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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 #340665
Research Project: Enhancing the Profitability and Sustainability of Upland Cotton, Cottonseed, and Agricultural Byproducts through Improvements in Pre- and Post-Harvest Processing

Location: Cotton Production and Processing Research

Title: Cottonseed and cotton plant biomass

Author
item Holt, Gregory
item Dowd, Michael

Submitted to: International Cotton Advisory Committee Recorder
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/17/2017
Publication Date: 6/1/2018
Citation: Holt, G.A., Dowd, M.K. 2018. Cottonseed and cotton plant biomass. International Cotton Advisory Committee Recorder. 36(2):3-5.

Interpretive Summary: The cotton plant generates several marketable products as a result of the ginning process. The product that garners the most attention in regards to value and research efforts, is lint with cottonseed being secondary. In addition to lint and cottonseed, the plant material itself has a value that has often been under-appreciated and more often than not, ignored. The cotton plant material separated from the lint and cottonseed in the ginning process is historically referred to as either “gin trash” or “gin waste” primarily because it was the discarded material from the cotton gin and did not have a market like the lint and seed. This paper will focus on cottonseed and the “gin trash” or cotton plant material, hereafter referred to as cotton plant biomass (CPB) and discuss what the materials are, how much is produced annually, and current and potential uses.

Technical Abstract: The cotton plant generates several marketable products as a result of the ginning process. The product that garners the most attention in regards to value and research efforts, is lint with cottonseed being secondary. In addition to lint and cottonseed, the plant material itself has a value that has often been under-appreciated and more often than not, ignored. The cotton plant material separated from the lint and cottonseed in the ginning process is historically referred to as either “gin trash” or “gin waste” primarily because it was the discarded material from the cotton gin and did not have a market like the lint and seed. This paper will focus on cottonseed and the “gin trash” or cotton plant material, hereafter referred to as cotton plant biomass (CPB) and discuss what the materials are, how much is produced annually, and current and potential uses.