Evaluation of Dust Concentration During Grinding Grain in Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

This work analyses the organic dust concentration during a wheat grinding process which was carried out using two types of grinders: A hammer mill and a roller mill. DustTrak II aerosol monitor was used to measure the concentration of the dust PM10 (particles with the size smaller than 10 μm), PM4.0, and PM1.0. An increase of the grain moisture to 14% resulted in the reduction in PM10 when grinding grain using the hammer mill. An inverse relationship was obtained when grain was ground using the roller mill. A smaller amount of the fraction below 0.1 mm was observed for larger diameter of the holes in the screen and smaller size of the working gap in the roller mill. For both mills, the obtained concentration of the PM10 fraction dust exceeded the acceptable level. To protect farmers health, it is necessary to use dust protection equipment or to modify the grinding technology by changing the grain moisture content and/or the grinding parameters.