GINNING Field Evaluations of Air and Saw Lint Cleaning Systems

Lint cleaners at cotton gins improve the grade and market value of cotton, but excessive cleaning can reduce bale values and some quality factors. Textile mills prefer that ginned lint be cleaned at gins with only one saw-type lint cleaner, but many gins use two stages of saw lint cleaning to obtain higher grades. Experiments were conducted to study the characteristics and efficiency of flow-through air-type lint cleaners operating under commercial gin conditions. Comparisons were also made to a controlled-batt saw-type lint cleaner that followed the air-type lint cleaner. One air-type lint cleaner was only 25 % as effective at cleaning as one of the saw-type lint cleaners. However, the air-type cleaners caused less fiber damage than the saw-type lint cleaners. Information from the field study will be used to (i) advise cotton ginners on the proper use of air-type lint cleaners and (ii) plan new studies to develop air-type lint cleaners that better supplement lint cleaning with only one saw-cylinder cleaner and ensure acceptable market return. Experiments were conducted at three commercial gins to study the characteristics and efficiency of flow-through air-type lint cleaners operating under standard field conditions. Overall, one air lint cleaner gave a cleaning efficiency of 9 % compared to 36% for one saw lint cleaner following an air lint cleaner. However, the air-type cleaners caused less fiber damage than the saw-type cleaners. Although textile mills prefer that ginned lint be cleaned at gins with only one saw-type lint cleaner, many gins use two stages of saw lint cleaning to obtain higher grades. An air-type lint cleaner can be substituted for one of the gin’s usual saw machines. These results, however, indicate that air-type cleaners need to be improved to better supplement lint cleaning with only one saw-cylinder lint cleaner to ensure acceptable grades and market return. Flow-through air lint cleaners are built by severalmanufacturers and are commercially known as the Air Jet/Super Jet, Centrifugal Cleaner, or Super Mote Lint Cleaner. They have no saws, brushes, o