PARTICLE BOARDS FROM COTTON STALK

A.J. Shaikh, R. M. Gurjar, P. G. Patil, K. M. Paralikar, P. V. Varadarajan & R. H. Balasubramanya

Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai, India

Introduction
Environmental concerns have, in recent years stimulated researches in the exploitation of renewable
resources. Such researches make better economic sense when they relate to utilization of waste materials
like cotton stalk. With its vast area under cotton cultivation, India is undoubtedly the largest producer of cotton
stalk among world countries and stands to benefit immensely from commercial exploitation of this putative
agrowaste. Profiled in this paper is CIRCOT’s saga of R & D efforts that have revealed the economic potential
of cotton plant biomass abundant in many Afro-Asian countries.

King cotton rules the world of textiles despite inroads made by synthetic fibres. The economy of about 90
cotton growing counties is greatly influenced by cotton. Cultivated in over 30 million ha, the annual world
cotton production is about 22 million tonnes constituting 36% of the total fibre production and consumption.

In recent years, India has emerged as the second largest producer of cotton next to China. The cotton
production in 2009-10 in India stands at 5.1 million tonnes as against China’s 6.8 million tonnes. Other major
producers are USA, Pakistan, Brazil, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Australia, Turkmenistan, Greece, Syria and Egypt.

In area under cotton cultivation, India tops the world list (10.1 Mha) with China (5.4 Mha) and USA (3.1 Mha)
closely following. In productivity, however, India lags behind most other countries though in recent years,
there has been substantial improvement.

Distribution of Cotton in India

Two leading cotton growing States in India are Gujarat and Maharashtra which respectively account for 22%
and 32% of total area under cotton in the country (Table 1). The average yield is much higher in Gujarat than
in Maharashtra on account of better irrigation in the former. These two States together contribute over 50% of
India’s cotton crop.

Table 1 : Cotton Crop in Different States in India (2009-10)

State Area Production Productivity
(Mha) (thousand (kg/ha)
tonnes)
Punjab 0.536 272 507
Haryana 0.520 221 425
Rajasthan 0.444 170 382
Gujarat 2.624 1615 615
Maharashtra 3.503 1139 325
Madhya Pradesh 0.646 306 474
Andhra Pradesh 1.319 816 619
Karnataka 0.395 153 383
Tamil Nadu 0.087 85 977
Others 0.078 34 436
Loose Lint - 204 -
Total 10.152 5015 494

1  

 
 Cropping Season

In the northern States of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan which are largely irrigated, cotton is harvested in the
two months of October & November. Farmers in these areas cut away cotton plants even if some green bolls
are still left, so as to clear the land early for the ensuing wheat crop. Stalks are removed in about a month’s
time. In other regions, which are mostly rainfed, harvesting of cotton takes place from October to February.
Cotton stalks are uprooted from around February–March and the process goes on till May-June since there is
no pressure to vacate the field for any other crop.

Low Income from Cotton Farming

Relatively low yield in rainfed areas has rendered cotton farming somewhat unremunerative in India. Most
farmers are unable to make a living out of cotton cultivation. Ways and means to increase the returns from
cotton farming, therefore, need to be explored.

Research on By-product Utilisation

The diverse products available from cotton crop after the harvest of seed-cotton and ginning include seed,
linters, hulls, oil and meal which are classified under the broad head “by-produce”. Cotton stalk is the other
biomass available in the field after the harvest of seed-cotton. In general, there is lack of focus on judicious
utilisation of cotton by-produce not only in India but also in all the Afro-Asian countries whose economies are
influenced by cotton. The bulk of cotton seed is subjected to what is known as whole seed crushing for
extraction of oil and cotton stalks are disposed of by burning in the field itself as otherwise they would harbour
several insects and pests which would be harmful for the future crop. A small fraction of seeds is consumed
as cattle feed while some of the stalks is used as domestic fuel. In whole seed crushing valuable components
like linters, hulls, protein and large fractions of oil go unutilised instead of fetching the much-needed additional
returns to farmers. Equally unacceptable is the burning off of cotton stalks that have in recent years proved to
be of immense economic potential.

Cotton Stalk

It is estimated that about 25 million tonnes of cotton stalk is generated in India every year. Most of the stalk
produced is treated as waste though a part of it is used as fuel by rural masses. The bulk of the stalk is burnt
off in the field after the harvest of the cotton crop as pointed out earlier. Cotton stalk contains about 69%
holocellulose, 27% lignin and 7% ash.

In contrast to other agricultural crop residues, cotton stalk is comparable to the most common species of
3
hardwood in respect of fibrous structure and hence it can be used for the manufacture of particle boards,
preparation of pulp and paper, hard boards, corrugated boards & boxes, microcrystalline cellulose, cellulose
derivatives and as substrate for growing edible mushrooms.

Technology for Particle Boards from Cotton Stalk

Research work on the preparation of particle boards in CIRCOT dates back to 1979-80 when cotton stalk
chips were used for the first time (Pandey and Mehta, 1979). Detailed studies have since been made to arrive
at the appropriate process sequence and to identify process parameters that would ensure the required
qualities for the particle board (Pandey and Mehta, 1980; Gurjar, 1994). The process involves the following
steps :
• Chipping of stalks to 1.5 - 2.0 cm size;
• Rechipping to particles of 20 mesh size and 8 mesh size;
• Mixing of chips with synthetic binder such as urea formaldehyde or phenol formaldehyde;

2  

 
 • Preparation of a three-layered mat comprising coarser particles for the core layer and finer ones for the
top and bottom layers;
• Pressing the mat between heated platens of a hydraulic press for specific time and pressure.
The board thus made is cooled to attain dimensional stability and then cut to the desired size. By using
different chemicals and additives, the boards can be made water proof, fire proof, termite resistant, etc. These
boards have been found to meet BIS specifications in respect of quality characteristics. Due to the lower cost
of raw material and reduced power required for its conversion into finished product, the cost of particle board
made from cotton stalk will be much lower than that of boards made from wood.
The data presented in Table 2 clearly show that the particle boards from cotton stalks possess all the
desirable properties to be used for internal as well as external applications such as false ceiling, partitioning,
paneling, etc.
Table 2 : Properties of Three-Layered Particle Boards from Cotton Stalk
Sr. Properties Unit Flat Pressed Three-layer/Multilayer Cotton
No. Particle Board IS 3087-1985 Stalk
Type I Type II Particle
Board
3
1 Density Kg/m 500 – 900 ---- 750
2 Average Moisture % 5-15 --- 11
3 Water Absorption %
i) 2 h soaking 10 40 20
ii) 24 h soaking 20 80 40
4 Swelling Thickness % 8 12 9
5 Swelling due to surface % 6 9 6
Absorption
2
6 Modulus of Rupture (MOR) N/mm
i) Up to 20 mm 15.0 11.0 17.6
ii) Above 20 mm 12.5 11.0
2
7 Internal bond strength N/mm
i) Up to 20 mm 0.45 0.3 0.51
ii) Above 20 mm 0.40 0.3
8 Screw withdrawal strength N
Face 1250 1250 1400
Edge 850 700 860
9 Nail withdrawal strength N 1250 --- 1300

Process Parameters and Product Quality

Increase in resin content results in improvement of product performance. Density of boards and modulus
of rupture are found to increase while water absorption and surface swelling show progressive decline as the
resin content is increased. Data in Table 3 demonstrate that by altering the process variables, it is possible to
get particle boards of any desired quality.

Table 3 : Properties of Particle Boards from Cotton Stalks with Urea Formaldehyde as Binder
Resin Thickness Density Modulus of Water Swelling due to
3
Content (%) (mm) (kg/m ) Rupture Absorption Surface
2
(N/mm ) (%) Absorption (%)
0 7.1 700 6.1 77 28
3 7.4 720 7.4 57 22
5 7.6 760 9.3 42 18
8 8.0 780 12.4 33 12
10 8.2 820 13.3 31 10
12 8.4 840 13.9 28 9
13.5 8.5 840 17.4 25 8

3  

 
 15 8.9 880 18.6 22 6

Uses of Particle Boards

The applications of particle boards are many. The application areas identified include door panel inserts,
partitions, wall panels, pelmets, furniture items, floor and ceiling tiles, etc. for residential houses, commercial
buildings, schools, hotels, theatres, etc. In recent years, particle board is being used increasingly in place of
commercial plywood in the preparation of printer blocks.

In all the above applications, substitute materials for particle boards are timber, commercial plywood, marine
plywood and block board in general and for false ceilings in place of plaster of Paris. The advantages of
particle board are many :

• It is free from natural defects of wood, like tendency for warping.

• It is easier to fix. For instance, the factory-made panel doors from particle board are available in a
ready-to-fix form. Similarly, for wall panelling, false ceilings, table tops, etc., pre-laminated or pre-
veneered particle boards can be used with advantage.
• It is cheaper than substitute materials.
• With proper protective surface coating and edge covering, particle board can be made termite proof
and fire resistant. It can take a variety of surface finishes, like laminations, veneers, paint, varnish,
polish, etc. Attractive wall paper can also be used as surface finish for particle boards.

Even though the process for the preparation of particle boards from cotton stalks was developed a decade
ago, it was not accepted by the boards industry for commercial adoption. Some of the important reasons
being
• Absence of cost effective supply chain mechanism
• Absence of pilot plant facility for fine tuning of technology and demonstration
• Non availability of data on techno-economic feasibility of the process.

To address some of the above issues CIRCOT had submitted a project proposal to the Common Fund for
Commodities (CFC), Netherlands, through the International Cotton Advisory Committee, USA for seeking
financial assistance. The CFC realized the importance and potential of the project and sanctioned an amount
of US$ 918,886 for undertaking the above study. Some of the important achievements made in the project
are described below:

Estimation of Availability of Cotton Stalk

In Maharashtra, where cotton crop is grown mostly under rainfed conditions, stalks yield was as low as 1 to
1.5 tonnes per ha. The stalks yield from Karnataka ranged from 1 to 2.5 tonnes/ha in case of rainfed crop and
up to 4 tonnes/ha from irrigated fields. The data clearly showed that the yield of cotton stalks from
Maharashtra is the lowest. It was also noted that cotton type (variety/hybrid) plays a very important role
besides conditions of growth. The information on State-wise availability of cotton stalks is given in Table 4.

The survey revealed that in the North, the major part of cotton stalks is used as domestic fuel. However,
farmers were ready to part with at least 50% the cotton stalk available with them for a payment of Rs. 400 to
500 (US $ 8 to 10 ) per tonne. In Gujarat the stalks are mostly burnt in the field itself. In Maharashtra, though
farmers are using the stalks as household fuel, they were willing to sell it for as low as Rs. 300 to as high as
Rs. 500 per tonne. In Karnataka, the survey showed that most of the farmers use cotton stalk as fuel. Some
of them exchange the stalks for farm yard manure. They expressed their willingness to sell the stalks for a
price of Rs. 500 per tone (1 US$ = Rs. 45/-)

4  

 
Table 4 : Availability of Cotton Plant Stalks in India (2008-09)
State Area Availability of Stalks
(million ha) (million tonnes)
1. Gujarat 2.39 7.17
2. Maharashtra 3.12 6.24
3. Andhra Pradesh 0.96 2.40
4. Punjab 0.59 2.95
5. Haryana 0.53 1.76
6. Madhya Pradesh 0.63 1.60
7. Karnataka 0.37 1.26
8. Rajasthan 0.35 0.74
9. Tamil Nadu 0.13 0.70
10. Orissa 0.06 0.27
11. Others 0.04 0.12
0.07
Total 9.17 25.28

Collection and Cleaning of Cotton Stalk

Cotton is a seasonal crop harvested in India from October to February. Cotton stalks which are available only
between December and May will require storage over several months to ensure adequate raw material
supplies to board manufacturers for the entire year's production.

Cotton stalks are bushy in nature and have very low bulk density. Collection and transportation are, therefore,
expensive. Further, on storage in stick form, cotton stalks get degraded by insect attack. Success of cotton
stalks as an industrial raw material would depend on the establishment of a sustainable supply chain to reach
them to the industry.

The entire cost economics of board manufacturing technology and the acceptance of cotton stalk by industry
will depend to a large extent on the cost of raw material in a readily usable form made available at the factory
gate. Therefore, the logistics of economic collection of cotton stalks, chipping and transportation from field to
industry, and its proper storage in different forms at various centres are crucial factors that decide the
economic viability of this raw material.

Trials were conducted in three successive seasons to arrive at the most economic mode of cotton stalk
collection in and around Nagpur where the crop is raised under rainfed conditions. In this region after the
picking of seed cotton, the stalks are not cleared from the field immediately since there is no subsequent crop.
The study started right from the stage of sensitizing farmers about the utility of cotton plant stalks.

It is comparatively easier to uproot the stalks immediately after the picking is over since the moisture still
present in the soil facilitates uprooting. A metallic device available locally helped in uprooting the stalks
effortlessly as compared to manual pulling. It has been observed that as many as 7-8 labourers could clear
the stalk from one hectare of land in a day of 8 hours. Although there was no significant difference between
manual pulling and uprooting with the help of the mechanical device in respect of speed, the drudgery
involved in bending and pulling with hands could be avoided in the latter case. In view of this, the simple
mechanical device is recommended for uprooting the stalks. The stalks thus collected should be left for 4 to 5
days in the sun during which time, the leaves are shed. The boll rinds can be removed by gently beating the
stalks on a wooden mallet. The cleaned stalks could then be subjected to chipping at a nearby chipping
centre.

5  

 
Three different models were attempted initially for economic collection and transportation of cotton stalks at
three different locations near Nagpur:

• Among the various models attempted, the most suitable model is the third model which comprises
uprooting of stalk, storage, manual cleaning, chipping by use of a tractor-driven chipper at a
centralized chipping centre not farther than 5 km from the field and transportation of chips to the
factory within 50 km distance by a truck.
• Transporting cotton stalks beyond 5 km before chipping and beyond 50 km after chipping so as to
make it available in an appropriate form to the industry would not be an economically feasible
endeavour.
• On an average, the cost of cleaned and chipped stalks to be made available at the factory gate
situated within 50 km from the production centre (farm) would workout to about Rs.1500-2000 (US $
30.0 – 40.0) per tonne of the raw material with 10% of moisture.

Cost of Ready-to-use Cotton Stalk Chips

Using the large volume of data on collection, chipping and transportation of cotton stalks, it has been possible to
work out the economics of each of these operations. From this analysis the cost of cotton stalk chips made
available at the particle board factory has been arrived at. Details are given in Tables 5 and 6. The raw material
cost for particle board manufacture from cotton stalk thus works out to Rs. 1960 (US $ 39.2) per tonne of the
ready-to-use material.

Table 5: Cost of Collection and Chipping of Cotton Stalks

Cost per tonne
Operations
Rupees US$
Uprooting and cleaning 500 10.0
Chipping 230 4.6
Tractor hiring 360 7.2
Total 1090 21.8

Table 6 : Total Cost of Ready-to-use Cotton Stalk Chips Delivered at Factory Site
Cost per tonne
Operation
Rupees US$
Labour charges for uprooting,
21.8
cleaning and chipping 1090
Transportation charges 320 6.4
Loading and unloading charges 50 1.0
Raw material cost 500 10.0
Total 1960 39.2

Transportation of Stalks and Chips

A critical study of the logistics of cotton stalk collection, chipping and transportation has revealed the following
facts :

• Transporting chipped cotton stalk is more economical than transporting the stalk as such.

6  

 
 • It would be appropriate to employ bullock carts and tractor trolleys to carry cotton stalk to the chipping
centre and use lorries to deliver the chips at the factory.
• Transporting distance plays a major role in deciding the effective cost of the raw material.
• Fifty kilometers should be considered as the maximum permissible distance for economic
transportation of chipped material.

Storage Trials

In order to find out the shelf life of cotton stalks, a large quantity of the unchipped material was stored in the
open, on a stone platform. Similarly, two lots of chipped cotton stalks packed in gunny bags were also
stacked, one lot in the open and the other inside a godown. Observations were made every month for colour
and insect attack, and chemical analysis was done once in a month to find out the changes if any in chemical
composition (Table 7). The following facts emerged from this trial :

• Insect attack is rampant in unchipped stalks kept in shade or in the open.

• No significant change in the chemical composition occurs in the case of chips stored in godown.
• Chipped stalks are not susceptible to insect attack.
• A marginal reduction in holocellulose content is noticeable in chips stored in the open.

Table 7 : Data from Chemical Analysis of Stored Cotton Stalk Chips

Sl. Month Moisture (%) Lignin Holo Cellulose Ether
No (%) (%) Extractives
(%)
A B A B A B A B
1 July 14.2 16.0 26.6 25.4 82.1 77.1 7.1 7.2
2 August 14.0 15.9 26.1 25.0 81.4 76.4 7.0 7.1
3 September 12.0 11.9 26.0 24.8 81.2 75.7 7.0 7.2
4 October 11.2 12.9 25.9 24.5 81.1 75.4 6.5 6.8
5 November 11.8 11.4 25.8 24.2 80.9 75.2 6.8 7.1
6 December 11.1 11.2 25.5 24.1 80.7 75.2 6.7 6.5
7 January 11.3 11.4 25.2 24.1 80.5 75.1 6.7 6.8
8 February 11.3 11.4 25.5 24.7 81.1 75.0 6.5 6.3
9 March 11.2 11.4 25.5 24.6 80.9 74.7 6.9 4.5
10 April 11.0 11.1 25.6 24.5 80.5 75.1 6.6 6.4
11 May 10.1 11.5 25.3 24.7 80.4 74.9 6.5 6.4
12 June 13.2 14.1 25.2 24.4 81.0 74.8 6.4 6.3
A : Stored in shed; B : Stored in the open

Pesticide Residues in Cotton Stalk

 
Cotton is a long duration crop and hence it is necessary to apply a number of pesticides at various stages of
its cultivation. Broadly, the pesticides used on cotton can be divided into 3 classes: organochlorine,
organophosphorous and synethtic pyrethroids. Pesticides with long photostability alone were considered in
the present study. Cotton stalk samples were collected from the fields of Sirsa in Haryana State in northern
India. Based on the history of pesticide application prevalent in that area, chemicals such as endosulphan,

7  

 
quinol-phos, monochrotophos, dimethoate, cypermethrine and effective synthetic pyrythroids were selected
for analysis.

Cotton stalk samples with and without the bark were pulverised and analysed for the presence of the above
pesticide residues. After standardization of the procedure for extraction of the pesticides from cotton stalk
adopting procedures based on AOAC standards, the estimation was carried out by using a gas
chromatograph fitted with ECD and MS detector systems. The minimum detection level of the procedure was
1 PPB.

Interestingly the study did not reveal the presence of any of the pesticides on the cotton stalk analysed.
Hence, it can be safely claimed that the boards made from cotton stalks are free from contamination by the
above pesticides.

A Model Cotton Stalk Supply Chain for a 20 TPD Particle Board Plant

It is known that for producing 1 tonne of boards, about 1.5 tonnes of chips are required. Therefore for running
a 20 TPD particle board plant, 30 tonnes of chips would be required each day. Our studies have shown that it
is possible to get about 1.5 tonnes of ready-to-use chips from one hectare land around Nagpur. Hence if a
factory is to run only on cotton stalks it is necessary to get the material from 6000 ha of farm land which will
provide 9000 tonnes of chips for board production in a 20 TPD plant working for 300 days in a year.

Storage

CIRCOT study has shown that cotton stalks are normally uprooted in Nagpur area when the plant is almost
dry (devoid of leaves). If such plants are uprooted and left in the field for three days and manually cleaned to
remove the boll rinds before being subjected to chipping, the chipped material would be left with a moisture of
around 12%. During transportation to the factory, the percentage of moisture stabilizes at about 10%.

Considering that the chips have to be stored in the factory premises for at least one month, about 900 tonnes
are to be stacked in its premises and the rest to be stored in 9 decentralised places by groups of farmers (say
in 9 villages connected well with transport services).

Chipping Stations

It has been estimated that about ten chipping stations are required to be set up. Each chipping station must
be provided with one tractor-driven mobile chipper (outsourcing). Each chipper has an output rate of about
500 kg/h and can provide about 3-4 tonnes per day and in a month it is possible to generate about 90-120
tonnes of chips. Each chipping station will have to store about 1000 tonnes of chips. These chips will be
stored in three stockpiles of 3 metres height and each pile is to be covered by polythene sheets to prevent
spoilage during rainy season. The stock piles will be adequately separated from one other so as to facilitate
loading of chips in trucks.

The bulk density of cotton stalk chips is about 0.14 g/cc. The average area occupied by a 3-metre high
2
stockpile would be around 70 m . The space required in each chipping centre would, therefore, be around ¼
of an acre.

Cotton Stalk Collection for Each Chipping Station

As said earlier, about 1000 tonnes of chips are to be generated and stored in each chipping centre. For this,
stalks must be collected from 600-700 hectares of land. Based on earlier trials at CIRCOT, four labourers can
uproot and collect stalks from one acre in a day. This means, 10 persons are required to uproot the stalk
available in 1 hectare. This also means that 10 persons would get employment for one week, only for
uprooting. The same number of persons are required for cleaning the material as well. Chipping will employ
four persons daily for one month.

8  

 
Supply of Cotton Stalk Chips

The chips will have to be transported to the factory under the direct supervision of the factory itself to ensure
that supply takes place at the required rate.

Establishment of 1 TPD Pilot Plant

One-tonne-per-day (1 TPD) pilot plant was commissioned for preparation of particle boards. Accordingly a
pilot plant of indigenous design was procured and installed at the Ginning Training Centre of CIRCOT at
Nagpur (India). The layout of the pilot plant is shown in Fig. 5 while the process sequence is illustrated in the
flow-chart in Fig. 6. The pilot plant comprises an array of several machines :
• Hammer Mill
• Drum Chipper
• Rechipper
• Rotary Dryer
• Glue Blender
• Mat Former
• Pre Press (cold)
• Hydraulic Hot Press
• Cutting Machine
• Sanding Machine
The component machines except the last two are linked by conveyors that transfer the material from one
stage to the next till the boards are formed.

Fig. 5: Layout of Pilot Plant

9  

 
 Pilot Plant at GTC Nagpur

Fig . 6 : Flow-chart of Particle Board Pilot Plant

10  

 
 Cotton Stalk Chipper

Hammer Mill

Dryer

Rotary Screen Over Size particle

Coarse Fine

Resin, Wax, Hardener etc

Silo Silo

Glue service Glue service

Glue Glue
tank tank

Mat Mat

                           Fine  particle  layer  

   Coarse  particle  layer   Fine  particle  layer  

Sanding Finished Board

Cold press
M/c
                   Carrier  plate  
Hot Press Trimmed Board

Cut to size saw

Raw Board

Board Making Trials on the Pilot Plant

After commissioning of the plant, various trials were undertaken for standardizing the process parameters like
concentration of resin, temperature, pressing time, etc., to get good quality particle boards from cotton stalks
on the automatic pilot plant which is very similar to commercial plants. The details of various standardization
trials undertaken on the pilot plant are given in Table 8 while the properties of particle boards prepared under
optimized conditions are gathered in Table 9. The data in Table 9 clearly show that particle boards from cotton
stalks meet the BIS specifications in respect of quality.

Table 8: Standardization Trials (18 mm Particle Boards) on Pilot Plant

Sl. Core Face Resin Wax Pressing time Temperature
0
No. (%) (%) (Solid basis) (Solid basis) (%) ( C)
(%)
1 60-70 30-40 UF resin 1.0-1.2 3 min at high
(8-10) Pressure (200
2
2 60-70 30-40 UF resin 0.8-1.0 kg/cm )
11  

 
 (7-8) +
3 60-70 30-40 UF resin 0.8-1.0 8 min at low 130 -140
(6-6.5) + Pressure (100
2
Malamine kg/cm )
(1-1.5)
4 50-60 40-50 UF resin 1.0-1.2
(7-8)
UF : Urea formaldehyde

Table 9: Properties of Particle Board Made on Pilot Plant Using Optimised Conditions
Parameters Urea Formaldehyde Bonded BIS Specification
Cotton Stalk Boards
Thickness (mm) 18 -
3
Density (kg/m ) 671 500-900
Modulus of Rupture 14.6 11.0
2
(N/mm )
Internal Bond Strength 0.6 0.3
2
(N/mm )
Screw /Nail Withdrawal 2118 1250
(Face – Newton)
Water Absorption (%)
2h 28 40
24 h 31 80
Surface Absorption (%) 3 9

Material Balance

After optimizing the process parameters on the pilot plant, regular production trials were undertaken and
boards of various thicknesses, densities, etc. were made. On the basis of these production trials and the
systematic data thus collected, a material balance for preparation of particle board from cotton stalks was
worked out, as shown in the following chart.

Material Balance for the Preparation of Particle Boards from Cotton Plant Stalks

12  

 
 Cotton Stalk chips (10 % moisture) (1 tonne)

  5 % Material loss

Rechipped Material (950 kg), 10% moisture

7 % loss

Dried Material (884 kg), 3 % moisture

8 % material loss
Particle Separation Loss (813 kg), 3 % moisture

Resin + Wax Addition

Finish Material (959 kg), 12 % moisture

5 % material loss
Mat Formation (911 kg)

6 % loss
Pressing of Board (856 kg), 6 % moisture

Trimming & Sanding loss 20 %

Finished Boards (685 kg), 6 % moisture

The most significant facts that emerge from the chart are the following :

• One tonne of cleaned cotton stalk chips with 10% moisture yields 0.7 tonne of plain boards with 6%
moisture.
• To prepare 1 tonne of plain boards with 6% moisture, about 1.4 tonnes of cleaned cotton stalk chips
with 10% moisture are required.

13  

 
 Particle boards produced on pilot plant

Commercial Trials

CIRCOT’s particle board technology subjected to refinement on the pilot plant was tried on an industrial scale
in large board manufacturing units. In the first instance, about 30 tonnes of ready-to-use cotton stalk chips
were supplied to M/s Ecoboard Industries Ltd. at Velapur near Pandharpur in central India followed by a
second lot of 50 tonnes. The chips were delivered from Nagpur, and boards of 13.5’ x 6’ size were prepared
with different thicknesses (9 mm, 12 mm & 18 mm) and surface finishes. Laminated boards thus
manufactured were used for making different furniture items and also for panelling some rooms in CIRCOT,
Mumbai, GTC of CIRCOT, Nagpur, DOCD, Mumbai and ICAR Headquarters, New Delhi. Tests results shown
in Table 10 indicate that it is possible to prepare good quality boards in the existing industry without any
modification.

Table 10 : Properties of Cotton Stalk Boards Made in Industrial Trials

Properties Interior Grade Boards BIS Specification
12 mm 18 mm
3
Density (kg/m ) 713.1 699 500-900
2
Modulus of Rupure (N/mm ) 15.4 12.0 11.0
2
Tensile Strength (N/mm ) 0.9 0.5 0.3
Water Absorption (%) 2 hours 20.4 56 40
Water Absorption (%) 24 hours 42.2 95 80
Screw Withdrawal (N)Face 1762 1610 1250

Techno-economic Feasibility of Particle Board Plants

The technical feasibility of particle board manufacture from cotton stalk was examined on the basis of
industrial trials conducted at M/s Eco-board Industries Pvt. Ltd., Pune and Archid Ply Industries, Mysore. In
both the industries, the trials were successful and good quality boards suitable for lamination were
manufactured. No technical problems were encountered during the processing and no changes or
modifications in the existing plant were found necessary.

For an examination of the economic viability of cotton stalk as raw material for particle board manufacture, a
30-tonne trial was undertaken at M/s Eco-board Industries Pvt. Ltd., Pune having installed capacity of 200
tonnes/day but running at 60% capacity utilization. In these trial boards of 9 mm, 12 mm and 18 mm were
prepared. The data in Table would substantiate the fact that particle board production from cotton stalks in an
established board manufacturing unit is indeed an economically viable proposition.

14  

 
 Thickness Density Production cost per sq. Selling Price per sq. Profitability %
(g/cc) ft. ft.
Rs. US $ Rs. US $
9 mm 0.73 13.94 0.28 17.1 0.34 22. 7
12 mm 0.72 15.00 0.30 18.63 0.37 24.2
18 mm 0.72 19.25 0.38 24.53 0.49 27.4

Cost Estimation for a Particle Board Plant of 10 TPD Capacity

On the basis of extensive information gathered from wide ranging R & D efforts under the project, it has been
possible to work out the profitability of particle board plants. For a 10 TPD plant the capital investment
comprising land, buildings and plant & machinery will work out to over Rs. 58 million (US $ 1.16 million) while
the production cost after duly considering depreciation, interest on investment etc would be around Rs. 38.76
million (US $ 0.78 million). The cost of production per tonne of particle board would be about Rs. 12,920 (US $
258). At current selling price levels for particle boards, the return on investment will work out to about 19%.
Details are given below in tabular form.

Production Highlights :
Production capacity : 10 TPD (384 boards of 8’x4’x12 mm),
Raw material used :15 TPD of cleaned chips/day
No. of days of production in a year : 300
No. of shifts per day : 3
Total production in a year : 3000 tonnes

Project Cost and Production cost in case of a 10 TPD Plant

A Capital Investment Rs. (Million) US $
1. Land & Building
Land : about 1 hectare 2.50 50000
Building : (Area : About 10,000 sq.ft., raw material 4.50 90000
storage)
2. Plant and Equipment 42.20 844000
3. Auxiliary and service Equipments, Margin money for 90.00 180000
working capital
Total Project Cost 58.20 1164000
B Cost of Production
1. Raw Material & Utility 20.50 410000
2. Labour & Supervision 3.51 70200
3. Repairs , Maintenance & Overheads 2.80 56000
(I) Total Manufacturing Cost 26.81 536200
(II) General Expenses 1.75 35000
(III) Depreciation & Interest 10.20 204000

Total cost of production B (I+II+III) 38.76 775200

Cost of production per tonne of board Rs.12,920 258

15  

 
 Profitability of a 10 TPD Particle Board Plant
Rs. (Million) US $
1. Gross Annual Income 49.77 995400
2. Annual Cost of Production 38.76 775200
3. Annual Return (2-3) 11.01 220200
4. Return on Investment (ROI) 19% 19%
* Selling price per unit (8’x4’x12 mm) @ Rs. 13.5 per sq. ft. = Rs. 432.00 (US $ 8.64)

Cost Estimation for a Particle Board Plant of 20 TPD Capacity

A similar exercise has been done in respect of a 20 TPD plant for which the capital investment including cost of land,
buildings and plant & machinery works out to over Rs. 75 million (US $ 1.50 million). The production cost, after taking
into consideration depreciation, interest on investment etc., works out to about Rs. 74.60 million (US $ 1.49 million).
The production cost per tone of particle board would be about Rs. 12430 (US $ 249). The return on investment would
be about 33.5% which is significantly higher than for a 10 TPD plant. Details are shown in tabular form.

Production Highlights :
Production capacity : 20 TPD (770 boards of 8’x4’x12 mm)
Raw material used :29 TPD of cleaned chips/day
No of days of production in a year : 300
No. of shifts per day : 3
Total production in a year : 6000 tonnes

Project Cost and Production cost in case of a 20 TPD Plant

A Capital Investment Rs. (Million) US $
1. Land & Building
Land : about 1 hectare 2.50 50000
Building : 25,000 sq.ft. 9.05 181000
2. Plant and Equipment 50.00 1000000
3. Auxiliary and service Equipment 2.50 50000
4. Margin money for working capital, pre- 11.17 223400
operative expenses, contingency etc.
Total Project Cost 75.22 1504400
B Cost of Production (80% capacity utilization)
1. Raw Material & Utility 41.50 830000
2. Labour & Supervision 5.50 110000
3. Repairs & Maintenance 2.70 54000
4. Plant overheads 1.00 20000
(I) Total Manufacturing Cost 50.70 1014000
(II) General Expenses 3.10 62000
(III) Depreciation & Interest 20.80 416000
Total cost of production B (I+II+III) 74.60 1492000
Cost of production per tonne board Rs. 12430 249

Profitability of a 20 TPD Particle Board Plant

Rs. (Million) Us $
1. Gross Annual Income 99.79 1995800
2. Annual Cost of Production 74.60 1492000
3. Annual Return (2-3) 25.19 503800
4. Return on Investment (ROI) 33.5% 33.5%
* Selling price per unit (8’x4’x12 mm) @ Rs. 13.5 per sq. ft. : Rs. 432.00 (US $ 8.64)

16  

 
 Conclusions from the Techno-economic Study

• A particle board plant with an installed capacity of 10 tonnes per day and involving a capital investment of
about Rs. 60 million (US $1.6 million) can ensure a profitability of about 20% with cotton stalk used as the
raw material.
• A plant with a higher capacity of 20 TPD can bring higher returns of up to 33%.
• For sustainable supply of raw material, an agency should be identified for organizing collection and
chipping of cotton stalks and delivering the chips at the particle board factory.
• Existing particle board plants manufacturing boards from hardwood, bagasse, etc. can use cotton stalk as
an additional raw material.

Post Project Scenario

The successful completion of the project in 2009 encouraged many farmers, entrepreneurs and board
industries particularly in Maharashtra and Gujarat to collect stalks for use in board making.

a) M/s. Godavari Particle Board Palnt (10 TPD) near Nanded in Maharashtra have been using cotton stalks
for the preparation of particle boards. They are preparing blended boards also (cotton stalks and
bagasse). They are able to collect about 500-1000 tonnes of cotton stalks through an organized
collection mechanism. This exercise provided employment specifically to landless labourers. About 100
farmers are involved daily in collection, chipping and transportation.
b) A 100 TPD particle board plant based on cotton stalks was commissioned in 2009 by M/s. Rushil Decor
Ltd. In Dhrangadhra village in Surendranagar District, Gujarat. Their annual requirement of cotton stalks
is 50,000 tonnes. They have identified six cotton stalk collection centres, each centre covering an area of
8000 ha to 25,000 ha in a distance of about 15-20 km. They identified contractors, panchayat
representatives, self help women groups and Rural Development Agencies to undertake this job. This
plant with innovation collection mechanism generated 4,00,000 man days employment annually
benefitting 1000 farmers and 5,000 landless labourers.
c) Based on CIRCOT technology, CIRCOT in collaboration with MITCON consultancy services prepared a
bankable project proposal for setting up of a 10 TPD particle board manufacturing plant from 100% cotton
stalk at Washim, Maharashtra. Ministry of Social Welfare, Govt of Maharashtra sanctioned a loan of 680
lakhs to Tulsai Magasvargiy Audyogik Sahakari Sanstha (TMASS), Washim. The construction of the plant
is in progress and expected to be over by June, 2011. About 100 farmers will be involved in the
procurement and supply of cotton stalks and about 150 persons will be involved in direct and indirect
employment.

Apart from this, M/s. Aurobindo Laminations in Nagpur are using cotton stalks in making particle boards.

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to acknowledge the following:

1. CFC, Netherlands for the financial assistance.
2. ICAC, USA for constant help, guidance, supervision and encouragement.
3. ICAR, for providing all the infrastructural facilities for effective monitoring , guidance and permission to
participate in the meeting and presentation of data.
4. To all my project colleagues, specially to Dr. S. Sreenivasan, Former, Director, CIRCOT for constant and
continuous support and guidance.
5. To. M/s. Eco-Boards, M/s. Jolly Boards, M/s. Archid Ply and other industries for permitting to undertake
commercial trials.

17  

 
 References
1. Balasubramanya R. H., Shaikh A. J., Paralikar K. M. and Sundaram V., Spoilage of Cotton Stalks
During Storage and Suggestions for its Prevention, J. Indian Society for Cotton Improvement,
15:34-39, (1990).
2. Sundaram .V., Balasubramanya R. H., Shaikh A. J., Bhatta I. G. and Sitaram M. S., Utilisation of
Cotton Stalks, J. Indian Society for Cotton Improvement, 14(1):94-99 (1989).
3. Pandey S. N. and Shaikh A. J., A study on Chemical Composition of Cotton Plant Stalk of
Different Species, Indian Pulp and Paper, 41: 10-13 (1986).
4. Pandey S. N. & Mehta A. K., Industrial Utilisation of Agril. Products : Cotton Plant Stalk,
Research and Industry, 24(2):75, (1979).  
5. Pandey S. N. & Mehta A. K., Particle Boards from Cotton Stalks, Research and Industry, 25:67-70,
(1980).
6. Gurjar R. M., Cotton Stalk Particle Boards – A Timber Substitute, Research and Industry,
39(9):153-155, (1994).
7. Mahanta D., Particle Board and Hardboard from Cotton Stalk, Indian Chemical Manufacturer,
22(8):15-21, 1984.
8. Guler C. & Ozen R., Some Properties of Particleboards made from Cotton Stalks (Gossypium
hirsitum L.), European Journal of Wood and Wood Products, 62(1), 40-43, March, 2004.  
9. Negi J. S. and Chawla J. S., Composite Boards from Cotton Stalks, Research and Industry,
40(12):267-271, (1995).  
10. Narayanamurti D., Fibre Boards from Indian Timbers, Indian Forester, 86(1): 5-15, (1960).  
11. Pandey S. N., Das R. N. and Day A., Particle Board from Jute & Its Lamination – A new Process,
Research and Industry, 35:227-229, (1990).  
12. Negi J. S., Utilisation of Lantana camera – Laminated composite Boards, Research and Industry,
31(1):22, (1994).  
13. Fadl N. A. and Sefain M., Hardboard from Retted Rice Straw and Cotton Stalk, Research and
Industry, 28(8):95, (1983-84).  
14. Balasubramanya R. H., Shaikh A. J. and Sreenivasan S., Cotton Crop and Industry Waste , in
Environment and Agriculture Edited by Chadha K. L. and Swaminathan M. S., Malhotra Publishing
House, New Delhi: 2008.  
15. Khandeparkar, V. G., Balasubramanya, R. H. and Shaikh, A. J. (1993), A Process for the
Preparation of Paper Grade Pulp from Cotton Plant Stalk by Anaerobic Digestion. (Indian Patent
No. 176891, July, 1993).  
16. Fadl N. A., Sefain Z. and Rekha M., Hardening of Cotton Stalk Hardboards, Indian Pulp and Paper,
33(2):3, August (1978).  
17. Fadl N. A., Heikal S. O., El-Shinnawy and Moussa, M. A., Hardboard from Cooked Rice Straw
Blended with Cotton Stalks, Indian Pulp and Paper, 35(1):19-22, (1980).  
18. Pandey, S. N. and Shaikh, A. J., Utilisation of Cotton Plant Stalks for Production of Pulp and
Paper, Biol. Wastes, 21, 63-70, (1987).  
19. Shaikh, A. J., Blending of Cotton Stalk Pulp with Bagasse Pulp for Paper Making, Biol. Wastes,
31, 37-43, (1990).  
20. Pandey S. N., Ghosh I. N. & Day A., Utilisation of Non-wood Fibrous Ra material for Pulp, Paper
and Board, Research and Industry, 40(12):285-288, (1995).  
21. Pandey S. N. and Shaikh A. J., Production of various Grades of Paper from Cotton Plant Stalk,
Indian Pulp and Paper, 40: 14-18 (1985).  
22. Balasubramanya, R. H., (1981), An Edible Mushroom Crop on Cotton Stalks, J. Indian Soc. Cotton
Improv., 6, 104-105.  
23. Balasubramanya R. H. and Khandeparkar V. G., Mushroom Crop on Spent Cotton Stalks, Indian
Society for Cotton Improvement J., 14:85-86, (1989).  

18