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Filtration system performance cleaning exhaust air of pneumatic maize seed drills
Author(s) -
Manzone Marco,
Tamag Mario
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
pest management science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.296
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1526-4998
pISSN - 1526-498X
DOI - 10.1002/ps.4101
Subject(s) - filtration (mathematics) , environmental science , seeding , contamination , pesticide , tractor , air filter , environmental engineering , waste management , pulp and paper industry , agronomy , engineering , biology , mathematics , mechanical engineering , ecology , statistics , inlet
Abstract BACKGROUND In the agricultural sector, toxic substances can be released into the atmosphere. In recent years, Europe has encountered a significant environmental issue related to the dispersion of pesticides during maize seeding, especially when performed with pneumatic seed drills. This phenomenon can be very dangerous for insects, as the dispersed dust contains pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, etc.) used to dress maize seeds. On the basis of these considerations, experimental tests have been carried out using a filtration system to clean the airflow that exits from the fan of pneumatic maize seed drills. RESULTS The tested filtration system does not interfere with the seeding quality because the vacuum level observed within the filtration system assembled on the seeder (5.7 kPa ) is 27% higher than the correct vacuum level to guarantee good seeding quality (4.2 kPa ). In addition, it enables a reduction in the risk of environmental contamination, as no dust deposits were found at different distances from the machine. CONCLUSION The use of a filtration system shows advantages in terms of environmental and operator safety because dangerous materials are contained in the filter case, thus avoiding contamination of neighbouring areas and the machinery used (tractor and seed drill). © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry