**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF AN ALTERNATIVE COTTON LOGISTICS AND PROCESSING SYSTEM, COMPRISING SINGLE-PASS BALING OF THE COTTON PLANT, FOLLOWED BY TRANSPORTATION TO A CENTRALIZED PROCESSING (GINNING) FACILITY, AND GINNING OF THESE COTTON PLANT MODULES TO SEPARATE LINT, SEEDS, AND GINNING TRASH. THE COTTON RESIDUES AND GINNING TRASH COULD THEN BE UPGRADED TO FUEL PELLETS FOR ENERGY GENERATION TO SUPPLEMENT GINNING ENERGY REQUIREMENTS. THIS SYSTEM ADDRESSES SEVERAL CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH CONVENTIONAL COTTON HARVEST AND POST-HARVEST LOGISTICS AND PROCESSING SYSTEMS, INCLUDING RESOURCE-INTENSIVE RESIDUE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, AND SPECIALIZED AND COSTLY COTTON MODULE HARVESTING, HANDLING, AND TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT. AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT FOR ESTABLISHING THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF THIS SYSTEM IS TO DEVELOP AN EFFECTIVE METHOD FOR PROCESSING THE COTTON MODULES. THUS, THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP AND EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING THE COTTON MODULES, AND TO UPGRADE THE RESIDUES AND GINNING TRASH TO FUEL PELLETS. WE WILL USE THE EXPERIMENTAL DATA TO EVALUATE THE SYSTEM'S ECONOMICS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. THIS SYSTEM WILL POSITIVELY IMPACT COTTON PRODUCERS, GINS, AND EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS AND VENDORS, AND THUS IS DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO THE AFRI COMMODITY BOARD CO- FUNDING TOPICS (A1811); TOPIC 9.