Grain disinfestation with ozone-air mixture

Abstract

Grain pests cause significant damage to agriculture. In the process of storage, in the absence of proper monitoring and control over the state of the grain heap, various harmful insects develop in it. In the conditions of the laboratory of Voronezh State Agrarian University named after Emperor Peter I, granary weevils (Sitophilus granaries L.) and flour weevils (Tribolium confusum L.) were found in winter wheat grain, which were subjected to subsequent ozonation. Since ozone concentrations in the ozone-air mixture are very high (70...2000 mg/m3), which is very dangerous for human health, the aim of the studies was to determine the effectiveness of ozone treatment under less stringent regimes. As a result, it was found that to completely destroy the granary weevils (Sitophilus granaries L.), an ozone concentration in the range of 2.86...5.06 mg/m3 with an exposure time of 280 min is sufficient. Since it is very difficult to maintain a constant gas content, it is necessary to focus on the dose of ozone above 1200 mg·min/m3. To completely destroy the flour weevils (Tribolium confusum L.), it should be ozonize at the specified parameters for at least 460 min. In this case, the dose of ozone should exceed 2000 mg·min/m3. Ozonize should be carried by the death of insects until 40...50%, the rest die within the next 24 hours.