Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Cotton Ginning Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #106307
Title: LINT CLEANING UPLAND COTTON WITH REVOLVING-SCREEN CLEANERS

Author
item MANGIALARDI, JR., GINO - RETIRED ARS AG ENGINEER
item Anthony, William

Submitted to: Cotton Gin and Oil Mill Press
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/4/1999
Publication Date: 1/15/2000
Citation: Mangialardi, Jr., G.J., Anthony, W.S. 2000. Lint cleaning upland cotton with revolving-screen cleaners. Cotton Gin and Oil Mill Press. 100(25): 6-11

Interpretive Summary: Saw-type lint cleaners are used at gins to clean upland cotton varieties. They improve the grade classification and market value of the bale but reduce some quality factors that are desired at the spinning mill, mainly long fibers with few neps. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the feasibility of cleaning lint by applying the principles used in the revolving-screen cleaner which extracts foreign matter from seed cotton. It was hoped that this less aggressive seed-cotton type cleaner would cause less fiber damage. The revolving-screen seed cotton cleaner used as a lint cleaner in the study was effective in removing about 8 percent of the trash from lint, and the cleaned fibers tended to have longer fibers and less neps than cotton that is subjected to a stage of saw lint cleaning. Thus, the experiments showed that it might be feasible to modify and use a stage of revolving-screen type lint cleaner to supplement lint cleaning with one saw-cylinder cleaner in place of adding a second stage of saw-type lint cleaning.

Technical Abstract: A 2-year study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of cleaning lint by utilizing the revolving-screen cleaner (Impact) which is normally used to extract foreign matter from seed cotton. The cleanliness and quality of lint cotton cleaned with the Impact cleaner were compared to that processed on a saw-cylinder lint cleaner. Results showed that the cleaning efficiency of one saw-type lint cleaner averaged 38%, and one Impact cleaner was 20% as efficient as one saw lint cleaner. There was a significant improvement in the classer's leaf grade designation when the lint from smooth-leaf varieties were cleaned with the Impact cleaner; the improvement was about one-third grade. Fiber upper quartile lengths tended to be longer and nep counts lower after cleaning with the revolving-screen lint cleaner when compared to measurements obtained on lint cleaned with the saw-type lint cleaner.