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2071635 
Journal Article 
Chemical Composition of Dusts Generated During Cotton Processing 
Brown, DF; Wall, JH; Berni, RJ; Tripp, VW 
1977 
1 
Tidsskrift for den Norske Lægeforening
ISSN: 0029-2001
EISSN: 0807-7096 
NIOSH/00172452 
106 
4 
295-296 
The chemical composition of cotton dust was examined at various stages in its processing. Inorganic composition and proximate analysis of dusts were compared from gins, textile mills, oil mills, and a cotton compress. Data from the elemental analyses were considered in three groups: elements principally of plant origin, elements of soil and plant origin, and elements principally of soil origin. The lint cleaner dusts contained the highest amounts of potassium and phosphorus accumulated in plants, and sulfur and calcium, accumulated in both plants and soil materials. The gin stand dusts contained the highest concentrations of silicon, aluminum, and titanium, primarily soil elements. The greatest variability was among the soil elements, which suggested that conditions in the field were a major factor in gin dust composition. The proximate analysis of dusts indicated that the average compositions of dusts collected in the gin stand, lint cleaner, and press areas were similar. The gin stand dust contained the most ash forming constituents and the least cellulose. Inorganic elements normally associated with soil minerals were present in much higher concentrations in cleaning and delintering dusts. The presence of a substantial portion of hulling dust with the sample was indicated by the presence of potassium and phosphorus. In oil mill dusts the ash content decreased from cleaning through hulling. Protein and noncellulosic organic, and alcohol soluble constituents increased from cleaning through the hulling process. Samples of dust from a compress were high in soil elements and low in plant elements, suggesting that compress dusts were composed primarily of minerals and cotton fiber and low in plant trash. Dusts from a classer's office and a card room were primarily cellulose. The major difference between total and respirable card room dust was the fiber content. The authors conclude that composition of cotton dust varies with processing stage and location.