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October 04, 2020

Why should I care about moisture?

by Alessandro Mario, Technical Sales Engineer, Hydronix, UK

Imagine a world where moisture does not matter, a world where you can harvest when you want, where mould and toxins do not affect stored products, where mills always operate at maximum efficiency, and final products are perfect. It sounds fabulous, but as is well-known in the agricultural, feed, and related industries, moisture is a determining factor in every process.

Let us take a few steps back and have a brief overview of all the steps where it is possible to increase profits and efficiency by controlling the moisture.
 


Harvesting and threshing
Harvesting is the procedure where ripe crops are cut and picked up, to then proceed with the extraction of the grains by another mechanical process called threshing. Depending on the destination of the yield, the crops need harvesting at precise moisture. For example, harvesting and threshing grains when it is too dry (water content below 20%-25%) can lead to loss, waste, and breakage of material.

Contrary to this, if crops are too wet, it is possible to get mechanical issues requiring additional adjustment of the harvesting equipment. Wet crops will also limit the weight capacity of the machinery and cause problems with the threshing action. The water content of the yield can be measured inline directly inside the combine harvester to calculate the dry weight, as well as provide additional information about spatial variability in the field.

Depending on the location and the weather, the first 48 hours are crucial for the yield, as moulds and toxins can contaminate the product before the storage and drying operations. Knowing the moisture during the harvest will also allow the farmer to plan quickly ahead.

Storage and drying
After the previous operations, the crop needs to be stored and preserved accordingly to prevent mould, spoilage, or heat spots. These often give problems that are directly related to the moisture contents of the grain. Monitoring moisture during storage is fundamental to be able to regulate the storage operations and to react timely to problems.

Drying is a common practice to store grains safely, and it is a delicate process to reach the perfect moisture. By missing the target, the crop is still prone to mould and spoilage. On the other hand, over-drying is not just an expensive waste of energy but can cause damage and breakage to the grain's skin, making it prone to moulds and insect attacks. Excessive drying can also cause the grains to shrink in size, causing yield loss.

The material entering the dryer has variable water content, and this makes it challenging to regulate the amount of time the material needs to be exposed to the heat or to regulate the temperature. In this process, the inline moisture control is used to automate the dryer to save money and improve the quality.


Read more HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

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