A Note on Self-heating and Spontaneous Combustion of Stored Sunflower Seed Cake and Cotton Seeds

Abstract

Sunflower seed cake and cotton seed warehouses combusted spontaneously
and burnt in August and November 2009, respectively, in Khartoum North industrial
area. The objective of this study was to determine some of the reasons for self-heating
and spontaneous combustion. Representative samples from the two warehouses were
collected. Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Paesiolomyces sp., Rhizopus oryzae, Absidia sp.
were isolated at 37 o C. Bacillus thuringiensis was isolated at 37 o
C, and B. pantothenticus,
B. ciculans, B. licheniformis, B. sphaericus, B. badius, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella
sp. were isolated at 60 o
C. A decrease in oil, fibre and phosphorus and increase in free
fatty acids and protein contents were detected.