Research Projects

Ginning industry is the crucial component in the cotton value chain. The main operations performed by ginning includes cleaning the cotton, separation of lint and seed followed by cleaning of lint and pressing of fibres to form a bale. India stands in the second position across the world in the cotton ginning industry. Ginning operation is performed using three types of different gin namely, saw gin, rotary knife roller gin, and double roller gin. Saw gins machine is commonly used for ginning operations in advanced countries like USA, Australia, Uzbekistan, China, etc. Whereas, countries like India, Thailand, Kenya, Turkey, Myanmar, Tanzania, Uganda, etc. mostly used roller gin for ginning of cotton. In India, DR ginning technology is generally chosen over saw ginning because of higher ginning output with better fiber quality retention. However, the low ginning efficiency due to the low production capacities of DR gins hinders its commercial application in a widespread adaption. The ginning capacity (kg lint/h) of DR gin, rotary knife roller gin, and saw gin are 70-90, 400-425, and 500-1000, respectively. Low DR gin productivity leads to the requirement of a greater number of machines, more floor space for installation and subsequent fixed costs, and more variable costs (energy, seasonal labor, maintenance). Roller material, roller size in terms of length and diameter and its surface speed, seed metering through gin, and beater speed are crucial factors in determining the ginning productivity. So far not much attention has been paid to these factors in R & D to take advantage of the increasing ginning rate. It is probably due to space constraints in the existing design of the DR gin which does not allow to increase the roller diameter and size of the beater and also achieves faster cottonseed metering after ginning through the gin. Since there is a constraint for increasing the roller diameter and other corresponding design changes in the present machine, it is necessary to design and develop altogether a new DR gin to accommodate these design change to increase ginning rate. In the new design, emphasis will be given to enlarging roller diameter, beater size, and metering device used for the cottonseed industry. Keeping this in mind, the present study has been proposed with the aim of developing high production double roller gin which will give higher ginning productivity and better grade of cotton. The size of the factory will be compact and will facilitate easy maintenance and it will lower the overhead costs. In the International market demand for this machine will increase and will help to earn foreign exchange. The developed technology will not only provide an opportunity to fetch more money but also will enhance the viability of the cotton ginning industry.