COTTON PLANT STALKS COTTON STALK SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT. In India about 23 million tonnes of cotton stalks are generated every year

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1 COTTON STALK SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT By Dr. R.H. Balasubramanya, Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Indian Council of Agricultural Research Mumbai-INDIA. INTRODUCTION Cotton is an important cash crop of India The area under cultivation : 9.3 mh ( ) Area under rainfed condition : 6.2 mh Total production : 290 lakh bales of 170 kg each Yield : 525 kg/ha Cotton cultivation under rainfed condition non rumenerative commensurate with the inputs Utilisation of cotton stalks for industrial activity can fetch additional income to farmers COTTON PLANT STALKS In India about 23 million tonnes of cotton stalks are generated every year Soft Board Particle Board Hard Board Treated as Agrowaste Pulp and Paper USES of COTTON STALKS Domestic Fuel No commercial use so far Small quantity used as domestic fuel Mushroom Growing Briqueting Medium Density Fibre Board Availability of Cotton Stalks in India States 1. Gujarat 2. Maharashtra 3. Andhra Pradesh 4. Punjab 5. Haryana 6. Madhya Pradesh 7. Karnataka 8. Rajasthan 9. Tamil Nadu 10. Orissa 11. Others Total Area (million ha) Availability of Stalks* (million tonnes) * CAB Estimate ( ) Chemical Composition of Cotton Plant Stalks Species G.arboreum G. herbaceum G. hirsutum G.barbadense Desi Hybrids Hirsutum Hybrid Mean Value Range of Values Holo-Cellulose to 70.0 MATERIAL IS RICH IN CELLULOSE AND LIGNIN Lignin to 28.2 Ash to 8.3 1

2 CIRCOT has Developed Technology to Prepare CONSTRAINTS IN UTILISATION OF COTTON STALKS HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE! Bulky material! Collection and transportation problems Pulp and Paper Composite Boards from Cotton Plant Stalks Corrugated Boxes! Absence of supply chain mechanism! High cost of procurement! Lack of awareness amongst industry! Absence of techno-economic feasibility report CIRCOT INITIATIVES CIRCOT under a project Utilisation of Cotton Plant Stalks for Value-added Products funded by the Common Fund for Commodities, Netherlands and Under Supervision of International Cotton Advisory Committee, Washington, USA has undertaken a study to address some of the problems mentioned above. Project Summary Title : Utilisation of Cotton By-produce for Value Added Products Number : CFC//20 Project Executing Agency (PEA) : Director, CIRCOT, Adenwala Road, Matunga, Mumbai Location : CIRCOT, Adenwala Road, Matunga, Mumbai Starting Date : 1 st October, 2004 Completion date : 31 st December, 2009 Finance : Total project cost of which CFC Financing (Loan/Grant) : US D 918, Co-financing : Nil Counterpart contribution : US D 1,271, Other Partners in the Project M/s. Ecoboard Industries Ltd., Pune, Maharashtra M/s. Jollyboard Ltd., Mumbai M/s. Cotton Association of India, Mumbai PROJECT TEAM Principal Investigator Dr. R.H. Balasubramanya Co-Investigators Dr. A.J. Shaikh Mr. R.M. Gurjar Dr. K.M. Paralikar (June 2008) Dr. P.G. Patil (Dec 2008) Dr. P.V. Varadarajan Mr. V.G. Arude Mr. S.K. Shukla 2

3 OBJECTIVES Analysis and optimization trials of required logisticall (including organizational) arrangements for collection and transportation of cotton stalks from the field to the production units, including possible setting-up of pre-processing units at the field level Trials for minimum and optimum levels of cleaning and pre-processing of cotton stalks into chips suitable for processing, at field level and at factory site Pilot production of cotton stalks-based particle board Utilization of cotton stalks for the production of binderless fibre boards Evaluation of technical/financial feasibility of the proposed processes Dissemination of project results at national and international level Logistics of cotton stalks collection, chipping and transportation of cotton stalks from the field to the production units, including possible setting up of preprocessing units at the field level Conceptual Logistic Models of Cotton Stalk Collection Model 1 Transportation of cotton stalks directly from the field to factory Model 2 Chipping of cotton stalks by farmers and transportation to the factory Model 3 Collection and transportation of cotton stalks by farmers from the field to the chipping centre, Chipping and subsequent transportation to the factory by an entrepreneur Model 1 Transportation of cotton stalks directly from the field to factory Mode of Transport Bullock Cart Tractor Trolley Lorry Cotton Stalk carrying capacity (Kg) Advantage : No need of pre- processing centre at village level Limitations : Less carrying capacity : Not economically viable Model 2 Chipping of cotton stalks by farmers and transportation to the factory Advantage Load carrying capacity, 4 times more Limitations Purchase of cotton stalk chipper, not affordable by individual farmer Shortage of electrical power in rural areas/non availability of appropriate power source for chipper in and around farm Model 3 Collection and transportation of cotton stalks by farmers from the field to the chipping centre, chipping and subsequent transportation to the factory by local entrepreneur Advantages 1. It is easy for farmer to collect and transport cotton stalk to the nearest chipping centre. 2. Entrepreneur can purchase tractor operated chipper, as sufficient quantity of cotton stalk at one place is assured 3. Assured and timely supply of cotton stalk chips to the Board Industry Model 3 appears to be economically feasible 3

4 LOGISTICS OF COTTON STALK COLLECTION Supply Chain Mechanism of Cotton Stalks The mechanism of logistics of cotton stalk collection comprises 1. Uprooting of stalk with an uprooter 2. Storage/drying of uprooted stalks in the field 3. Manual cleaning of dried stalks to remove leaves, boll rinds, burrs, etc (cleaning by machine although found feasible but not practicable under field conditions in Indian situations) 4. Transportation to a collection centre within a radius of 5 km 5. Chipping of stalks with a chipper operated with tractor or power tiller 6. Transportation of chips by truck to the factory situated not far away than 50 km from the chipping centre Uprooting of Stalks Manual Cleaning Transportation Chipping Storage / drying of Stalks Flow Chart on the Availability of Cotton Stalks in Nagpur District, Maharashtra, Nagpur, India Flow Chart on the Availability of Cotton Stalks in Sirsa District, Haryana, India 3 tonnes/ha 40% moisture 2.4 tonnes/ha 25% moisture 1.7 tonnes/ha 20%moisture 1.5 tonnes/ha 15%moisture Uprooted cotton stalks immediately after the completion of last picking of seed cotton (contains green leaves, boll rinds and unopened bolls Devoid of leaves after 5 days of drying in open in the field (leaves contribute to about 5%) Manual cleaning of cotton stalks (Removal of boll rinds, unopened bolls and small branches which contribute to about 25%) Chipping of whole cotton stalks (loss during chipping, about 10%) (Per/ha) Uprooted cotton stalks immediately after last picking ( contains green leaves, boll rinds and unopened bolls) tonnes at 47% (WB) mc Left in the open for sun drying for 5 days 9.90 tonnes at 25% (WB) mc Manual cleaning of cotton stalks (leaves, boll rinds, unopened bolls, small branches) reduces the biomass by 30%. Further drying to 20% (WB) mc. Remaining is 6.49 tonnes at 20% (WB) mc Chipping of whole cotton stalks: material loss is 10% and moisture loss is 5%. Remaining biomass 5.50 tonnes at 15% (WB) mc 1.3 tonne/ha 10% moisture Transportation of chips to a maximum distance of 50 km (loss during loading, unloading and transportation, 5%) Transportation of chips up to a distance of 50 km Material loss during loading, unloading and transportation, 5%. Moisture loss 5%. Remaining biomass 4.93 tonnes at 10% mc Cost of Logistics of Cotton Stalk Collection, Chipping & Transportation Labour Charges Paid for Cotton Stalk Procurement Rs. /Tonne In US$ Uprooting & Cleaning Chipping Tractor Hiring Total Cost of ready to use cotton stalk chips at factory site Rs. per In US $ tonne 1 Labour charges for uprooting, cleaning and chipping Transportation charges Loading and unloading charges Raw material cost Total Diesel charges Miscellaneous Expenses Incurred by NGO Particulars Labour payment for collection, cleaning and chipping Loading and unloading of stalks Truck hiring charges Payment for cotton stalks Total Rs.. per tonne

5 Loading of Chips Transportation and Unloading Sr. No MONTH + July August September October November December January February March April May June Chemical Analysis of Cotton Stalk Chips Stored in Open Ground & in Shed MOISTURE LIGNIN HOLO CELLULOSE ETHER EXTRACTIVES Stored in shed Stored outside + Month wise meteorological data recorded Observations No significant change in chemical composition of chips stored in shed Slight reduction in Holocellulose content of chips stored in open Good potential for setting up of Rural Enterprises for supply of cotton stalk to user industry. Based on Model -3 Collection of Cotton Stalk (3 minutes Film) CIRCOT Recommends Establishment of few Chipping Centres in the Major Cotton Growing Areas for Sustainable Supply of Ready to Use Cotton Stalk Chips to Industry This will enable farmers additional income Will generate rural employment 5

6 Effect of Impurities on the Quality of Board Trials for Minimum & Optimum Level of Cleaning & Preprocessing Cotton Stalks into Chips Dried cotton stalks with boll rinds Cleaned cotton stalks Density (g/cc) Bending Thickness Strength (mm) (MOR) (kg/cm 2 ) Internal Bond Strength (N/mm 2 ) Water Absorption 2 h 128 Therefore it is felt necessary to design and develop a cotton stalk cleaning system. Advantages of cotton stalk cleaning : Significant reduction in water absorption by bark removal Enhanced Modulus of Rupture after cleaning and bark removal Improvement in Internal bond strength 77 Cotton Stalks Cleaning System Uncleaned Cotton Stalk Consists of Scratching System (peeler) Conveyor System Air Blowing Chamber Air Suction Chamber Cotton Stalk Cleaning System Peeler Cotton Stalk Cleaning System 6

7 Cotton Stalk Cleaned After Trial Initial Weight of Cotton Stalks (Kg) Performance Evaluation of Cotton Stalks Cleaning System* Moisture Content Weight of Stalks after Passing the system (Kg) Moisture Content of cleaned Stalks 1 Weight of Removed Material (Kg) 2 3 Moisture Content of peeled Material *Performance is based on 5 trials 1.Material collected in the first unit 2.Material collected in cyclone 3.Material Collected at the end of conveyor PS : Moisture content of stalk is around 11% whereas that of wastes (boll rinds, leaves,lint and small branches) is around 6% Cleaning System Development of Cleaning System was an R&D Exercise Machine Effective in Cleaning Cotton Stalks Not Recommended for Use in Field Conditions Due to Non Availability of Electricity Non Compatibility with Mobile Chipper 7