Miniature Rice Mill

News source: The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development
For further information: Technology! Rice Micromill. Fax: (630 49) 536-0016, 2001-03-01

Milling Rice at a Household and Village Level

Rice milling at the household and village level is important for small-scale farmers, and for consumers in remote areas. Engineer Eulito U. Bautista of the Philippine Rice Research Institute, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, has developed a miniature rice mill which is suitable for such areas. The rice mill is portable and cheap, and its performance can be compared to that of other rice mills. Its milling recovery is 70% head rice. It can also be used to mill other grains, such as corn, mungbean and soybean.

Capacity of Miniature Mill

The village-level mill has a capacity of 120-160 kg paddy/hr, and requires a 7 hp gasoline engine or a 6 hp diesel engine. The household-level mill can process 40-70 kg paddy/hr, and requires a 1-hp electric motor or a 3-hp gasoline engine. Both types of mill are made of plastic and steel, and need only one person to operate them.

How the Mill Works

The paddy is dehusked between the milling rotor and the stationary hulling knives at the opposite sides of the milling cylinder, and is polished by the pressure and friction among the paddy grains as they move backwards and forwards inside the milling chamber. Rice bran goes out through the concave end, while milled rice and rice hull are discharged from the chamber at the discharge end. Hulls and impurities are sucked by a fan through an air duct and are deflected below the discharge end. A wire mesh screen separates out impurities before the milled rice is discharged from the machine.

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