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WCIN | My dad always told me you can not increase corn moisture, I think it could be done by running the fans on days or nights with high humidity. Anyone ever do this successfully? If so how did you do it? Thanks |
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| Not with the fans. I don't have my drying book handy but the best I recall, 60 degree fog is in equilibrium with 13% corn. Something like that.
An ISU EE professor once was experimenting with microwave drying and found that while he could re wet corn with water, it wasn't the same and didn't dry like normal wet corn. Drying is a biologic process, its not just boiling away the water, the corn has to give up the water and the dry air just moves it away. So the rewet corn hasn't recombined the water with the kernel in the same way the natural water was. I think also that rewet corn is quick to mold.
Gerald J. |
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New Ulm, MN | i think the best is to find some 16% corn and start blending it. |
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Central Illinois | Although I think blending is probably the best, you can add moisture back to corn with fans. I believe equilibrium moisture in shelled corn for 15% is 60 degrees at 75% Relative Humidity. At 80 degrees it is 80% RH. At 40 degrees I believe it is around 68% RH. An automated controller would probably be the best solution. I do not believe corn will expand (like Soybeans) and provide as much stress on the grain bins when you add the moisture back in. |
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WCIN | No corn to blend with, shelling 11-13% corn today and it just gets drier. Your info is what I was looking at thinking it could be done, just need someone to tell me that they actually did it before i waste time and electricity trying. |
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Northwest Illinois | I have added moisture to soybeans with the fans controlled with an aeration controller but the process takes awhile.
Tried years ago with corn and did not add any measurable amount of moisture. In my opinion it would not be economical in corn. |
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Near Richmond, IN | I ran a garden hose in the hopper once while loading dry corn out and let it run almost continually. Looked like it was really making it wet but I let it stand overnight to soak in the wagon and I think it only raised the moisture about .1 percent after it soaked in. I calculated it would take over 50 gallons per gravity bed load and probably didn't add even half that, but it didn't make much difference at all anyway. Takes a lot of water to raise it any. |
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WCIN | If you can't do it with a hose, I suspect humidity would be pointless. Dad always said it was a one-way process! |
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Can you add moisture back to 13% corn?
