Investigation on ozone penetration along grain mound height

Abstract

Plants in all their stages have close contacts with alive and non-alive bodies of environment. Therefore, they contain plenty of microorganisms on their surface and inside that deteriorate products nutritive value and are dangerous to human and animal health. Harmful activity of microorganisms results in the significant annual loss of wheat grain worldwide. The main damage is caused by micromycetes that are able to synthesize mycotoxins in cereals. Ozone O3 is strong oxidant and one of the most effective preventive means. The ozone application for grain disinfection should be solved closely related with the selection of ozone concentration, exposure duration, grain mound height and moisture content as well as the concentration of the outlet ozone. After theoretical studies on the technological process of ozone penetration, the equation of ozone concentration variation as function of the grain mound height was obtained. Employing the created equation is convenient to model the process of ozone penetration, by evaluating the parameters of grain mound. The equation enables to calculate ozone concentration C at various heights of grain mound h, after evaluation of ozone concentration in the air introduced into the grain mound C0, air filtration speed v, grain mound volume cross-section area S and ozone absorption coefficient k, which mostly depends on grain moisture content. The grains of winter wheat were dried by ventilation using the ozone-air mixture. Experimental studies have shown that the ozone absorption is minimized when the exposure to ozone duration is increased and the grain supplied for ozonation is drier. Ozone concentration C decreases with increasing grain mound height h, according to an exponential relationship, and is influenced by duration of grain ozonation t and initial grain moisture content w0.