A
grinding mill is a unit operation
designed to break a solid material
into smaller pieces. There are many
different types of grinding mills
and many types of materials processed
in them. Historically mills were powered
by hand (mortar and pestle), wind
(windmills) or water (watermill).
Today they are also powered by electrical
power. A gristmill is a building where
grain is ground into flour. In many
countries these are simply referred
to as flour mills. In the southern
US, mills used to process corn for
human consumption were known as grits
mills, while "grist" normally
referred to animal feed. Limited examples
of gristmills can be found in Europe
from the High Middle Ages. An extant
well preserved waterwheel and gristmill
on the Ebro River in Spain is associated
with the Real Monasterio de Nuestra
Senora de Rueda, built by the Cistercian
monks in the year 1202.
|
|
