<P> The gin stand uses the teeth of rotating saws to pull the cotton through a series of "ginning ribs", which pull the fibers from the seeds which are too large to pass through the ribs . The cleaned seed is then removed from the gin via an auger conveyor system . The seed is reused for planting or is sent to an oil mill to be further processed into cottonseed oil and cottonseed meal . The lint cleaners again use saws and grid bars, this time to separate immature seeds and any remaining foreign matter from the fibers . The bale press then compresses the cotton into bales for storage and shipping . Modern gins can process up to 15 tonnes (33,000 lb) of cotton per hour . </P> <P> Modern cotton gins create a substantial amount of cotton gin residue (CGR) consisting of sticks, leaves, dirt, immature bolls, and cottonseed . Research is currently under way to investigate the use of this waste in producing ethanol . Due to fluctuations in the chemical composition in processing, there is difficulty in creating a consistent ethanol process, but there is potential to further maximize the utilization of waste in the cotton production . </P>

The invention of the cotton gin had what effect on the southern cotton industry