Source: BinTech L.L.L.P. submitted to NRP
EARLY DETECTION OF SPOILAGE IN STORED GRAIN
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
SMALL BUSINESS GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0199795
Grant No.
2004-33610-14403
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
2004-00112
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
May 15, 2004
Project End Date
Dec 31, 2006
Grant Year
2004
Program Code
[8.13]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
BinTech L.L.L.P.
(N/A)
Louisville,CO 80027
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Millions of dollars worth of grain are lost worldwide due to spoilage activity in stored grain. Our goal is to develop an electronic device that will integrate CO2 sensing and data processing into a single unit. It will be an `easy-to-install-and-use' device that will continuously monitor CO2 concentrations in grain storage structures and alert operators early about spoilage conditions. It will provide information throughout the storage season, and minimize the loss of grain due to insects and molds. Commercialization of this device could save the U.S. grain industry millions of dollars annually, reduce the need for spoilage mitigation, improve the grain grading process for federal inspectors, and enhance the quality and competitiveness of U.S. grain exports.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
5031599202025%
5037210202075%
Knowledge Area
503 - Quality Maintenance in Storing and Marketing Food Products;

Subject Of Investigation
1599 - Grain crops, general/other; 7210 - Remote sensing equipment and technology;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering;
Goals / Objectives
Our goal is to develop an electronic device that will integrate CO2 sensing and data processing into a single unit. It will be an easy-to-install-and-use device that will continuously monitor CO2 concentrations in grain storage structures and alert operators early about spoilage conditions. It will provide information throughout the storage season, and minimize the loss of grain due to insects and molds. Development and commercialization of this device will depend on the successful completion of all three project phases as outlined above. The technical objectives for Phase I are: (1) Conduct a full-scale CO2 monitoring trial in two 400,000 bu commercial steel storage tanks utilizing semi-wet (17.5% moisture) vs. dry (15% moisture) corn. (2) Explore the development of inexpensive and reliable CO2 sensor hardware that could withstand the harsh grain facility environment, and of intelligent data processing software.
Project Methods
In Phase I, we will refine our efforts based on the experiences made during the preliminary trial involving the large commercial grain storage structures at the Delphi, IN facility of The Andersons. We have secured their cooperation for the installation of 20 Telaire 7001 CO2 sensors in two 400,000 bushel tanks that they plan to fill with dry corn (i.e., moisture content below 15%) vs. semi-wet corn (i.e., moisture content around 17.5%) during the fall 2004 harvest. The Purdue team will be responsible for the on-site set up and monitoring of the data collecting effort. The BinTech team will be responsible for quality control and completeness of the data gathering effort via the internet-connected computer. The BinTech team will explore the development of inexpensive and reliable CO2 sensor hardware that could withstand the harsh grain facility environment, and of intelligent data processing software that could tie in with a model of the processes involved. Our combined efforts will enrich our understanding of the various parameters that affect the generation and movement of CO2 in a grain mass and storage structure. The successful completion of our Phase I efforts will lay the foundation for Phase II of this project.

Progress 05/15/04 to 12/31/06

Outputs
This research project utilized commercial NDIR based CO2 sensors installed in a large network on mulitple 500,000 bushel capacity vertical and multiple >1.5 million bushel capacity groundpile storage vessels. The monitoring was conducted over 2 storage seasons. The data was collected via wireless communication from the sensors to a base station and from the base station to Purdue University. The grain monitored was # 2 yellow corn of various qualities and moisture contents. The test site was an operational grain elevator similar to other grain elevators whose business is primarily receiving, conditioning, holding, blending and then selling/shipping commodity bulk grain. Considerable high-value research data was collected addressing CO2 detection efficacy, CO2 early detection, sensor placement, number of sensors necessary per grain bin, mycotoxic risk, etc. The research results appear to present clear indicators of the viability of using CO2 for the early detection and warning of the onset of grain condition degradation. Also, the research resulted in a number of viable sensor packaging concepts that are believed to comply with explosion proof requirements and are expected to be reliable ruggedized yet cost effective new products. At the heart of the new sensor is a MEMS(Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System) based state of the art detector.

Impacts
Results of the research confirm that CO2 detection is a viable advanced spoilage alarm for bulk stored cereal grain. The future development of a robust sensor based on this research will give all grain owners and managers a new tool for improving grain quality management at farms and at commercial grain handling facilities.

Publications

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