The Impact of Cotton Production on Air Quality

Cotton Production and Air Quality

Today, the two major areas of concern about air quality are related to 1) greenhouse gases; and 2) particulate emissions (dust). Cotton, compared to petroleum-based fibers, actually reduces greenhouse gases because cotton fiber is over 40% carbon, is built from carbon dioxide (94%), and is energy positive. Reduced tillage decreases dust emissions from the field,¹ and many air quality controls are in place at the gin where the cotton fiber is separated from the seed. Reduced tillage also increases sequestration rates of soil carbon – as much as 400 pounds of carbon per acre per year.²

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References:

• ¹Reduced tillage improves air quality by: 1) reducing tillage passes across the field decreases dust generation and tractor emission; 2) surface residue reduces wind erosion; and 3) improves soil carbon sequestration. For example, see page 30 of: Tillage: From Plow to Chisel and No-tillage, 1930-1999. 2001, MidWest Plan Service, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 50011-3080
• ² H. J. Causarano, A. J. Franzluebbers, D. W. Reeves, and J. N. Shaw. 2006. Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration in Cotton Production Systems of the Southeastern United States: A Review. J. Environ. Qual. 35:1374–1383