Location: Cotton Ginning Research
2022 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. Co-pelletization of cotton gin trash with complementary bio-waste. Cotton gin trash (CGT) is the vegetable by-product of the cotton harvesting process. CGT comprises from 10% to 40% of the harvested material by weight per bale of cotton depending on the harvesting method. By volume it may constitute as much as 50%. CGT has little if any market value with minimal amounts used as a supplement for cattle farmers, the remainder left to compost or returned to fields as a minimal nutrient supplement. When stored or windrowed, run-off from CGT can lead to waterway issues from herbicides and pesticides, and on occasion CGT may take a heat due to high moisture content resulting in spontaneous combustion. ARS researchers in Stoneville, Mississippi, are studying the feasibility of utilizing CGT as a source or co-source for bioenergy and as a bio-nutrient. The feasibility study parallels research efforts on pelletization of CGT. The long-term impact of the study is to support the disposition of CGT using environmentally sustainable methods to generate additional revenue for stakeholders.
2. Marketability of U.S. cotton is being threatened by the presence of plastic contamination. Plastic from the field is ending up in the bale at the cotton gin. It has become the responsibility of the cotton gin to remove the contaminant before it reaches the textile mill. ARS researchers in Stoneville, Mississippi, are developing technology to address the issue. Artificial intelligence-based methodology is being applied for visual recognition of plastic and other contaminants in cotton fields and high-speed air ducts in cotton gins. The technology applied to air ducts addresses issues that arise from capturing images of relatively fast-moving objects. Low-cost processing platforms are being considered to facilitate stakeholder support and investment. This long-term goal is in support of an industry wide effort to eliminate plastic contamination in U.S. cotton.
3. Tabletop ginning energy: variable effects. Cotton ginning equipment consumes energy whether processing cotton or running idle. The research community has long discussed the ladder as the idle energy. Several studies have subtracted the idle energy from the total measured energy to obtain the energy going to processing lint fiber. One study expressed the power used as a ratio between the idle power and running power for various gin functions. This study uses the term baseline energy to denote the portion of the energy that the equipment consumes even when not actively ginning. Current work looks at subtracting the baseline energy from the total energy to get the energy that does work on the cotton. This type of energy is the active energy. The objective of this work is to look at the energy consumed by small-scale tabletop gins while testing a variety of variables. The variables considered include sample size, operator, and cotton cultivar. Progress of studies by ARS researchers in Stoneville, Mississippi, has resulted in development of best practices for collecting data and guidelines on what data individuals can safely compare.
Review Publications
Funk, P.A., Thomas, J.W., Yeater, K.M., Armijo, C.B., Whitelock, D.P., Wanjura, J.D., Delhom, C.D. 2022. Saw thickness impact on cotton gin energy consumption. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 38(1):15-21. https:///doi.org/10.13031/aea.14535.
Funk, P.A., Kanaan, A., Shank, C., Cooke, P., Sevostianov, I., Thomas, J.W., Pate, M.O. 2021. Quantifying deep cryogenic treatment extent and its effect on steel properties. International Journal of Engineering Science. 167. Article 103521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijengsci.2021.103521.
Cole, J.T., Street, J.T., Blake, C.D. 2022. Acoustic and strength characterization of particleboard and micronized rubber powder composites. Forest Products Society. 72(1):37–43. https://doi.org/10.13073/FPJ-D-21-00059.
