INTRODUCTION

SUGARCANE
 Sugarcane with its high fiber and carbohydrate content
constitutes an important renewable source of energy.

 Within the growth period of 10-16 months, this plant converts

good amount of solar energy into sugar and cellulose and is
considered to be one of the most energy efficient crop.

 In the growth phase of the plant, sugar accumulation occurs

more in the lower portion of the stalk, progressively
decreasing from bottom to top joints, but in fully mature cane
this disparity is particularly negligible.
 Introduction
 What we call sugar, the chemist knows as 'sucrose', one of
the family of sugars otherwise known as saccharides in the
grouping called carbohydrates

 Sucrose, C12H22O11, is a disaccharide, a condensation

molecule made up of two glucose molecules

 The process whereby plants make sugars is photosynthesis.

12 CO2 + 11 H2 O = C12 H22 O11 + 12 O2

carbon dioxide + water = sucrose + oxygen

 INTRODUCTION
 Within the stalk the internodes are richer in sugar while the fiber
content is richer in the nodes. Variation in composition of these
portion accounts for two observation.
A) Cane with short internodes will give high fiber and lower sugar
(juice) content.
B) the juice expressed in the last mill under heavy pressure is of lower
purity than first and second mill.
 Sugarcane plant standing in the field consists of three principal
portions: 1) the leaves, 2) the top, and 3) the stalk ( internodes).
 The top and the leaves contain very low sugar but are rich in salt &
water. The cane stalk delivered to the factory have to be free from the
top and the roots
 INTRODUCTION
 The principal components of the cane stalk to be processed for
commercial sugar production are:

 Around 70-75 % water and the remaining is insoluble fiber,

sucrose and other carbohydrates.

The Major components of sugarcane are:

1. Sucrose: commonly known as sugar, it is the major constitute

of sugarcane and belongs to the family of carbohydrate ( C12 H22
O11).

2. Glucose: also known as dextrose, present in the higher

amount in the immature cane but their percentage decrease as
cane reaches maturity.
 INTRODUCTION
3. Fiber: water insoluble portion of the sugarcane plant like
cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin.

4. Organic Acid: color forming compounds and pigments like

chlorophyll ( should be eliminating in clarification and
subsequent boiling operation.
 Sugarcane from field to factory
1. Cane Quality
 The condition maintained in the process operation are
essentially based on preventing sucrose from
decomposition due to chemical and microbial causes.
 For example by chemical cause, under the action of acid the
sucrose solution is decomposed into inverted sugar ( i.e
glucose and fructose).
 The importance monosaccharaides present in cane sugar juice
are glucose and fructose termed as reducing sugars, these
occurs in abundance in growing and immature portion of cane
but decrease in the lower parts of the cane stalk.
 Sugarcane from field to factory
 Cane being perishable raw materials subjected to microbial
deterioration.
2. Post – harvest Deterioration
Post – harvest deterioration of sugarcane has a number of factors:

 Atmospheric temperature and humidity

 burning before harvest or green cane harvesting

 Mode of harvesting like whole stalk or hopper harvesting system

the time long between cutting in the field to crushing in mills.

3. Extraneous Matters: like green immature tops, dry trash, soil, as

well as mechanism of harvesting brings more non- sugarcane
extraneous matters to the factory and manual cutting/harvesting is
preferred.
 Sugarcane from field to factory
 To be more precise the sucrose loss on account of immature
cane tops and trash can be attributed to the following factors:

 Lower quality of juice extracted than those from the normal

cane., results in more molasses

 loss in milling is increased due to unwanted fiber material

which does not give normal juice in the extraction system.

 Undesirable impurities introduced in the process creates

problem during operation.

 Soil increases wear of machinery like knifes, mill rollers…

 Sugarcane from field to factory
 As a matter of facts the manual harvesting and loading for
transport to the factory give clean cane free from unwanted
tops, leaves, dry trash, soil, sand etc.
B) CANE HARVESTING & SUPPLY
1. Maturity
 At the end of the growth phase sugarcane reaches a stage when
maximum sucrose built up is observed, and the cane is
seemed to be fully matured.
 The period of maturity is followed by a decline phase of
sucrose marked by loss of sucrose and increase in non- sucrose
components as well as fiber content.
 Sugarcane from field to factory
 The Interest of both cane growers and processors are best
served by harvesting the cane when it is fully mature for
extracting maximum sucrose.

 Immature cane contains more water and reducing sugar (

glucose and fructose, but low fiber and sucrose, while the
over mature phase is characterized by high fiber and organic
impurities ( organic acid) , but low water.

 Forcing maturity

It is possible to force the pace of ripening of cane at the end of

the plant by adopting certain practices.
 Sugarcane from field to factory
1. Withdrawal of irrigation 2-3 weeks prior to harvest, is a
inexpensive way of ensuring maximum sugar content in
cane.

2. By spray of chemicals like ethrel, polaris, glyposate, sodium

meta silicate e.t.c on the cane crop found to increase
recoverable sugar.

The ethrel chemical spray method applied in reduction of leaf

area and increase in sucrose yield.

The polaris also applied to prevent sucrose degradation by

suppressing acid invertase activity, and stimulating
accumulation of sucrose in stalk.
Sugar Factories
 Based on the type of sugar produced the cane sugar factories

can be classified into four as:

1. Factories that can only produced Raw sugar: In many

sugar producing factories raw sugar of 98-99% purity is
produced from cane, which is sent to refineries or exported.
This sugar being unsuitable for direct consumption is later
converted into refined sugar o very high purity.

2. Factories that can produce Refined sugar: White and

sparkling in appearance, the refined sugar of purity of 99.9 %
and used directly for human consumption.
 Sugar Factories
3. Factories that can produce both raw and refined sugar: In
this factories producing raw sugar from sugarcane, small refining
unit are installed for processing the raw sugar to produce refined
sugar.

4. Plantation white sugar factories: white sugar is

manufactured from cane for direct consumption employing more
complicated techniques in clarification of juice and also in
crystallization of sugar, the sugar produced is 99.8 % purity and
contain slightly higher amount of impurities than the refined
sugar.
Sugar cane process
The sugar process is divided
 1 Entry or transportation of the sugar cane
 2 Milling
 3 Clarification
 4 Evaporation
 5 Crystallization
 6 Separation
 7 Refining
 8 Drying
 9 Storage
 Entry or transportation of the sugar cane

•Sugar is obtained from the cane at mills located near centers

of production.
•The cane first goes through a washer, then is cut into small
pieces by revolving knives.
•After this step the small pieces are shredded. The shredder is
a large powerful hammer mill that shreds the cane into a
fibrous material. The cells in the cane stalk containing the
sugar juice are ruptured but no juice is extracted at this stage.
•After this preparation, the juice from the sugar cane can be
extracted.
 Sugarcane from field to factory
Cane Preparation
 The objective of cane preparation is to cut cane into short pieces
for feeding the mills as also to rupture the cells without extracting
juice.

 The preparatory device commonly employed and installed before the

milling tandem, are classified into three types:

1. knives, which cut the cane into pieces

2. Shredders which shred cut the cane into long fine pieces.

3. Fiberizes system combining the feature both 1 and 2.

Cane kicker or equalizer : is installed on the carrier to prevent

excessive cane being feed to the preparatory device.
 Extraction of the Juice
Milling Train

The shredded cane is fed through a series of crushing mills to

extract the sugar rich juice, which is then pumped away for further
processing. The remaining fibre is called bagasse. The crushers
consist of two large grooved rollers mounted horizontally, and
then one above of the others. On the upper roller heavy hydraulic
pressure is maintained.
 General Juice Extraction Process

crushed Water( Imbibition)

Cane

50-70 %
Dilute
Juice for imbibition

2ND Raw
1STRaw Juice Juice
Collector Collector

Bagasse 30-50% juice Dilute imbibition juice

 Mill Juice Characteristics

 The first mill extracts high purity juice and the brix as also the

purities of juice go on decreasing from first to last mill.

 The imbibition process and repeated pressing brings about

greater extraction of non-sugar materials as cane passes from

first to last mill, increase organic non-sugar colloids, wax…

 Extraction of the Juice
• In the milling process the first mill extracts 50-70 % of the total juice contained
in the prepared cane.

• The remaining juice is extract by the process of imbibition, which consists in

spraying dilute juice or water on the bagasse emerging after each mill.

• There are two types of imbibition methods:

1. Simple imbibition: Water alone is applied to bagasse from each mill and
it is not longer practice

2. Compound Imbibition: Adopted universally involving the application of

water only on the bagasse fed to the last mill. The juice from this mill being
sprayed on the bagasse for the mills except the first mills.

The quantity of water used as imbibition depends on mainly the capacity

of the evaporator.
 Juice Strainers
 The bagasse particles drop from the mills into juice and have to
be separated for proper processing of juice.

 The bagasse particles dropping from mills are carried by the

extracted juice and are known as bagacillo or cush cush.

 As this bagacillo can cause disturbance in the clarification

process, so it has to be separated at the mills by installing
screens.

 Special juice strainers are installed on the mills which separate

the bagacillo to be put back on the bagasse and both primary
and secondary juice needs straining.
 Juice Clarification
 Objective of Juice Clarification

 Juice received from the mills commonly termed as raw juice or

mixed juice is turbid in appearance and contains besides

suspended impurities of cane like bagacillo, and other

impurities either dissolved state or colloidal condition.

 The impurities in dispersed and suspended state include soil

and fine particles bagasse extracted during milling and

constitute around 0.3-0.5 % of the juice.

 Clarification
 The limed juice enters a gravitational settling tank: a clarifier. The

juice travels through the clarifier at a very low superficial velocity

so that the solids settle out and clear juice exits.

 The mud from the clarifier still contains valuable sugar so it is

filtered on rotary vacuum filters where the residual juice is

extracted and the mud can be washed before discharge, producing

a sweet water.

 The juice and the sweet water are returned to process.

 Juice Clarification
 Cane Juice clarification aims at:

→ Elimination of suspended impurities and colloids

→ Remove of maximum amount of non-sugar components

in the solution

→ Imparting clarity and transparency to the juice

→ To produce light color juice free fro any contaminants

Generally the main objective of juice clarification process is to

eliminate non- sugar impurities from the juice.

There are different systems of juice clarification , but the choice of

particular system determined by the type of sugar to be produced.
 System of Juice Clarification
The choice of a particular system of clarification is based on the type of
sugar produce.
 Defection juice clarification system: is basically employed for
manufacture of raw sugar while
 Sulphanation or carbonation system: is employed for white sugar
manufacturing.
1. Defection System: is applied mainly lime and heat as
clarification reagent, and it is probably the oldest and cheapest
methods.
The lime added besides neutralizing the free organic acid forms in-
soluble tricalcium phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2 precipitate colloids and
suspended solids.
 Methods of Lime Detection
 Cold Liming: cold raw juice is limed to pH 7.8-8.3 and heated to
temperature between 103-105 oC, after releasing the pressure the
vapour are vent out and the juice will sent to the settling tank.

Lime vent Settling aid

Limed @ Heater @ Heater

Cold Raw Settling
PH 103-105 oC To 100
Juice Tank
7.8-8.3 oC

Hot Liming : Lime Settling aid

Limed @ Heater
Cold Raw Heated @ Settling
PH To 103
Juice 70oC Tank
7.8 oC
 Sulphination Clarification System
 The principal aims for this clarification ia:

 To remove suspended impurities from the raw juice

 To bring down color contents

 To obtain juice free from turbidity/ make it transparent

 To archive rise in purity by reducing the overall non sugar

contents from the juice.

 The major agents applied in this system: Heat, lime, SO2/CO2,

soluble phosphate/ phosphoric acid .

 Juice Clarification
 By Sulphination/carbonation system
SO2/CO2 Lime PO2SO4

Mixed
Juice
Juice Heater Sulphination/Carbon
(65-76 oC ation Tank

Filtrate

Mud Settling Heated to

Mud to Filter
Filter Tank 100-103 oC

Mud (Filter cake)

Clear
Juice
 Juice Clarification
Reagents Used in juice clarification
 Choice of chemicals in technological operations is determine by
considering: heat and lime are common in all clari…
① Cost
② Actual result obtained in large sale adoption
③ Effect on recovery of sugar
④ Impact on quality of sugar
⑤ Influence on further process operation like crystallization
Basically there are two types of reagents used:
1. Main clarification agent like Lime, phosphate, sulfur dioxide e.t.c.
2. those additives employed for setting aids.
Clarification and evaporation
 Evaporation
The clarified juice is concentrated to syrup by boiling

off excess water in a series of connected vessels.

Under automatically controlled conditions in the

evaporator station, each subsequent vessel operates

under decreasing pressure with the last one being

under almost a total vacuum. After this step the syrup

is ready to go to the high-vacuum boiling pans.

 EVAPORATION
 The clear juice contains about 83-85 % water and the
remaining portion being represented by the sugar.

 The evaporation station performs the function of

concentrating the clear juice to syrup of 60-65 % solid
content. The syrup contains 35-40 % water.

 The objective of multiple effect evaporators are to reduce

the water content of juice to a level where the sugar is still
in the dissolved state.

 In practice the limit of syrup concentration in white sugar

manufacturing industries is 60-65 %
 Crystallization
 Crystallization of the syrup starts in the vacuum pans
whose function is to produce the sugar crystals fro the
syrup.

 In the pan boiling process, the syrup is evaporated until it

reaches the super saturation stage ( will not dissolve
anymore). At this stage the crystallization process is
initialized by seeding (introduction of fine crystals in the
form of a slurry) and it produce a massecuite (The
mixture of crystals and mother liquor resulting from the
crystallization process ).
 The crystallization is allowed to proceed until the final

masseucite C will formed (A, B & C).

 From the crystallizer, the masseucite transferred to the high

speed centrifuge machines to separate the sugar crystal from

the mother liquor ( molasses).

 The mother liquor ( molasses A) from the first centrifuge is

returned to the vacuum pan and reboiled to yield a second

masseucite B……. With the repeated path very lower purity

massecuite C will be produced.

 Syrup
Vacuum
60-65 oBx Vacuum Vacuum
Pan “C”
Pan “A” Pan “B”

Massecuite “A” M. “B” M.”C”

Cooler ‘’B’’ Cooler ‘’C’’

Cooler “A” Molasses “A”

Molasses “B”
Centrifuge Centrifuge Centrifuge
“A” “B” “C”

Final Molasses

Sugar Crystal “A” Sugar Crystal “A” Sugar Crystal “C”

 Centrifugal Separation

The sugar crystals are separated from the syrup in

centrifugal machines that have an action similar to
a spin-dryer.
After leaving the centrifugals, the moist raw sugar
is tumble dried in a stream of air and transferred to
bulk storage bins.
The separated syrup is reboiled and further sugar
is crystallized. After three boilings no further sugar
can be economically removed. The residual sugar
is called molasses.
 Sugar refining
The purpose of the refinery is to remove impurities from sugar

crystals.

The refinery accepts raw sugar as its feed material.

The sugar is dissolved (melted) and the colour is removed by

various clarification processes.

The final refining steps include melting the brown or raw sugar,

decoloring by passing through carbon filters, recrystallizing in

vacuum boiling pans, and drying by centrifuging.

Refining Process
AFFINATION

The Affination process comprises a U-mixer, hot magma mingler, centrifugal

and sugar melter. In the U-mixer raw sugar is stirred with a measured amount
of water before transfer to the mingler for heating and slurrying.

CARBONATION

Dissolved sugar from the melter is reacted under carefully controlled

conditions of ph and temperature, with milk of lime (CaO) and Carbon
Dioxide (CO2) to form a calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitate.

FILTRATION

Carbonated liquor (solution) is pumped through a series of leaf filters which

retain the calcium precipitate in the filter and discharge a clear but coloured
sugar solution.
ION EXCHANGE

The clear but tan coloured sugar solution is pumped through a series of
columns containing an ion exchange resin which absorbs the remaining
colour to produce a clear and colourless solution known as fine liquor.

EVAPORATION

Water is evaporated from the fine liquor in specially designed equipment to

concentrate the sugar solution into a stream known as thick liquor.

VACUUM PAN & CRYSTALLIZER

Thick liquor is transferred to boiling vessels known as pans where under

controlled vacuum the liquor is boiled at low temperature to further
concentrate the solution. As water evaporates and the liquor concentrates,
sugar crystals begin to form, their growth being controlled by careful
adjustment of the boiling conditions.
CENTRIFUGAL

Massecuite from the crystallizers is processed through centrifugals where

the spinning action separates the sugar crystals from the remaining liquid
solution (molasses).

SUGAR HANDLING & PACKAGING

The wet crystals are discharged through a rotating drum into which hot air is
continuously blown to remove moisture and dry the crystals. At the exit of
the dryer the crystals are cooled and passed through a sieve to grade the
crystal size. Any dust formed during this process is removed by vacuum and
the sugar then conveyed to the packing area for final packing into 50kgs
bags.