Efficiency of field-through-ginning operations has led to a decrease in the number of gins in Texas since 1960, from 1,400 to less than 275 active gins in 2003. If that trend continues, the ginning industry could be in jeopardy by 2018. 

A goal of this project is to minimize seed cotton storage costs while processing 5 million bales with 200 or fewer gins. Texas A&M University researchers are formulating a minimum of three practical scenarios for a new seed cotton handling, storage and ginning system – and that may include extending the ginning season.

They also are formulating a feasible seed cotton transport system from the field to storage area that could be implemented at a Texas location with the gin service area expanded to 100 and 150 miles. This includes studying the use of semi-tractor trailers or other systems for moving seed cotton from the turn-row to long-term storage locations near a gin.

John Wanjura, a Texas A&M University graduate student, prepares to extract fine dust from a gin trash sample using an air wash.

Past research by the Texas A&M engineers has demonstrated that models used by EPA over-predict downwind concentrations of PM10 by up to 10 times when applied to emissions of low-level point agricultural sources (LLAPS) such as cotton gins, feed mills and grain elevators.

The procedure for EPA approval of new models requires that results be within two percent of existing, approved models. As already demonstrated, the existing model (ISCST3) for use in LLAPS applications, results in as much as a 250 percent over-prediction in estimated concentrations.

The engineers are working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and other researchers to change the process by which new models – using one hour weather data while still accounting for wind direction variation - are considered and approved for use in LLAPS applications.

The Texas A&M researchers also are trying to develop a process that will result in corrections of "over sampling" of PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations of agricultural PM so that agricultural operations are appropriately regulated.

The scientists have been able to demonstrate to EPA the errors in sampling agricultural dusts with EPA approved samplers. They are conducting laboratory experiments with PM2.5 samplers after finding that the samplers do not perform the same when exposed to “real world” PM. That PM includes a wide range of particle sizes unlike the PM in the EPA evaluations that are all the same size.

The scientists also are redesigning their constant concentration chamber to facilitate collection of additional performance data, to allow them to neutralize the charge on particles, to quantify and control the air flow more accurately, and ensure uniform air flow and PM concentrations throughout the chamber.

NCC staff is investigating the potential of radio frequency identification technologies to improve the locating, tracking and managing of modules, module tarps and cotton bales.

This project is aimed at developing identification systems that ensure Permanent Bale Identification information remains with cotton bales from the time bales are made at gins until the lint in the bale is spun into yarn. NCC staff is investigating the potential of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies to improve the locating, tracking, and managing of modules, module tarps and cotton bales.

Successfully integrating RFID tags into gin module and bale management practices – a move that has profit potential for the industry - is dependent on efficient and widespread adoption. NCC staff is working to: 1) develop a program capable of demonstrating how this technology, implemented at the gin level, can integrate bale management strategies across the links of the supply chain and 2) quantify the economic benefits to each participant in the supply chain.