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bioweb.sungrant.org » Technical » Biomass Resources » Agricultural Resources » Processing and Food Wastes » Cotton Gin Trash

Cotton Gin Trash	Printer Friendly

About 13 million acres (range of 12.0-13.83 million between 2000 and 2005) of cotton are harvested annually in the U.S., with average national cotton yields ranging between 632 and 855 lbs/ac (USDA-NASS). Production occurs in the Southern part of the U.S. (figure 1).  After harvest of the cotton crop, the cotton is taken to a ginning facility where the fiber (cotton lint) is separated from the cotton seed. The seed is crushed and the oil and meal recovered. The hulls are disposed of. In the process of harvesting the cotton, materials such as leaves, burs, stems, and sticks are also collected. These materials are removed in the ginning process and are called cotton gin trash. This material, along with the cotton seed hulls, is collected at the ginning facility and could potentially be used for bioenergy. The NEOS Corporation (1998) estimated an average annual production of 0.5 million dry tons of cotton gin trash in the Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, MO, NC, SC, TN, VA, and WV) from 1992 to 1996. Available cotton gin trash in California in 2003 was an estimated 124,427 dry tons and projected to be 62,027 dry tons in 2017 (California Energy Commission, 2004).

References
California Energy Commission, February 2004, An assessment of biomass resources in California, Consultant Report. NEOS Corporation, July 1998, Non-synthetic Cellulose Textile Feedstock Resource Assessment, Prepared for U.S. Department of Energy, Southeastern Regional Biomass Energy Program.  Draft Final Report. United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistical Service, (n.d.) http://www.nass.usda.gov/index.asp