Disintegration of cottonseed meats is an important unit operation in the cottonseed fractionation process. The results of tests utilizing a high-speed, "dissolvertype" impeller for disintegration by liquid shear are presented including curves to show the effect of moisture, hulls, solvents, peripheral speed, etc.Over 90% of through-80-mesh material can be obtained. Moisture content over 5% appreciably reduced the efficiency and increased power consumption and the viscosity of the slurry. Whole flakes resulted in a finer end product than flakes pre-pulverized ill the dry state. It was found that tlie presence of hulls slightly increased disintegration, power consumption, and viscosity; that higher speeds (up to 6,000 FPM peripheral speed) were more efficient; and that the effect of solvents was small. (17) showed that propeller-type mixers were inefficient as disintegrators of cottonseed ill solvent slurries although suitable for 345 I 1945 SEED I PRIME LOT I L.~:,s i ! FL--'I 9 : t: '4_ ._Z'.__ FIo. 2. P r o c e s s i n g of c o t t o n s e e d flaked m e a t s p r i o r to d i s i n t e g r a t i o n . Pre-pilot plant investigations

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Chemical engineering data are presented to show the pilotplant process development of cottonseed fractionation employing the differential settling principle. The purpose of the process is to produce a cottonseed meal fraction essentially free of pigment glands and hulls, and a second fraction in which the pigment glands are concentrated sufficiently to serve as a raw material if pharmaceutical or other industrial use is developed for the glands or the pigments. The non‐lipids fraction will make available a meal of high nutritive value and a source of industrial protein.Unit operations involved, including machinery and other equipment required, and proposed flow diagrams for commercial application are discussed. In brief the unit operations are as follows: material preparation; disintegration for proper size reduction of cottonseed flakes (either defatted or undefatted) in solvent slurries; separation by tank differential settling or by centrifugal differential settling at 62 times gravity; meal recovery to recover separated fractions by either centrifuging at 1450 times gravity or by pressure filtration; desolventization of solvent‐damp meal; and oil and solvent recovery.

Summary A preliminary cost study was made of a combination screw‐press extraction‐fractionation plant. The economic advantage of the combination plant over the screw‐press operation as shown here is small in comparison with the large additional investment required for the combination plant. The present value of the combination process lies in the production of two new products, a purified high‐protein meal and a concentrated pigment gland fraction and in the possibility of producing a high‐grade oil as the removal of the whole pigment gland prevents the pigment material from coming in contact with the oil. Pilot‐plant work under way indicates improvements in the process such as a higher recovery of the meal as purified meal. The development of additional and more profitable uses for the products would increase their value and provide a broader and more stable market for cottonseed.