ABSTRACT

Cotton always has a certain level of trash associated with its fibers and this trash is known to affect processing efficiency. The elimination of trash, removal of certain trash types, or trash sizes has often been a means to improve processing efficiency. The goal is to determine the total degree of fiber contamination and understand how each fraction impacts textile processing. This research will determine if new Trashmeter software developed for the HVI can evaluate trash and its particle size distribution. Coupled with this trash identification software is the use of mid-infrared spectroscopy that compares trash particles or dust to a spectral database of authentic samples to better determine problematic trash types. The HVI Trashmeter has emerged as a robust image analysis program able to successfully locate, count, and size trash particles in cotton. Mid-infrared spectroscopy appears to be able to predict trash type and demonstrates that the rotor dust accumulating in open-end spinning appears to be hull and shale rather than seed coat fragments.