Importance of silo for grain storage

Importance of silo for grain storage

Silos are structures designed for the storage of grain and other bulk materials; The most common have cylindrical shapes, thus resembling a tower built with materials such as wood, reinforced concrete or metals. The design, invented by Franklin Hiram King, generally employs a mechanical rig for loading and unloading from the top, making it very useful for the agro-industrial sector.

Without a doubt, silos are a very efficient structure for the agri-food sector; However, at present they have been adapting to other industrial uses, so that we can find them in other spaces, being used for deposits of various materials such as cement, but they have also been adapted for use in the military sector for missile depot or for handling these. It is, then, one of the most important inventions for industry and storage.

In the case of their use for the storage of grains they are very useful because they allow to extend the time of useful life before their commercialization. While it is true that the grain can be stored in bulk bags and then put it in a shed, we must say that in these spaces it is not possible to isolate the grain from organisms that attack and damage the product; In addition, it is also not possible to achieve proper ventilation, which can reduce the shelf life of the grain by up to 40 percent. Some data estimate that the shelf life of grain placed in grain silos is between 3 and 4 years; while, in bulk bags placed in a shed it is only 1 year.

MAIN BENEFITS OF GRAIN STORAGE SILOS

• Grain storage in silos is vertical, while in warehouses it is horizontal. In this sense, using metal silos to store grain instead of industrial buildings has interesting advantages that we will list below.
• The first one is on the surface of occupied land. Much less surface is required, which is important if land is not available or if it has a very high cost as in ports.
• The ease they offer to keep the grain in excellent storage conditions, that is, with control over the temperature, insects, molds, birds, which in prolonged storage could imply significant losses.
• The bunkers grain mean lower costs compared to the ships when automation equipment grain transportation it is. Both loading and unloading can be completely automated from a conveyor belt system, for example.
• Lower cost of assembly since it is an element that has a lower weight than that of industrial buildings. Finally there is its lower cost in general, and possibly this is the main advantage over grain storage warehouses.
• The advantages of metal silos are the convenience of loading and unloading. They are easier and faster to build (install), the cost of one ton of such capacity is 1.5-2 times less than that of a reinforced concrete elevator. 
• The advantages of such storages also include their low space requirements. So, in the territory that is necessary for the construction of a warehouse for storage of 5.5 thousand tons, you can place three metal storages with a total capacity of 15 thousand tons
• Metal storages reliably protect the grain mass from damage by rodents, they are fireproof, convenient for gas dis-infestation, active ventilation, etc. Silos must meet a number of requirements. So, along with the resistance to the pressure of the grain mass, wind loaded into it and the adverse effects of atmospheric factors, they should help maintain the initial quality indicators of the grain mass.
• Such an optimal moisture-temperature regime guarantee prevents the processes of decay and the appearance of mold on the surface of the grain, as well as damage by harmful insects. Grain aeration occurs using active ventilation systems.

Basically, we can say that the silo is a technology that revolutionized the grain storage market, as well as its conservation. Undoubtedly, the passage of time and technological advances have allowed us to create technology such as silos since as we have already mentioned, they offer the possibility of conservation and storage of grain, which means that the shelf life of the Grain extends significantly and also prevents grain prices from falling due to poor conservation.

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