, 2021. Virtual. p. 265-273.

Interpretive Summary: U.S. and international spinners have recently experienced some serious contamination issues with U.S. cotton. Of particular concern are plastic contaminants – plastic trash that collects in cotton fields and plastic film used to wrap harvested cotton in the field. These contaminants are typically introduced prior to ginning, but mechanical processes at the gin can tear and shred the plastics so that they become more difficult to detect and remove. Devices that extract plastics regardless of color or transparency and are designed for deployment at the beginning of the ginning process are needed. A commercial cotton contamination cleaner (GLCC) was tested to compare its performance to that of conventional cotton gin seed cotton cleaners to help U.S. gins gauge whether the contamination cleaner could be an effective off-the-shelf tool to use in the fight against cotton plastic contamination. Overall, the GLCC was more effective at removing plastic contamination than a conventional cotton gin stick machine and inclined cleaner. Lighter, more pliable plastics like shopping bags were more effectively removed than heavier, stiffer plastics like that used to wrap harvested cotton in the field. Increasing the air flow to the GLCC improved plastic removal. However, seed cotton captured with the plastic also increased, which may be unacceptable. Continued work on machines to extract plastics from seed cotton is needed to help U.S. cotton reclaim its “contamination-free” reputation and regain the premium it received on international markets.

Technical Abstract: The Handan Goldenlion Cotton Machinery Co. Contamination Cleaner (GLCC) is a commercial system currently used in China to removed plastic contamination from seed cotton at the cotton gin. The GLCC was tested to compare its performance to that of conventional seed cotton cleaners. Seed cotton “spiked” with pieces of shopping bags, single-layer non-tacky round module wrap (RMW), and three-layer RMW of various sizes was introduced into the machines. Overall, the GLCC was more effective at removing plastic contamination than a conventional cotton gin stick machine and inclined cleaner. Increasing the air flow to the GLCC improved plastic removal. Overall capture of plastic across all sizes and types increased from 13.5 to 50% when air flow was increased from 10,000 to 18,000 cfm. However, seed cotton captured with the plastic also increased from 3 to 75 pounds per bale. Shopping bag material and 1-ply non-tacky RMW (lighter, pliable) were more effectively removed than three-layer RMW (heavier, stiffer). All the machines tested removed about the same amount of cotton trash (~30 pounds per bale).