Systems and methods for continuous flow ozone treatment of grain

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9961915-B2
Application number	US-64527909-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2009
Priority date	Dec 22, 2009
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

Methods and systems for treatment of grain for toxins and/or odor utilize a storage container having a grain storage space and an aeration floor that allows air to flow through the aeration floor into the grain storage space. Ozone (mixed with air) is supplied to the grain through the aeration floor under positive pressure, whereby ozone is forced through the aeration floor into a lower portion of the grain storage space. After an initial treatment time, the initial treatment time allowing for the ozone to reduce toxins and/or odor in a lowermost portion of the initial quantity of grain an effective or desired amount, a lowermost portion or a lower treated portion of the grain in the grain storage space is removed, and new grain is added on top of the grain in the grain storage space, all while continuing to supply ozone through the aeration floor under positive pressure.

First claim

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A method for continuous treatment of grain for toxins, comprising:
separating grain into a plurality of grain streams with a density separator, thus producing more dense grain having lower levels of toxins and less dense grain having higher levels of toxins;
placing an initial quantity of the less dense grain in a storage container having a grain storage space and an aeration floor that allows air to flow through the aeration floor into the grain storage space;
wherein the storage container is one of a plurality of storage containers, each storage container having the grain storage space and the aeration floor that allows the air to flow through the aeration floor into the grain storage space;
supplying ozone through the aeration floor under positive pressure to the less dense grain at a concentration of 200-800 ppm, whereby the ozone is forced through the aeration floor into a lower portion of the grain storage space;
waiting for an initial treatment time allowing for the ozone to reduce toxins in a lower treated portion of the initial quantity of the less dense grain;
performing the following while continuing to supply ozone through the aeration floor under positive pressure:
removing the lower treated portion of the less dense grain in the grain storage space; and
adding new grain on top of the less dense grain in the grain storage space.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein grain is removed from the lower treated portion in an amount approximately equal to an amount of new grain added on top of the grain in the grain storage space.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein a rate of adding and removing grain is selected so as to ensure that all grain removed from the lower treated portion has been exposed to ozone for a treatment time sufficient to reduce toxins the effective amount.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 , wherein the rate of adding and removing grain is slowed for grain having higher concentrations of toxins and quickened for grain having lower concentrations of toxins.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein treatment times for each of the storage containers are different.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein a lower treated portion of the grain in a first storage container is removed from the first storage container and added on top of the grain in a second storage container and a lower treated portion of the grain in the second storage container is removed from the second storage container.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 , wherein the grain removed from the first storage container is mixed with new incoming grain before or while being added to the second storage container.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
treating the grain of the different grain streams with ozone for different amounts of time;
removing grain from a lower treated portion of each of the storage containers at different rates; and
cycling grain from grain streams having higher amounts of toxins through more than one storage container in daisy-chain fashion, whereby the grain from grain streams having higher amounts of toxins are exposed to repeated treatments of ozone in the different storage containers.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the amount of grain in the storage container is maintained at a level sufficient to react with the ozone being supplied, such that the ozone does not escape or need to be recaptured.

10. A method for treatment of grain for toxins in one of a continuous first-in-first out process and a batch process using a system comprising a plurality of storage containers, each storage container having a grain storage space and an aeration floor that allows air to flow through the aeration floor into the grain storage space, the method comprising:
separating incoming grain into a plurality of grain streams having different amounts of toxins to be treated, thus producing more dense grain having lower levels of toxins and less dense grain having higher level of toxins;
providing grain from the plurality of grain streams to different storage containers;
treating the grain of the plurality of grain streams with ozone for different amounts of time, wherein treating the grain from each grain stream comprises:
periodically to continuously adding grain from a selected grain stream to a storage container assigned to the selected grain stream;
supplying ozone through the aeration floor of the assigned storage container under positive pressure to the grain at a concentration of 200-800 ppm, whereby the ozone is forced through the aeration floor into a lower portion of the grain storage space and does not pass to or through an upper surface of the grain and into a storage space of the storage container, the ozone reducing toxins and/or odor in a lower portion of the grain an effective amount;
periodically to continuously removing a quantity of treated grain from the bottom of the assigned storage container; and

mixing the quantity of the treated grain having the toxins reduced with grain having a desired amount of toxins.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the grain of the various grain streams is treated with ozone using one of: different amounts of time for the grain of each of the various grain streams; and different concentrations of ozone for the grain of each of the various grain streams.

12. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the grain of the various grain streams is treated with ozone using different amounts of time and wherein treating the grain of the various grain streams with ozone for different amounts of time comprises at least one of: removing grain from the bottom of each of the assigned storage containers at different rates; and cycling grain from grain streams having higher amounts of toxins through more than one storage container in daisy-chain fashion, whereby the grain from grain streams having higher amounts of toxins and/or odor is exposed to repeated treatments of ozone in the different storage containers.

13. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the grain of the various grain streams is treated with ozone using different ozone concentrations whereby the grain from grain streams having higher amounts of toxins and/or odor is exposed to higher amounts of ozone.

14. A method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the grain of the various grain streams is treated with ozone using different flow rates of ozone into each of the different storage containers.

Assignees

• Johnson Lynn
• Albert Delron E
• Case Vane
• Johnson Kevin C
• Archer Daniels Midland Co

Inventors

• Johnson Lynn
• Albert Delron E
• Case Vane
• Johnson Kevin C

Classifications

• A23V2250/128

  Ozone · CPC title

• A23B9/18 Primary

  in the form of gases, e.g. fumigation; Compositions or apparatus therefor · CPC title

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• A23V2200/10

  Preserving against microbes · CPC title

• A23L3/3409

  Human Necessities · mapped topic