Cost effective options are possible when specific aeration rates are minimised. The most critical factor in achieving a satisfactory outcome is the balance between grain conditioning performance and operational thoroughfare. This project seeks to identify the best options for new pest control processes as a basis for further research and development and also to explore alternative engineering techniques for heating grain and structures to insecticidal conditions. The use of heat to control insects in bulk grain had been generally regarded as too expensive. However, with changing storage costs and options, and technological advances, this is changing.
Further work is also ongoing on the use of heat to disinfest empty grain storage structures.
This project also aims to develop novel, physical processes for grain insect control, initially based on sorting and precussion processes. A prototype grain disinfestor based on an optimised grain cleaner will be trialled this year. Underpinning all of this work is a detailed understanding of how the various processes, such as heat and precussion, kill the insects. This understanding provides the parameters for optimal design of disinfestation processes.