The Sugar Industry

Sugar is produced by processing both sugar beet and cane, and with the different processing methods. Basically the process involves the following

steps: Extraction of the cane juice by milling or diffusion, clarification of the sugar juice, concentration of the juice to syrup by evaporation,

crystallisation of sugar from the syrup, and finally separation and drying of the sugar crystals.

The clarification stage is where the use of a flocculant is required. Mixed juice from the extraction mills or diffuser is purified by addition of heat, slaked

lime, and a flocculant. The slaked lime is a suspension of calcium hydroxide, often in a sucrose solution, which forms a calcium saccharate compound.

The heat and lime kills off any enzymes in the juice and increases the pH from the 5 - 6.5 to a neutral value. Control of pH is important through out the

sugar manufacturing process because sucrose inverts or hydrolyses, to its components glucose and fructose at acidic pH , and all three sugars decompose

quickly at pH over 11.

After heating about from 99 to 105°C, the neutralised juice is treated with other types NUOERFLOC series polymers and pumped to a clarification vessel

where the mud settles and the clarified liquor overflows. Clarified juice is pumped to the evaporation stage for further processing.