Cotton is cleaned through a process involving mechanical separation and advanced technological systems designed to remove unwanted plant matter.
The Cotton Cleaning Process
The initial stages of cleaning cotton fiber involve mechanical methods to prepare the material for deeper purification.
Step 1: Initial Feeding and Opening
The fiber is first fed into a hopper. This machine acts as an initial processing point. Inside the hopper, the fiber tufts are mechanically picked apart. This action serves to loosen the cotton fibers and begin separating them from larger debris, making subsequent cleaning steps more effective.
Step 2: Advanced Cleaning Technology
Following the initial opening, the processed fiber is then moved into a series of sophisticated cleaning systems. According to the provided reference, these systems are described as highly advanced cleaning technologies. One example mentioned is the EVŌC system, which is short for Enhanced Visual, Opening, Cleaning system.
The primary function of these advanced systems is to remove much of the plant matter. This includes debris such as:
- Stalk fragments
- Stem pieces
- Leaves
By the end of this stage, the cotton fiber is significantly cleaner, having been largely freed from the vegetative parts of the plant from which it was harvested.
This structured process ensures that the cotton fiber is prepared for further processing, such as spinning into yarn, by removing impurities that would affect quality and efficiency.
