STUDENT MEMBER

The rate at which moisture was adsorbed by rough rice was detennined at various levels of temperature, relative humidity and initial moisture content. Air temperatures of 12.5, 20, and 30 ° C, relative humidities of 70 and 90%, and initial moisture contents ranging from approximately 9 to 15 % wet basis were used to obtain moisture content data over time. At least 70 % of the adsorption occurred within the first 24 hours of exposure to the humid environments. The rate of moisture adsorption increased with increasing temperature and relative humidity levels and decreased with increasing initial moisture content and time from onset of exposure to the airstream. Thin-layer adsorption equations were developed to predict moisture content with respect to time for the conditions used in this study. The values predicted with the developed equations agreed closely with the experimental data