A method and apparatus for producing continuous web or sliver of milkweed fibers without the use of conventional carding machines is disclosed. The method generally includes feeding raw materials including milkweed fibers into the apparatus, transferring the milkweed fibers to a sliver collecting net, and producing the slivers on the surface of the sliver collecting net. The slivers can be separated from the sliver collecting net.

Repeatable and reliable chemical treatment for loose fibers is achieved by spraying or immersing loose fibers in a chemical treatment bath, and continuously moving the soaked fibers through a continuous centrifuge. The continuous centrifuge controls the wet pickup of the chemical formulation on the fibers and assures a substantially even chemical distribution on the centrifuged fibers. The centrifuged fibers may be dried to fix the chemicals in the chemical formulation to the fibers and/or to remove water from the chemical formulation. Recycling of the chemical formulation from the continuous centrifuge allows for the process to be performed more economically and in a more environmentally friendly fashion.

Repeatable and reliable chemical treatment for loose fibers is achieved by spraying or immersing loose fibers in a chemical treatment bath, and continuously moving the soaked fibers through a continuous centrifuge. The continuous centrifuge controls the wet pickup of the chemical formulation on the fibers and assures a substantially even chemical distribution on the centrifuged fibers. The centrifuged fibers may be dried to fix the chemicals in the chemical formulation to the fibers and/or to remove water from the chemical formulation. Recycling of the chemical formulation from the continuous centrifuge allows for the process to be performed more economically and in a more environmentally friendly fashion.

The present, invention refer(c) to. a measuring device (200) for measuring stickiness, imperfections and imparities in textile fibers, in particular cotton fibers, such a device comprising a housing inside which. a pair of rollers (203a, 203b) are placed, arranged side by side to one another and rotating in opposite senses and between which a web of cotton fibers is made to pass, heating means for heating the rollers (203a, 203b) , detection means (205a, 205b) for detecting the IS sticky fractions of the web that adhere to the rollers after the passage of the web between them, removal means (206a, 205b) for removing from the rollers (203a, 203b) the sticky fractions adhering thereto, wherein the operation of the heating means is controlled by a processing and control unit as a function of the temperature of the rollers detected by temperature sensor means (207a, 207b) associated with them.

The present invention refers to a measuring device (600) for measuring the fineness and maturity of cotton fibers, such a measuring device (600) comprises a measuring chamber (CM) into which a sample of cotton fibers can be inserted, the measuring chamber (CM) comprises a first base and a second base that are opposite each other and that can be crossed by an air flow entering the measuring chamber (CM) through the first base and exiting from the measuring chamber (CM) through the second base, a supply conduit (619) having an inlet end associable with an air flow source and an outlet end associated with the first base of the measuring chamber, a flow regulator (611) arranged along the supply conduit (609) between its inlet and outlet ends, a first pressure sensor (612) for detecting the air pressure that is arranged along the supply conduit (609) upstream of the flow regulator (611), a second pressure sensor (613) for detecting the air pressure that is arranged along the supply conduit (609) downstream of the flow regulator (611) and upstream of the first base of the measuring chamber (CM), an electronic proportional pressure regulator (614) arranged along the supply conduit upstream of the first pressure sensor (612) for regulating the air pressure in the supply conduit (609), and an electronic processing and control unit (615) associated with the first sensor (612), with the second sensor (613) and with the electronic proportional pressure regulator (614) and that is programmed to control the electronic proportional pressure regulator (614) as a function of the detections of the first sensor (612) and of the second sensor (613) or of the second sensor (613) alternatively and respectively to keep the difference between the air pressure upstream and downstream of the flow regulator (611) or the air pressure entering the measuring chamber (CM) substantially constant and equal to a predeterminable value.

The present disclosure relates generally to nucleic acid constructs comprising a nucleotide sequence comprising one or more pigment producing genes, wherein expression of the nucleotide sequence is under the control of a cotton fibre-specific promoter, and wherein the cotton fibre-specific promoter is capable of driving expression of the nucleotide sequence during two or more fibre development stages, and their use in the production of colour cotton fibre, or for the introduction of one or more pigment producing genes into a cotton plant. The present disclosure further contemplates cotton plants modified to produce cotton fibre, cotton seed, cotton lit, yarn, textiles and associated methods.

Moisture Conditioner with Slats for Cotton Processing. At least one example is a method of supplying moisture to fibrous material, the method comprising: feeding a batt of fibrous material into an annular channel between a cylindrical drum that is rotating and set of louvers that are stationary, the set of louvers defining a drum side and a plenum side; moving the batt of fibrous material along a path of travel between an outside diameter of the cylindrical drum and the drum side of the set of louvers; feeding moist air to the plenum side of the set of louvers; directing, by the set of louvers, the moist air along the path of travel and into the batt of fibrous material; and after the moist air passes through the batt of fibrous material, drawing moist air into the cylindrical drum.

The disclosure relates to a device and method for extracting synthetic fiber material from mixed textile waste fiber material containing synthetic fiber material and natural fiber material. An extraction module includes an electrostatic charging unit that is configured to be mountable at a textile recycling machine for electric charging a fiber fleece of mixed textile fiber material and/or for moving charged synthetic fiber material closer to a surface of the fleece, and a separation stage comprising separation means for removing a layer, in particular surface layer, of the fleece containing an increased or decreased concentration of the synthetic fiber material. Also a method for retrofitting a textile recycling machine with such an extraction module is disclosed.