Most widely used grinder for grains, spices, pigments, sawdust, cork\nFor comminuting cereals, grains, spices, pigments, saw dust and similar materials at industrial scale, which size-reduction equipment is most extensively used?

Introduction / Context:
Food and specialty chemical operations frequently need versatile grinding of a wide variety of organic materials—from cereals and grains to spices, pigments, wood-derived products, and cork. The right equipment balances throughput, maintenance, heat generation, and product uniformity.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Materials are generally brittle to moderately tough and not exceptionally abrasive.
• Target sizes span coarse to moderately fine (hundreds to a few tens of micrometres).
• Temperature rise should be controlled, and screens should be easily changed for different products.

Concept / Approach:
Hammer mills are high-speed impactors that use swinging hammers and replaceable screens to control top size. They are rugged, accept varied feeds, and changeover quickly, making them the standard workhorse for the listed materials. Buhrstone and attrition mills have niche roles, particularly for gentle flour milling, while ball mills are better for mineral or paint base grinding where residence time and contamination control differ. Crushing rolls are for relatively coarse, uniform reduction of friable solids and do not handle fibrous or elastic organics as well as hammer mills.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Industry catalogs for feed, spice, and pigment processing consistently position hammer mills as the most common choice due to cost-effectiveness and robustness.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Buhrstone/attrition: lower throughput, more specific applications.
• Ball mill: slower, wet/closed-circuit oriented; not primary for listed organics.
• Crushing rolls: limited to coarse friable solids; poor with fibrous materials.
• Jet mill: ultrafines with higher cost; unnecessary for general grain/spice milling.

Common Pitfalls:
Overheating aromatic spices—use cryogenic assists or airflow through hammer mills to control temperature.

Final Answer:
Hammer mill