Research On A Mechanized Cleaning And Disinfection Method Of Rice Hulls For Poultry Farming

In modern poultry production,rice hulls are one of the most commonly used bedding materials.Bedding has many important functions: it can absorb excess water from excrement and waterline drips to keep the floor dry;it can dilute excrement to reduce the chance of birds coming into contact with manure;and it serves as an insulation layer to protect chicks from the cold ground during brooding.However,uncleaned and disinfected rice hulls not only contain a large number of foreign substance and pathogens that pose a threat to poultry health,but also contain Salmonella,which is one of the most significant pathogens causing food poisoning.Therefore,it is important to study the cleaning and disinfection of rice hulls and other bedding materials for poultry production and public health.In practice,the use of manual screening and disinfection with formaldehyde is a traditional and common treatment method after the rice hulls are delivered to the farm.This method,not only entails bringing unsterilized rice hulls to the farm,which poses a biosecurity risk,but also relies on manual operation with low efficiency,while the operator is directly exposed to the highly hazardous formaldehyde vapor.In response to these problems,this study used Sketch Up and Auto CAD software to design and build an automated rice hull cleaning and disinfection plant that incorporates a variety of automated machinery and equipment based on the concept of safety,cost-effectiveness,and the ability of the final product to serve poultry production.The device replaces manual operation by automatically sucking in rice hulls,sieving and dusting,adding formaldehyde,heating and disinfecting,mixing and cooling,and automatically packing and transporting.The rice hulls can be cleaned and disinfected mechanically quickly and easily.To test the effectiveness of this device,the rice hulls before and after treatment with this device were tested for total bacteria,total mold,aflatoxin content,Salmonella count and water content by using the current standard test methods.After heating and disinfection,the total bacterial count decreased by 97%,the total mold count decreased by 84.7%,the aflatoxin content decreased by 58.8%,and the water content decreased to 7.36%;the risk of Salmonella contamination in the rice husk was reduced.The use of this device significantly reduces the number of bacterial pathogens and toxins in rice hulls,while significantly improving labor efficiency and reducing safety risks compared to traditional manual methods and can be used to mechanize and automate the rice hull cleaning and disinfection process.In conclusion,the device designed by this research,combining traditional manual treatment methods,veterinary microbiology research and agricultural mechanization technology,can safely and effectively clean and disinfect rice husks used in poultry production,reducing the risk of poultry infection and public health,and has high commercial value and potential for transformation of achievements.