How to Prevent Silo From Exacerbation?

This article will tell you how to prevent silo from exacerbation. Please comment below if you have other questions.

1. Construction

There are several things that an owner can do to prevent, or at least reduce the severity of silage acid action. The first step is to build or buy a quality storage silo: one with walls made of high quality concrete. Strong, dense concrete provides a good level of acid resistance. The next step is to protect the silo walls by preventing silage acids from coming into contact with the concrete. This should be done by applying a suitable acid resistant coating to the bottom 1/4 to 1/3 of the inside wall surface of the new silo prior to use, and renewing it as required to maintain a barrier.
2. Management

Moisture control: One of the things you can do to reduce deterioration caused by silage acid is to harvest your crops at a moisture content low enough that seepage will not occur. Ideally, whole-plant silages should contain enough moisture for good fermentation, yet it should be dry enough to avoid free liquid being squeezed out. In order to know when material is at the proper moisture level for storage, the use of a moisture tester is highly recommended. Table 1 shows the recommended maximum moisture content in whole-plant silages at time of harvest to avoid seepage problems with various sizes of silos.

Wall Exposure: All silage should be removed from the silo on a yearly basis, if at all possible. This will reduce the length of time the bottom of the silo wall will be in contact with wet silage. As well, there is a structural benefit from allowing the inner silo wall surface to dry out between fillings.

Table 1. Maximum Moisture Content To Prevent Seepage-Whole-plant
Silages in Tower Silos
Silo Size m (ft.) Maximum Moisture Content (%)
4.9 (16) x 18.3 (60) 68
5.5 (18) x 19.8 (65) 67
6.1 (20) x 21.3 (70) 66
7.3 (24) x 25.9 (85) 63
9.1 (30) x 33.5 (110) 59
What to Look for

If your silo is showing signs of distress, before you empty it, you should contact a professional engineer who can follow up with further investigation.

Concrete silos are commonly converted as dry grain storage. Silos previously designed for whole plant silage or haylage have a limited capacity for dry grain unless additional reinforcing is provided. This is usually in the form of steel hoops at vertical intervals on the outside of the silo. You should contact an engineer to design this increased reinforcing.

Signs of distress: cracks in the concrete are one of the only signs to warn you of an impending failure. You should scan the entire outside of the silo to determine if new cracks have developed. You can sometimes use binoculars to do a cursory inspection.

The consequences of a structural failure are very critical and can be life-threatening. Emptying a silo can cause a significant increase in the loads applied to the structure. If a failure is about to happen, unloading the silo can cause an instantaneous structural failure. If you suspect that your silo has structural problems, do not fill or empty it before having a professional engineer on-site to evaluate the situation.