Drying costs of ear corn (<em>Zea mays</em> L.) seeds

Abstract

Drying mathematical simulation was used to investigate technical and economical criteria for ear corn (Zea mays L.) seeds. The airflow rate necessary to reduce moisture content from 32% to 12% in one-half of the usual time of 130 hours was identified. The drying costs of ear corn seeds harvested with germination rate above 90% and moisture content below 40% were found, using field data collected by Santos (1998), who identified the optimum technical harvest point. The overall costs were less sensitive to initial moisture content than variable costs and those of energy only for drying, due to high investments in the system in the form of fixed costs