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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Cotton Production and Processing Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #126531
Title: LINT QUALITY AND TURNOUT OF STRIPPER COTTON WHEN BYPASSING THE SECOND STAGE EXTRACTOR

Author
item Holt, Gregory
item BAKER, ROY - USDA RETIRED
item Brashears, Alan

Submitted to: Applied Engineering in Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/20/2002
Publication Date: 4/1/2002
Citation: HOLT, G.A., BAKER, R.V., BRASHEARS, A.D. LINT QUALITY AND TURNOUT OF STRIPPER COTTON WHEN BYPASSING THE SECOND STAGE EXTRACTOR. APPLIED ENGINEERING IN AGRICULTURE. 2002. V. 18(4). P. 411-415.

Interpretive Summary: Machinery such as stick machines, bur machines, extractor-feeders, and combination bur and stick machines has commonly been referred to as extracting-type machinery, or extractors. Extractors are used to remove burs and sticks from seed cotton prior to ginning. In a cotton gin processing stripper cotton, two stages of extractors are generally used. Recently, there has been increasing interest in bypassing the second stage of extraction in order to improve turnout. This idea has originated due to lint losses that occur during the second stage of extraction. The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1) document whether using the second stage of extraction did indeed reduce turnout, and 2) determine if the use of a second stage of extraction adversely affects lint quality. To evaluate the effect on lint quality, both HVI and AFIS data were used. For this study, a single upland cotton variety (1999-2000 crop year) was harvested with and without use of a field cleaner. The field cleaned and non-field cleaned cotton was then ginned using the normal sequence of overhead machinery, with the exception of using either one or two stages of extraction. Results indicate that turnout was not significantly affected due to bypassing the second state of extraction. Likewise, fiber quality data showed insignificant differences for the field cleaned cotton. However, bypassing the second stage of extraction for the non-field cleaned cotton showed adverse fiber properties of color and trash content. These differences were noticed on samples taken after one lint cleaner. On samples analyzed after two lint cleaners, fiber quality results were not significantly different for either cotton.

Technical Abstract: Equipment such as stick machines, bur machines, extractor-feeders, and combination bur and stick machines has commonly been referred to as extracting-type machinery, or extractors. Extractors provide the capability of removing burs and sticks from seed cotton prior to ginning and are therefore an essential part of a cotton gin's seed cotton cleaning system. Most cotton gins processing stripper cotton have more than one stage of extraction. The effect that bypassing the second stage of extraction has on turnout has not been studied to any considerable extent. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the impact that bypassing the second stage stick machine had on turnout and fiber quality. Results indicate that bypassing the second extractor in the gin's seed cotton cleaning system, when handling field cleaned cotton, did not significantly affect fiber properties or lint turnout. For non-field cleaned cotton, however, the bypassing of the second stage extraction did adversely affect Rd color (reflectance), HVI trash area, leaf grade, and AFIS dust concentration after one lint cleaner. Bypassing the second extractor also significantly increased the total lint cleaner waste for both field cleaned and non-field cleaned cottons, however, the amount of lint lost throughout the system was unaffected. Overall, the effect of the second stage extractors on turnout and lint quality can vary depending on the machine design, condition, feed rate, and on the nature of the cotton itself. However, in this study, bypassing the second stage of extraction did not significantly affect turnout when processing either field cleaned or non- field cleaned cotton.