Features

Login | Register

Newsline Features Events & Talking Machinery & Corporate Directory Home
Exhibitions Point Accessories Updates

Corporate Update+ Trutzschler = Excellence

- A.T.E. + Trumac

Clip this Page | Discuss this Page | Email this Page | Print this Page
Processing, Dyeing & Finishing

Cotton stickiness: Causes, consequences & remedies

In todays global market & economy, cotton plays a major role.

Global competition in the production and consumption of cotton
fibre combined with technological advancements in yarn
manufacturing has accelerated efforts to enhance cotton fibre
quality. Fibre properties influence both productivity and quality
in the spinning process. Cotton stickiness caused by excess
sugars on the lint, either from the plant itself or from insects, is
a very serious problem for the textile industry -- for cotton
growers, cotton ginners, and spinners. It affects the processing
efficiency as well as the quality of the product. This article
deals with the causes, effects on different departments,
economics, determination techniques and remedies of cotton
stickiness.

Cotton stickiness
The contaminants are mainly sugar deposits produced either by the cotton plant itself
(physiological sugars) or by feeding insects (entomological sugars), with the latter being the
most common source of stickiness. The main honeydew-producing insects that infest cotton
plants are cotton whitefly, Bemisia Tabaci (Gennadius) and the cotton Aphid Aphis Gossypii
(Glover).

Figure 1.Cotton Aphid

Whiteflies and aphids are both sap-sucking insects that feed by

inserting their long and slim stylets into the leaf tissues. The
sap is digested and the excreta discharged as honeydew
droplets. The honeydew attaches itself to the leaves and the
fibres of opened bolls. The presence of these sugars on the lint
reveals that the contamination is coming, at least partially,
from insect honeydew. A high percentage of melezitose along
with a low percentage of trehalulose reveals the presence of
aphid honeydew. When both melezitose and trehalulose are
present and trehalulose is dominant, whitefly honeydew contamination is indicated. The other
sugars are generally found on both non-contaminated and honeydew-contaminated cottons. It
was reported that glucose and fructose contained in the honeydew are synthesised from sucrose by the insect.

Figure 2. White Fly

Causes for stickiness

The two main causes of sugars or honey dew becoming sticky are heat and moisture.

During yarn formation the cotton fibres are exposed to friction forces that elevate the
temperature of some mechanical parts, which affects the temperature-dependent
properties of the sugars present. If one or more of the sugars melt, stickiness results.

Obviously moisture will cause sugars to change from a crystalline state (non-sticky) to an
amorphous state (sticky). In particular, the relative humidity in the manufacturing
environment may affect the moisture-dependent properties of the sugars present.

Effect of stickiness on different processes

Effect of stickiness on ginning

Sticky cotton tends to clog/choke the ginning machines. Stickiness reduces roller gin production by 10 to 15 pounds of lint
per hour. It also causes additional financial losses due to frequent replacement of blades/saws.

Effect of stickiness on spinning

Stickiness will cause lint to stick to card clothing and draft rollers in subsequent processes.

Figure 3. Sticky deposits on the draw frame creel

Sticky fibres even if they pass through the spinning back process will create extra
centrifugal forces during ballooning, causing the yarn to break.

In the OE frames stickiness will clog the turbine. No matter how we look at stickiness it will
reduce efficiency and production to a considerable extent during spinning.

Low humidity will dry the sugars and they will cease to be sticky. If however, humidity is
allowed to rise, sugars will become sticky again.

Effect of stickiness on weaving

Stickiness has minimal effect on warp as it is usually sized and the sugar present gets either dissolved in the hot size mix or
is covered by it. However, in weft, sugar starts building up in shuttle, gripper or air jet and weaving efficiency drops to a
level where it becomes uneconomic to continue weaving. Frequent cleaning of wefts passage would, therefore, be required.
This is time consuming and expensive

Economics of stickiness

To growers, stickiness means higher costs for insect control and reduced cotton marketability. Cotton price is reduced for
stickiness by the market at a rate proportional to the perception of risk.

To ginners, stickiness may mean special handling and processing requirements. Sticky cotton can reduce cotton gin output
(in bales/hr) by up to 25%.

At the textile mill, stickiness means reduced processing efficiency, lower yarn quality, excessive wear and increased
maintenance of machinery may occur even with slightly sticky cotton. For everyone concerned, stickiness means reduced
profitability.

Stickiness detection and measurement

Figure 4. Sticky deposits on the draw frame drafting zone
Stickiness is the physical process of contaminated lint adhering to equipment

The degree of stickiness depends on chemical identity, quantity, and distribution of the
sugars, the ambient conditions during processingespecially humidity and the
machinery itself. Stickiness is therefore difficult to measure. Nonetheless, methods for
measuring sugars on fibre have been and are being developed. These measurements may
be correlated with sticking of contaminated lint to moving machine parts. The physical and
chemical attributes of the lint and sugars that are correlated with stickiness have been
measured in many ways, each with differing efficiency and precision.

Some of the measurement methods are given below:

Reducing sugar method

High performance liquid chromatography
Minicard method
Sticky cotton thermo detector
High speed stickiness detector
Fibre contamination tester

Solutions to eradicate stickiness

During cultivation:

The most efficient way now to prevent stickiness is by managing sugar sources in the field. These honeydew-producing
insects may be managed by avoiding conditions leading to outbreaks, carefully sampling pest populations, and using
effective insecticides when populations reach predetermined thresholds. The risk of having excessive plant sugars can be
minimized by harvesting mature seed cotton

In ginning:

If stickiness is a problem while ginning, the ginning rate of honeydew contaminated cotton can be increased by increasing
the heat of the drying towers to reduce humidity.

At the textile mill:

At the textile mill, stickiness may be managed by blending bales and by reducing humidity during carding. A lubricant in fog
form may be introduced at the end of the hopper conveyor, and card crush rolls may be sprayed sparingly with a lubricant
to minimize sticking.

Conclusion

Stickiness is a complex, three-component interaction that involves the source sugars, harvested seed cotton, and
processing equipment. Stickiness caused by honeydew contamination has been reported to cause residue build-up on textile
machinery, which may cause subsequent irregularities or yarn breakage. The complexity of this interaction indicates the
need for an integrated solution that includes prevention, in-field mitigation, and processing adjustments.

References

1. Eric Hequet and Noureddine Abidi: Processing Sticky Cotton: Implication of Trehalulose in Residue Build-up, The Journal
of Cotton Science 6:77-90 (2002).

2. Sticky Cotton -- Sources and Solutions -- Cooperative Extension IPM Series No. 13, University of Arizona.

3. Mian Iftkhar Afzal: Cotton Stickiness A Marketing and Processing Problem, Proceedings of the Seminar, July 4-7, 2001,
Lille, France.

4. Eric F Hequet, Noureddine Abidi1, and Dean Ethridge: Processing Sticky Cotton: Effect of Stickiness on Yarn Quality,
Textile Res J, 75(5), 402410 (2005) DOI: 10.1177/0040514505053953.

Note: For detailed version of this article please refer the print version of The Indian Textile Journal June 2008
issue.

R Senthil Kumar,
Department of Textile Technology,
IIT, Hauz-khas,
New delhi-110016.
Email: sen29iit@yahoo.co.in

published June , 2008

back to Features | back to Processing, Dyeing & Finishing

Viewpoint Features Features

Signals Sound Positive
Good news have come from
industry and government officials:
US and European markets, which
account for 30 - 35 per cent of
textile exports from India, have
seen revival of demand across
different sectors.
CIM: An indispensable
tool
Computer Integrated
Manufacturing (CIM) leads to
increased productivity, improved
lead time with lesser work in
process, improved production and
quality monitoring as well as...
Magic Blue: Modular
Denim Wet-Finishing
Concepts
To keep pace with increasingly
stringent demands in the denim
market, Goller Modular Denim is
your first choice in woven denim
continuous wet processing...

full viewpoint... more... more...

Table of Contents Most Recent Issues Write to Editor

Subscribe to ITJ | Write to the Editor | Rate Card | ITJ Ads | Tell A Friend | About Us | Contact Us | Login | Register | Home
Associated Portals: www.bypd.in | www.ipfonline.com | www.automotiveproductsfinder.com
2010 IPFonline Ltd., All rights reserved. Copyright & Disclaimer IPFonline Ltd.,
Best viewed on Internet Explorer 5.0 or above at a screen resolution of 1024 X 768 pixels.