GRAIN STORAGE

ADVANCED
TECHNIQUES
GRAIN
STORAGE

PRESENTED BY -:

AYUSHI VAISHYA
222FST09
 Grain Storage
• STORAGE is an interim and a repeated phase during
transit of agricultural product from producer to
processor and its product from processor to consumer .
• Grains can be stored over periods of several years with
no detectable loss of quality if stored under proper
conditions .
• However under improper conditions , grains begins to
spoil in a matter of few hours .
• Storage is an art of keeping the quality of agricultural
materials and preventing them from deterioration foe
specific period of time , beyond its natural shelf life

Modern Silo
REASON FOR STORAGE INCLUDE
• Provision of food material all year around .
• Pilling / provision for large scale processing .
• Preservation of viability for multiplication
• Prevention of original varieties from extinction ( seed bank ).
• Preservation of natural quality
• Weapon for national stability .
• Price control and regulation
• Financial empowerment of farmers
• Opportunity of export .
The requirement of grain storage structure:
• The grains produced should be thoroughly cleaned and graded.
• Grain storage structures should be constructed in the coolest portion of the farm or
house.
• The structure should be able to take the load of seeds stored and should not allow
any exchange with the outside humid air.
• Storage structure should be durable for long-term storage.
• For the purpose of a safe storage period of 6 to 12 months, dried to the safe storage
moisture level for (i) Cereals is 10-12 % (ii) Oilseeds is 7-9 % .
• The structure should provide the safety from floor moisture, rain, rats, birds, molds,
rodents, ants, insects, and so on.
• They needs to be constructed in such a way that it may present the necessary facility
for inspection & infection, loading and unloading, cleaning, and reconditioning.
STORAGE STRUCTURE
IMPROVED STORAGE MODERN STORAGE
 PUSA BIN  SILOS
 BRICK AND CEMENT BIN  SHED (WAREHOUSE)
 BUNKER STORAGE  HERMETIC STORAGE
 CAP STORAGE  CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE
STORAGE
 PUSA BIN
• Pusa bin is just like other traditional storage structure and is
made of mud. To make this storage structure moisture proof, a
plastic film is used on inner side of the bin.
• A platform of mud bricks is made, first. On this platform, a
sheet of 700 gauge plastic is spread in such a way that it
overlaps the platform on all sides by atleast 6 cm. To make this
storage structure moisture proof, a plastic film is used on inner
side of the bin.
• On the plastic sheet, a layer of 7 cm thick kachcha bricks is
then laid. Walls are made of kachcha bricks and these are sealed
with mud plaster.
Pusa bin
• Now the walls are raised to proper height and a wooden
frame is placed on  it.
• The upper roof of the structure is made of burnt bricks
• For unloading of grains, an inclined wooden or steel pipe is
fixed in such a way that grains may come out of structure by
gravity. The mouth of pipe is closed by a cover.
• The inside of all the four walls and roof are covered with a
plastic sheet. On the top, an open space of about 50 cm x 50
cm is left for loading of grains. Leaving this open space, the
roof is sealed by mud. After the bin is filled with grains, the Inner structure view
top open space is well covered by a plastic sheet so that air
may not enter the bin.

Capacity- 1 to 3 tonnes
Developed by IARI(Indian Agricultural Research Institute)
 Brick and cement bin
• These storage structures are very strong and therefore, the effect
of season on them  is negligible.
• The bin is made on a platform raised at 60 cm above the ground.
• A ladder is provided on one side of the bin for loading of the grains.
• A hole of about 60 cm diameter is provided on the roof for the purpose
• of loading the material i.e. Grains.
• The walls of bin are about 23 cm thick with cement plastered on both the
sides.
• Roof is made of  R.C.C. The base of bin is made inclined and an outlet
Brick and cement bin
is provided for unloading of grains.
• For cleaning of bin and complete unloading, a provision of iron rings steps is provided
inside the bin for person can enter and exit the bin.
• capacity usually between 1.5 to 60 tonnes
 BUNKER STORAGE
• Bunker storage structure is used for long term
storage of a larger volume of grains.

• In this type of storage structure, the grain is

stored on a plastic sheet which is spread over
ground and top covered with plastic sheet .

• A drain is also provided for drainage of rain

water.

• The structure is successful as a means of storing

grains safely, securely and economically. By
controlling insects and the moisture,  the losses in
stored grains can be reduced upto 0.5%.
 CAP STORAGE
• The 'CAP' is  used for cover and plinth storage.  Plinth means from the bottom
and cover means cover from the top.

•  This type of open storage is considered as intermediate storage and serves the
purpose of storage of food grains in bags for short period.

• This type of storage facility is cheaper as compared to conventional bag

storage godowns.

• The cover is rectangular in shape having five sides and made from polyethylene
film of 1000 gauge, leaving the bottom side open. The cover is used for
protecting stack of bags and tied with ropes to prevent from blowing off with
high velocity wind.

• Normally the stack is built over a space of  9.11 x 6.1 m with a height of 18
bags which gives the storage capacity of around 150 tonnes.

• The cover having a dimension of 9.4 m x 6.4 m x 5.5 m normally weighs

around 52 kg.
 MODERN STORAGE SYSTEM SILO
• A metal silo is a cylindrical structure, constructed from a galvanized iron
sheet and hermetically sealed. The metal silo technology has proven to be
effective in protecting the harvested grains from attack not only from the
storage insects but also from rodent pests
• These silos are generally circular with conical bottom.
• Metal silo is airtight; it therefore, eliminates oxygen inside, killing any
insect pest that may be inside.
• It also completely locks out any pest or pathogen that may invade the
grains inside.
• The metal silo is a key post-harvest technology in the fight against hunger SILO
and ensuring food security.

• Capacity -  between 20 to 2000 tonnes

• Fabricating a metal silo requires galvanized iron sheet of 100 200 cm and 0.5 mm thick , tin bar soldering
(50% tin and 50% lead), hydrochloric acid, pine resin (to clean and tin the soldering irons), aluminum paint
(protects the sheet from corrosion and improves silo appearance), and charcoal (to heat the soldering iron).

• The silo are classified as, depending upon their relative dimensions -:

(1) Shallow bins (2) Deep bins.

A bin whose relative dimensions are A bin in which plane of rupture

such that the plane of rupture meets meets the opposite side before it
the grain surface before it strikes the emerges from the grain is said to
opposite side is called “shallow be “deep bin ” .
bin” .

Plane of rupture Plane of rupture

 SHALLOW BIN
• When the diameter / width of the bin is greater then that
of the its length (deep) , bin is said to be the shallow bin .
• Squat silos are comes under shallow bins.
• Squat silos as large as having 48 metres diameter, 10.5
metres high walls and 25 metres high at roof apex are
being built.
Squat silo
• Squat silo can compete with sheds for low-cost quality
storage. Squat silos are structurally efficient, thus can be
built from lighter materials and costs are generally lower
for a given storage volume
 DEEP BIN

•A vertical silos is example of deep bin.

•Vertical silos can be circular, hexagonal, or

rectangular.

• They tend to be more expensive than sheds. In case

of space limitation vertical silos can be used because
it requires lesser space.

• There are two types of vertical silos used i.e. Flat

bottom and Hopper bottom vertical silos.
Flat bottom vertical silos. Hopper bottom vertical silos.
 SHED (WAREHOUSES)
 A horizontal sheds have been used to provide low- cost, large volume storage. Very
large volume sheds have also been constructed by Food Corporation of India (FCI) for
storing grains and other products. Sheds are usually made of steel or corrugated sheet
construction with flat concrete floors.
 Grain loads on the walls have to be supported by girts and heavy vertical buttresses
designed to resist their loads in bending.

  Sealed doors
Air proof

Floor 

Rat proof slab 

Modern Godowns (Shed)

 Roofshave to be supported on a network of purlins
and rafters.

 A warehouse would be 15 m Wide, 60 m long and 6 m

high at the edges. A building of this size would have a
storage capacity of 2,840 tonnes. The same size
building for bag storage has only 1440 tonnes storage
capacity.
Stacked stored grains

 Belt conveyors are often used in bulk sheds for

loading and unloading grains.

 For larger sheds having 50,000-60,000 tonnes

capacity a suspended drag-chain conveyor is
used.

Modern warehouse
 HERMETIC STORAGE
• Hermetic storage is based on the principle of generation of an oxygen-depleted,
carbon dioxide-enriched interstitial atmosphere caused by the respiration of the
living organisms within the ecological system of a sealed storage.

• An airtight or sealed storage is termed as “hermetic storage” .

• Low O2 and high CO2 environment kills insect and mite pests, and prevents aerobic
fungi from growing and will generally maintain stored grain quality for long period Sealed storage
of time.

•  Protection from rodents by using tough, slippery materials such as flexible PVC
(typically 0.83 mm thick), and tensioning straps, which prevent rodents from getting
a tooth hold.
Applications of Hermetic Storage

•  Long-term storage of cereal grains, primarily rice, corn, barley, and wheat.

•  Long-term storage of a variety of seeds to preserve germination potential and

vigor.

•  Quality preservation of high-value commodities, such as cocoa and coffee.

• It is an environmentally safe and sustainable manner eliminating the need for

chemical treatments, fumigants, and climate control.

• Newer applications for hermetic storage of high-moisture corn and the prevention
of growth of toxicogenic aflatoxins in corn and peanut .

• It is also used to store oily commodities such as cottonseeds or peanuts to prevent

the growth of free fatty acids (FFAs), and resulting rancidity.
Controlled And Modified Atmosphere Storage
• An environment that is lethal to stored-grain pests is created by changing
the proportions of CO2, O2, and N2 in the atmosphere surrounding the bulk
grain in storage structures. Controlled atmosphere storage is different from
an airtight storage where gas ratios change naturally, although both are
carried out in more or less gas-tight storage structures.
• Controlled atmospheres are attained by introducing CO 2 or N2 from
external sources, possibly prior to the build-up of infestation, thereby
preventing damage to the stored grain.

(a) Low oxygen storage — Nitrogen, usually in liquid form, is injected into
the storage displacing the oxygen with a higher concentration of
nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen evaporates immediately to a gas when it is
released at atmospheric pressure and temperature.
(b) High carbon dioxide storage — Carbon dioxide,
either as liquid or in the solid form of dry ice, is injected
into the storage. Carbon dioxide pushes out the oxygen
and nitrogen and reduces their concentrations. Liquid
carbon dioxide evaporates rapidly, but dry ice may take
several hours or days to sublimate as heat is slowly
transferred to the dry ice.

(c) Combustion gases — Exhaust gases can be injected

into the storage. Exhaust gases have reduced
concentrations of oxygen and increased concentrations of
carbon dioxide. Care must be taken that none of the
combustion gases leave a toxic or unpleasant residue on
the grain. Controlled And Modified Atmosphere
Storage System
Moisture and temperature changes in stored grains air
movement inside the storage
1) Spoilage of food grains due to temperature changes in winter season

1. Atmospheric cool temperature     2. Cool grain at surface of bin

3. Warm grain at centre of bin              4. Moisture accumulation

2) Spoilage of food grains due to temperature changes in summer season

1. Atmospheric hot temperature          2. Cool grain at centre of bin

3. Warm grain at surface of bin            4. Moisture accumulation
Air movement can be controlled by -:

1) GRAIN AERATION

2) REFRIGERATED AERATION

3) HERMETIC STORAGE

4) CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE STORAGE

CONCLUSION

Storage of grains is a very important aspect of agriculture as it is

necessary to protect the grains from insects, rodents, etc.
After harvesting they are often consumed and preserved for a
longer period in grain storage structures. Quality of grains is
significantly affected by storage methods and storage periods .
It is high time to think about the severity of the problem of
storage losses and at last In order to minimize significant
storage losses. Hence it is necessary to upgrade outdated
methods of storage with contemporary equipment and provide
farmers more affordable storage options, such as low-cost bins.
 REFERENCE
A Text Book Unit Operations of Agricultural Processing by K.M Sahay and K.K.Singh
Said,P. P., & Pradhan, C. R. (2014). Food grain storage practices: A review. Journal of Grain
Processing and Storage, 1(1), 1-5.
Respiration
and losses in stored wheat under different Environmental conditions by J. Lacey,
A. Hamer and N. Magan
Anon. (1982). Como construir y user un silo metalico simple (How to construct and use a
simple metal silo). FAO Project PFL/BOL/001, Working Doc. 1/1982, i + 21 pp.
Bucklin, R., Thompson, S., Montross, M., & Abdel-Hadi, A. (2019). Grain storage systems
design. In Handbook of farm, dairy and food machinery engineering (pp. 175-223). Academic
Press.
Sinha, R.N &Muir. Grain Storage: Part of a System. Avi Publisher.
Sinha, R.N 1971. Interrelations of physical ,chemical and biological variables in deterioration
of stored grains. In: Grain storage Part of the system.
Thank you