Cotton Linters

Even after employing the most efficient ginning process for recovery of lint from seed cotton, a certain amount of fuzz (very short fibers unsuitable for spinning) remains on the cottonseeds. This fuzz is known as “Cotton Linters”. The linters can be recovered by a special machine called “DELINTER”. If it is recovered in defibrators, another type of machine, it is known as “HULL FIBRES”. Delinters can remove the fuzz in a single passage or in two or three passages. The linters removed in a single passage are designated as “MILL RUNS” and if properly recovered, are usually composed of short and long fibres (2.5 to 12 mm long). If they are recovered in two passages, the first passage linters are known as 1st Cut Linters – usually 6 to 12 mm fibre length and the second passage linters are known as 2nd Cut Linters, usually having fibre length less than 5 to 6 mms. Some times the seeds are subjected to third passage and are known as 3rd Cut Linters having fibre length ranging between 2 to 3 1/2 mm.