Improving the performance of the GoldenLion Contamination Cleaner

Authors: Whitelock, Derek; Funk, Paul; Armijo, Carlos

Submitted to: ASABE Annual International Meeting
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/14/2021
Publication Date: 7/14/2021
Citation: Whitelock, D.P., Funk, P.A., Armijo, C.B. 2021. Improving the performance of the GoldenLion Contamination Cleaner. 2021 ASABE Annual International Meeting, July 12-16, 2021, Virtual and On Demand. Presentation only.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The Goldenlion Contamination Cleaner (GLCC) is a commercial system used in China to removed plastic contamination from seed cotton at the cotton gin. The GLCC was tested to determine if it could be an effective off-the-shelf tool for U.S. cotton ginneries to use in the fight against plastic contamination in cotton. The GLCC was more effective at removing plastic contamination than two different conventional seed cotton cleaners. When airflow to the GLCC was increased from 10,000 to 18,000 cubic feet per minute, overall plastic capture increased from 3.5 to 50%, but seed cotton captured with the plastic also increased from 3 to 75 pounds per bale. Lighter, more pliable plastics, like shopping bag material and 1-ply round module wrap, were removed more effectively than heavier and stiffer three-layer round module wrap. Video captured during testing revealed that pieces of plastic adhering to the GLCC’s screen drum for separation were stripped from the screen drum by air currents as the drum rotated. This phenomenon may have limited the cleaner’s plastic removal performance as it was unknown if those pieces of plastic were later collected again or if they recombined with the seed cotton flow. Further study is needed to prevent the air currents from stripping plastic pieces from the screen drum and improve the plastic removal performance of the GLCC.