THE LINTER
Top quality linters are valued raw material for the production of high quality paper, banknote, light weight fabrics, paper filters. The basic raw material for the production of Nitrocellulose (NC) is Bleached Cotton Linter (BCL), which is produced from raw cotton linters after processing. In addition, bleached cotton can also be useful for surgical use, as well as for making filters, paper and cellulose acetate, which is used in rayon fibers and photographic films, among others.
The process for obtaining cotton linter involves the following steps:
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Ginning: Raw cotton is ginned to remove the seeds.
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Secondary ginning: To remove the short fibers and impurities, the cotton passes through a machine called a "secondary gin".
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Defibration: In this process, the cotton fibers are separated from the seeds and other impurities that may still be present.
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Bleaching:Linters are bleached to remove impurities and achieve a white appearance.
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Refinement:The linters are then cut into even pieces.
Depending on the desired final product, linters can undergo other transformation processes such as hydrolysis or chemical treatment to improve their characteristics.
