Cottons contaminated with stickiness from physiological and/or entomological sugars cause multiple processing problems in textile mills. Textile mills request cotton with no stickiness or need methods to remove stickiness and consequently avoid processing problems. Little is understood of how fractional removal of sugar contamination affects glucose levels and fiber properties by changing the protective exterior layers (composed of substances such as pectins, waxes, and proteins). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of heat (dry and steam), acid catalysis, and water rinsing in lowering sugar levels and their affect on fiber properties. Sticky cotton was treated with a catalyst or rinsed in water and subjected to elevated temperatures for varying times. This study evaluated steps that could be taken at the cotton gin or textile mill to potentially remove sugar contaminants from cotton. Although costly and time consuming, water rinsing appears to be the most advantageous process to lower sugar levels while maintaining or improving fiber quality. Further studies are needed to determine an economical and efficient method of removing sugar contamination.
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