Abstract
The dust release characteristics of the Southern Regional Research Center's cotton particulates analyzer were studied as a function of repetitive cleaning. Dust released during initial cleaning stages originated primarily from particulate foreign matter in the cotton. Extensive mechanical-pneumatic recleaning resulted in a constant amount of dust released with each successive purification. This steady state mass of observed dust was independent of the particulate burden in the cotton and prob ably originated from fiber fragmentation. Zero cotton dust emission does not appear feasible with mechanical cleaning if only a portion of the dust can be removed from the cotton before a point is reached at which the cleaning produces additional dust due to fiber breakage.
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