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There are very few reports, if any, on the physicochemical changes during the powder fabrication of cotton gin trash (CGT), an abundant source of lignocellulose. This particular study can be very informative for the production of new CGT composite materials. In our current study, we investigated the changes in particle size, morphology, surface area, chemical structure, crystallinity, thermal and moisture properties of CGT at different stages of the milling operation. An attritor milling of CGT up to 4 h reduced the particle size (from 144.2 μm to 6.2 μm) and enhanced the surface area up to 2.5 times without damaging its original properties, including crystallinity and chemical structure. Milling operation beyond 4 h did not further reduce the particle size effectively, though affected the thermal stability of CGT. Overall, it is suggested that the milled CGT can be a sustainable source of lignocellulose powder for use in a wide area of applications. Unlabelled Image • Cotton gin trash powder from a chemical free fabrication process • Unchanged crystallinity and chemical structure by the fabrication • Increased surface area and moisture uptake properties in fine powders • The fine powders are suitable for producing plastic combining with polymers, e.g., poly(vinyl alcohol). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton gin trash (CGT), a large quantity by-product of cotton ginning process can differ in its contents among different seasons, cotton harvesting methods and ginning processes, due to its complex mixture. Finding a sustainable and constant powder fabrication method across different variety of CGT is important for practical application of CGT powder. However, the impact of variability of CGT and the powder preparation methods on the properties of CGT powder have not been addressed in the literature so far. In this study, achieving micro-sized powder from CGT was targeted and difference in the particle size and properties of the prepared powders were investigated in relation to their fractional content across different batches and drying techniques. This will facilitate choosing the right method to reach desired particle size and properties of CGT for a targeted application. Three different batches of CGT were collected from New South Wales, Australia, across three different years (2017, 2018, and 2022). The micro-sized CGT powders were then fabricated through mechanical milling and using two different methods: spray drying and ring grinding. A wide range of micro-sized particles (4.9–92.6 μm) was achievable from CGT by varying the milling time and drying method. Though the cotton fibre content affected particle size of the milled slurry, its impact was found minor when the milled slurry was converted into dried CGT powder. The powder morphology and chemical structure of CGT powder from different batches were not significantly different though the crystallinity index was found higher for the samples with higher amount of cotton fibres. The thermal stability of powders was mainly affected by milling time, drying technique, and fibre content though the impact was minimal. The moisture absorption of the CGT powder was found higher for ring ground powders, which was further improved by lower cotton content. Overall, this study provides an applicable and sustainable powder production method which could be used to optimise milling times, and drying techniques across different CGT sources to obtain required particle size for utilisation of CGT, such as composite reinforcement. [Display omitted] • Reporting a sustainable and constant cotton gin trash (CGT) powder fabrication method. • A wide range of micro-sized CGT particles (4.9–92.6 μm) was produced. • Drying method was found more impactful on CGT powder size rather than CGT variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton gin trash (CGT), the waste generated from cotton ginning is a low-cost and abundant source of lignocellulosic material. Effective valorisation of CGT is beneficial from both economical and environmental perspectives. Earlier investigations and reviews on CGT were mostly based on the ethanol and bioenergy production, and soil amendment properties of CGT. However, due to the low yield in ethanol preparation, the low heating value of CGT in energy production and reported critical issues in soil amendment, CGT yet remains as an underutilised material. However, the increasing number of studies in material science domain showed encouraging prospects of CGT. This includes using CGT as a composite filler, preparing transparent plastic by combining with polymer, adsorbing dye from wastewater, and extracting micro and nanocrystalline cellulose for a potential application. Nevertheless, currently, there is no review available dedicated to the material fabrication viewpoint of CGT. Therefore, this review addresses the current studies of CGT on material production, along with CGT structure and composition. This study also discusses the rationale of using CGT as a sustainable resource in the cleaner production of materials and explores the opportunities for future research. Image 1 • The composition and variability of cotton gin trash (CGT) are emphasised. • Current applications of CGT in materials production are reviewed. • Future scope of CGT as a commodity material is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton gin trash (CGT), an agro-industrial waste material produced during the ginning operation of cotton fibre, is a sustainable source of material to fabricate biodegradable polymer. Earlier research conducted on the preparation of polymer from different fractions of cotton trash such as linters, burrs and seed hulls cannot be pursued, as physical separation of these individual parts is quite difficult and impractical; the linters entangling all fractions. In our current study, we have used the whole cotton gin trash to fabricate films using formic acid (FA) with different CGT/FA weight ratios (0.5/99.5, 1/99, 3/97, 5/95 and 7/93) in a one-step process. Further, we investigated the structural changes, crystallinity, thermal property, tensile characteristics, wettability and biodegradability of the CGT films. The crystallinity of the films increased with increasing proportion of formic acid. The films were thermally stable up to 200 °C without any glass transition point. The tensile strength of the films was comparable to commercial low density polyethylene. The films produced in this study were found to be biodegradable. Therefore, the overall results have well exposed the CGT as a potential sustainable source for material production. Image 10481 • Fabrication of biodegradable film from whole cotton gin trash, as a biomass waste. • Crystallinity of the film enhanced with the higher proportion of formic acid in fabrication process. • Fabricated film showed comparable tensile strength to commercial low density polyethylene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]