cotton linters
The fine, silky fibers which remain adhered to the
seeds of the cotton plant after ginning, including
parts of the longer textile fibers, or "lint," as
well as coarse, short fuzz fibers in most upland
species of the plant. When purified, linters are
used in the manufacture of paper. They can be used
to replace from 5 to 35% of the rag content of
fine papers with little or no loss of strength.
Linters improve uniformity and the color
properties of paper, and also provide a cleaner,
bulkier sheet. Although linters do find use in
papermaking, their principal use is as a raw
material in the manufacture of cellulose
derivatives. (17 ,
42 , 72 )
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