Grain bin

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Grain bins in southern Minnesota Grain bins Minnesota.jpg
Grain bins in southern Minnesota

Grain bins are bulk storage structures for dry corn, soybean, wheat, oats, barley and more. Grain bins are cylinders made of corrugated sheets or sheet metal with a coned metal roof that has vents. The floors of grain bins have aeration systems to keep good air flow through the commodities and keep it at a good temperature and humidity level to prevent spoilage. At the top of each grain bin there are tubed conveyors to transport the grain. The grain bin sits on top of a strong concrete base to help the structure withstand high winds and the massive weight from the grain. [1]

Contents

Difference between grain bins and silos

Grain bins differ from farm silos which usually store foraged silage for animal feed and are made of concrete. [2] Silos have no ventilation system promoting fermentation of the grain product. Silos typically have a domed roof with no conveyors.

Grain moisture levels

Corn is typically stored around 15% wet basis and soybean around 13%. [3] The cold winter months are ideal for storing crops because of the low humidity levels, temperature, and pest problems. Storing grain in the bins for more than six months into the spring and summer means they will have to be aerated more then to keep the temperature and humidity down.

Grain dryers

Grain bins with dryer unit (center) putting out steam from drying the corn Grain bins with dryer unit.jpg
Grain bins with dryer unit (center) putting out steam from drying the corn

Grain bins typically have grain dryers next to them to heat the grain to remove moisture content from the grain before they are stored in the bins. Applying to much heat to the grain to get the moisture content down can cause shrinkage which cuts into profits. Some farms have small grain bins and a dryer to get the moisture content down before they sell to the larger local commercial grain bin. [4]

Transporting to and from the grain bin

Grain bins at the railroad grain elevator site Railroad grain elevator 04.jpg
Grain bins at the railroad grain elevator site

When the grain is harvested from the farm with a Combine harvester the combine typically loads it into a grain cart, which then unloads it into a grain hopper trailer, gravity wagon, or dump truck to be hauled to the local grain bin. The commercial grain bin operator then sells the commodity at an opportune time and it is then transported, with a grain hopper trailer or dump truck, to a grain elevator to be put on a barge or grain train, if the grain bin isn't already at the grain elevator site.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silage</span> Fermented fodder preserved by acidification

Silage is a type of fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation to the point of acidification. It can be fed to cattle, sheep, and other such ruminants. The fermentation and storage process is called ensilage, ensiling, or silaging. Silage is usually made from grass crops, including maize, sorghum, or other cereals, using the entire green plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grain elevator</span> Grain storage building

A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits it in a silo or other storage facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulk material handling</span>

Bulk material handling is an engineering field that is centered on the design of equipment used for the handling of dry materials. Bulk materials are those dry materials which are powdery, granular or lumpy in nature, and are stored in heaps. Examples of bulk materials are minerals, ores, coal, cereals, woodchips, sand, gravel, clay, cement, ash, salt, chemicals, grain, sugar, flour and stone in loose bulk form. It can also relate to the handling of mixed wastes. Bulk material handling is an essential part of all industries that process bulk ingredients, including: food, beverage, confectionery, pet food, animal feed, tobacco, chemical, agricultural, polymer, plastic, rubber, ceramic, electronics, metals, minerals, paint, paper, textiles and more.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granary</span> Storage building for grain

A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals and from floods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silo</span> Structure for storing crops

A silo is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store fermented feed known as silage, not to be confused with a grain bin, which is used to store grains. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use today: tower silos, bunker silos, and bag silos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acoustic cleaning</span>

Acoustic cleaning is a maintenance method used in material-handling and storage systems that handle bulk granular or particulate materials, such as grain elevators, to remove the buildup of material on surfaces. An acoustic cleaning apparatus, usually built into the material-handling equipment, works by generating powerful sound waves which shake particulates loose from surfaces, reducing the need for manual cleaning.

For environmental remediation, Low-temperature thermal desorption (LTTD), also known as low-temperature thermal volatilization, thermal stripping, and soil roasting, is an ex-situ remedial technology that uses heat to physically separate petroleum hydrocarbons from excavated soils. Thermal desorbers are designed to heat soils to temperatures sufficient to cause constituents to volatilize and desorb from the soil. Although they are not designed to decompose organic constituents, thermal desorbers can, depending upon the specific organics present and the temperature of the desorber system, cause some organic constituents to completely or partially decompose. The vaporized hydrocarbons are generally treated in a secondary treatment unit prior to discharge to the atmosphere. Afterburners and oxidizers destroy the organic constituents. Condensers and carbon adsorption units trap organic compounds for subsequent treatment or disposal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concrete plant</span> Equipment that combines various ingredients to form concrete

A concrete plant, also known as a batch plant or batching plant or a concrete batching plant, is equipment that combines various ingredients to form concrete. Some of these inputs include water, air, admixtures, sand, aggregate, fly ash, silica fume, slag, and cement. A concrete plant can have a variety of parts and accessories, including: mixers, cement batchers, aggregate batchers, conveyors, radial stackers, aggregate bins, cement bins, heaters, chillers, cement silos, batch plant controls, and dust collectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malting</span> Process of steeping, germinating and drying grain to convert it into malt

Malting is the process of steeping, germinating and drying grain to convert it into malt. Germination and sprouting involve a number of enzymes to produce the changes from seed to seedling and the malt producer stops this stage of the process when the required enzymes are optimal. Among other things, the enzymes convert starch to sugars such as maltose, maltotriose and maltodextrines, hence the name malt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dry pasta line</span>

Dry pasta lines are machines that make dry pasta products such as spaghetti or penne on a commercial scale, used for high-volume continuous production ranging from 500 to 8,000 kg per hour capacity. A typical dry pasta line consists of an extruder and a dryer. Modern machines are highly automated using programmable logic controllers. They are called "lines" because they contain a series of processing machines through which the dough passes. It is common for dry pasta lines to run continuously for up to six weeks, with packaging done in shifts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grain entrapment</span> Being submerged in grain, with possibly fatal consequences

Grain entrapment, or grain engulfment, occurs when a person becomes submerged in grain and cannot get out without assistance. It most frequently occurs in grain bins and other storage facilities such as silos or grain elevators, or in grain transportation vehicles, but has also been known to occur around any large quantity of grain, even freestanding piles outdoors. Usually, unstable grain collapses suddenly, wholly or partially burying workers who may be within it. Entrapment occurs when victims are partially submerged but cannot remove themselves; engulfment occurs when they are completely buried within the grain. Engulfment has a very high fatality rate.

Grain damage is any degradation in the quality of grain. In the current grain trade, this damage can affect price, feed quality, food product quality, and susceptibility to pest contamination. Between the field and the end use, grain may go through any number of handling operations which can each contribute to grain damage. For example, grain might encounter free fall, conveyors, spouts, grain throwers, elevators, hoppers, dryers, and many more. Overall, these handling methods can be evaluated as to what effect they have on the grain. Damaged grain can often be characterized by the extent to which it reduces storage time. For example, cracked or broken kernels are more susceptible to insect or bacteria as well as chemical degradation. The damage to the actual grain is only one example of losses incurred after harvest. In order to quantify grain damage, one must also understand grain quality. Grain quality is a very broad term and can relate to many topics such as foreign material, chemical compositions, mechanical damage, insect infestations, and many more. These references to quality are highly dependent on the end use of the grain. Certain types of damage may be acceptable to specific industries, whereas others cannot use grain with these issues.

There are a number of occupational hazards of grain facilities. These hazards can be mitigated through diligence and following proper safety procedures. Grain Facility Occupation Exposure is the quantifiable expression of workplace health and safety hazards a grain-handling facility employee is vulnerable to in performing their assigned duties. Exposure represents the probability that a given hazard will have some level of effect of a receptor of interest. This page utilizes data and information regarding grain facility occupational exposure in the United States.

Grain drying is process of drying grain to prevent spoilage during storage. The grain drying described in this article is that which uses fuel- or electric-powered processes supplementary to natural ones, including swathing/windrowing for drying by ambient air and sunshine, or stooking before threshing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grain hopper trailer</span>

A grain hopper trailer is a trailer pulled by a semi tractor and used to haul bulk commodity products, such as grain. These trailers are used extensively throughout the United States to transport agricultural products as well as any other commodity that can be hauled in bulk and loaded and unloaded through the trailer.

Grain storage on a subsistence farm is primarily based on minimizing grain loss. In modern agricultural practices there are methods of managing under 1% grain loss, but small subsistence farms can see 20% - 100% of grain loss. This causes starvation and an unstable food supply. Grain loss can be caused by mold growth, bugs, birds, or any other contamination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kairi Maize Silos</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Kairi Maize Silos are heritage-listed silos at 22 Godfrey Road, Kairi, Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. They were designed and built in 1924 by Henry Simon Ltd. They were added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 8 August 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic Ely Elevator</span> United States historic place

The Historic Ely Elevator, also known as the Woitishek-King-Krob Elevator and Feed Mill, is an "iron-clad" wood-cribbed grain elevator, located in Ely, Iowa. The Historic Ely Elevator was built in 1900 along the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway. It is a contributing property of the Dows Street Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

  1. "What's the Difference Between Grain Bins and Silos?". Ohio, United States: TAM Systems. March 9, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  2. Stiers, Joanie (August 13, 2022). "The Difference Between Grain Bins and Silos". Partners. Illinois Farm Bureau.
  3. Ileleji, Klein (March 10, 2022). "Grain Quality – It's Time To Check Your Stored Grain". ENTM Extension Newsletters. Purdue University . Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  4. "Continuous Flow Dryers". Products. GSI. Retrieved October 31, 2023.