Studies on the Structure of Never-Dried Cotton: Part I- Physical Characteristics of Cotton Dried under Controlled Conditions

Abstract

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:" calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-theme-font:="" minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;="" mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">The physical and morphological characteristics of never-dried cotton, cotton dried under controlled conditions and nature-dried cotton have been examined. On drying in nature, the never-dried cotton fibres get transformed into a convoluted, bean-shaped and collapsed structure from the state of unconvoluted, tubular structure with circular cross-section. In this process, the physical characteristics of cotton could be improved over the nature-dried cotton by drying the cotton under controlled conditions. The effectiveness of different methods of drying in retaining the physical characteristics of cotton in the never-dried state lies in the following order: never-dried cotton > freeze-dried cotton > cotton dried by solvent exchange> cotton dried at 300^oC > cotton dried at 100^oC > cotton dried at 25°C > nature-dried cotton.</span>