Miller Magazine Issue: 112 April 2019

84 APRIL 2019 Prof. Gustavo Sosa Industrial Mechanical Engineer Licensed Grain Inspector MBA Project Management SOSA – Engineering Consultants ing.gustavo.sosa@gmail.com We are experiencing an increased de- mand in systems for the organic treatment of grains. The consumer is willing to pay extra for products that haven’t been expo- sed to chemicals. Besides, the use of pesti- cides increases the risk for workers in our industry and they harm the ecosystem in the area. Dead insects are eaten by birds and rats, which die poisoned, and in turn poison their predators. Of course, killing rats and birds is desirable, as they eat the grain and the flour too, but the damage to the environment should be contained as much as possible. As professionals, we know the effect of most pesticides disappe- ars after a few weeks, but we can’t expect the consumer to acquire this specialized knowledge, not even to believe us. Some decades ago, the refrigeration for grains appeared in the market. It promised to be the best system ever for grain sto- “Another innovation I expect to see in the near future is grain bins manufactured with composite materials. Plastics and steel would make a lighter structure reducing the cost of the concrete foundations, which makes a huge portion of the capital cost in a new facility. They would also provide better thermal insulation. A wire mesh would discharge static and provide structural strength, while the plastic acts as a physical barrier and an insulator against the weather.” The innovations we need are old news