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Crop focus...
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Cotton Plant Seed (Gossypium)
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Cotton is a soft staple fiber that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant (Gossypium sp.) a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world including the Americas India and Africa. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft breathable textile which is the most widely used natural-fiber cloth in clothing today. The English name which began to be used circa 1400 derives from the Arabic (al) qutn ????? meaning cotton.[1] In the 19th and early 20th centuries cotton was known as "King Cotton" because of the great economic and cultural influence it had over the Southern United States.
Cotton fiber once it has been processed to remove seeds (ginning) and traces of honeydew (a secretion from aphids) protein vegetable matter and other impurities consists of nearly pure cellulose a natural polymer. Cotton production is very efficient in the sense that only ten percent or less of the weight is lost in subsequent processing to convert the raw cotton bolls (seed coat) into pure fiber. The cellulose is arranged in a way that gives cotton fibers a high degree of strength durability and absorbency. Each fiber is made up of twenty to thirty layers of cellulose coiled in a neat series of natural springs. When the cotton boll is opened the fibers dry into flat twisted ribbon-like shapes and become kinked together and interlocked. This interlocked form is ideal for spinning into a fine yarn.
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Mission |
| EnviroOne's goal is to promote
sustainable living and environmental stewardship. |
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Our Efforts |
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EnviroOne's staff has visited Africa (including Liberia and Sierra
Leone) to promote clean energy production and sustainable
agriculture. EnviroOne is raising funds and organizing efforts
to assist with the Shoamokin Creek River cleanup in Coal Township
PA. This effort will assist with the reduction of acid mine drainage
(AMD) into the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay.
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