Project Number: 6402-41440-005-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Jun 25, 2004
End Date: Jun 24, 2009

Objective:
Enhance existing technologies to improve the profitability, quality, market value and utility of ginned cotton in the global marketplace. Develop and implement new gin technology with new and existing cotton varieties, cultural practices, harvesting methods, gin technologies and foreign and domestic mill practices. Enhance computerized gin process control systems to establish optimum process techniques and utilize technologies to meet farmer and market demands. Improve worker and community environments, and improve cotton byproduct utilization.

Approach:
Conduct laboratory and field studies to establish the parameters that govern color, length, trash, short fibers, neps and seedcoat fragments in ginned lint with emphasis on interactions between gin machinery and varieties, production practices, harvesting practices, growing conditions and mill requirements. Develop new, less damaging and more efficient processes and machinery (especially lint cleaners) to control foreign matter, moisture and fiber damage before, during and after ginning. Evaluate chemical, biological and mechanical methods of fiber removal, and develop new fiber-seed separation techniques. Develop enhancements to the new gin process control system such as a) new or improved sensors for mass flow, trash, moisture, fiber length, neps, etc., b) new optimization models for current cotton varieties and gin machinery, and c) new machinery performance indicators and controls. Develop technology to solve environmental challenges such as noise and dust inside and outside gins. Develop new uses for cotton byproducts. Field test and implement the new technologies in commercial gins.