Cotton by-products market potential to be tapped

Coimbatore, Jan 6: With attention fully diverted to improve the quality and quantity of cotton, considered as ‘white gold’, lesser measures have been taken to tap the abundant potential of its by-products, like seed oil, in India.

It was really a paradox that India was importing 30,000 tonnes of cotton seed oil worth Rs 54 crore annually for the last few years, when nearly three lakh tonnes of cotton seed oil was being wasted, due to faulty processing.

Though lint was the main component of cotton crop, seed was equally important for its oil and protein content. Plant biomass, linter, willow dust, hull and ginning wastes were other important by-products from which value-added products could be obtained.

Next to lint, cotton seed was another produce extensively used by Indian industries and nearly 40 to 42 lakh tonnes of seed was available for producing seed oil (washed), sources in the Central Institute for Cotton Research said.

It was estimated that out of about 150 lakh cotton bales produced in the country, nearly 52 lakh tonnes of cotton seed is produced annually, the sources said.

After utilising 12 lakh tonnes of seed for sowing and direct consumption for cattle, 40 lakh tonnes of seed was available for oil production, they said.

At 10 per cent minimum oil recovery, four lakh tonnes of washed seed oil could easily be produced, whereas nearly three lakh tonnes of seed oil was being wasted due to faulty processing, they observed. Saying that cotton seeds contained 16 to 24 per cent oil, sources said refined seed oil was free from gossypol and was an excellent cooking medium.

Solvent extraction procedures could improve the oil extraction to 16 per cent from the present 11 per cent, they said, adding that with the present availability of 50 lakh tonnes, there existed a potential to produce eight lakh tonnes of oil, the aspect needed more attention.
Another important by-product obtained while processing cotton in a scientific manner was the linter, which could be used in the manufacture of paper, low grade absorbant cotton and mattresses.

It was estimated that there was a potential of producing 1.8 to 1.9 lakh tonnes of linter annually, by improved processing.

Pure first grade linters were prized raw material for high grade currency, low grammage tissue paper and filter papers an also used by ordnance factories in various types of propellant for gun ammunition and small arms ammunition and also for various missiles, they said.

It could profitably utilised in the manufacture of surgical dressings, twines, yarn and wicks and also for padding and felting during packing. As linters were not separated from the seeds during oil extraction, scientific extraction after dehulling and delinting would help in preserving the linters, they said.

— PTI