Sugar Cane Industry PDF

Objectives  Discuss the sugar production.  Identify the different sugar quality parameters  Enumerate the factors that affect the quality and  Identify sources of pollution and control in the sugar industry. Sugar Sugar is commercially produced from either sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) or sug...

Objectives  Discuss the sugar production.  Identify the different sugar quality parameters  Enumerate the factors that affect the quality and  Identify sources of pollution and control in the sugar industry. Sugar Sugar is commercially produced from either sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) or sugarcane (Saccharum spp.). Sugar Cane Processing  Sugarcane processing is focused on the production of cane sugar (sucrose) from sugarcane.  Other products of the processing include bagasse, molasses, and filtercake.  Bagasse, the residual woody fiber of the cane, is used for several purposes: fuel for the boilers and lime kilns, production of numerous paper and paperboard products and reconstituted panelboard, agricultural mulch, and as a raw material for production of chemicals. Sugar Cane Processing  Bagasse and bagasse residue are primarily used as a fuel source for the boilers in the generation of process steam.  Dried filtercake is used as an animal feed supplement, fertilizer, and source of sugarcane wax  Molasses is produced in two forms: inedible for humans (blackstrap) or as an edible syrup. Blackstrap molasses is used primarily as an animal feed additive but also is used to produce ethanol, compressed yeast, citric acid, and rum. Edible molasses syrups are often blends with maple syrup, invert sugars, or corn syrup. Process description  Cane Sugar Production - Hand cutting is the most common harvesting method throughout the world.  After cutting, the cane is loaded by hand, mechanical grab loaders, or continuous loaders. Cane is transported to the mills using trailers or trucks.  When the cane is cut, rapid deterioration of the cane begins. Therefore, unlike sugarbeets, sugarcane cannot be stored for later processing without excessive deterioration of the sucrose content. Commercial uses  Sugarcane is grown for its sucrose content and is mostly consumed as refined sugar or other processed products.  Raw sugarcane can be squeezed or chewed to extract the juice, which is known as “caldo de cana” or “garapa” in Brazil, “chediraz” in northern India and “aseer asab” in Egypt. In some countries in which sugarcane is grown, it is bottled for local distribution or sold fresh from juice bars, cafes and restaurants. Sugar quality process  Sugar is tested in many ways to validate its quality. These tests are according to a standard set of quality parameters that are important in demonstrating to potential buyers if the sugar meets the required standard. Sugar quality: polarisation  Polarisation (pol) measures the purity of the sugar, with the sucrose content of the sugar provided as a mass percentage. It is the main standard that is used to determine the quality of the sugar Sugar quality: ICUMSA colour measurement  Another way that sugar quality is measured is through ‘colour’.  The term colour refers to a wide range of complex and molecular components that contribute to the overall appearance of sugar. Sugar quality: ash  Ash refers to all the inorganic components that are naturally present in the cane or beet. It is present in cane juice, and is carried over in a smaller amount into raw sugar.  Ash is made up of both soluble and insoluble compounds and can be determined by the conductivity of the solution.  If there is a high ash content in raw sugar, higher refining costs will be incurred as it will take longer to purify and there will be less yield. Sugar quality: moisture  Reducing moisture in sugar is very important, as sugar is hygroscopic (meaning it absorbs moisture from the air) and can ‘cake’ if it becomes too moist.  The optimal moisture content of refined sugar is typically between 0.02 and 0.05%, and of raw sugar between 0.25 and 1.10%. Sugar quality: crystal size and uniformity  Crystal size, also known as ‘screen size’, is important because is the sugar has irregularly sized grains the refining process is hampered.  It is therefore important to refineries to know that the sugar has met a certain screen size, and important to mills that they are able to produce uniform sugar that is able to fetch a profit. Sugar quality: filterability  Filterability can be defined as how easy it is to pour sugar through a porous material, is compared against a pure sucrose solution of the same concentration and temperature.  This process identifies the extent to which the sugar has been carbonated. It’s an important factor for refineries, because sugar with low filterability reduces the throughput of the refinery – leading to financial losses over time. Factors impacting sugar quality  There are a range of factors impacting the quality of sugar. Some quality issues stem from the farming stage, where cane or beet is exposed to different levels of nitrates, amino acids, potassium and sodium.  There is a fine balance: yields increase with an increased nitrogen application, but the total recoverable sugar is reduced as nitrogen increases.  Phosphorous deficiency can impact juice purity, and potassium and sodium decrease the extraction. The milling and refining processes are also defining factors, as they require precise temperature control and equipment maintenance Pollution Control  Particulate matter (PM), combustion products, and volatile organic compounds (VOC) are the primary pollutants emitted from the sugarcane processing industry.  Combustion products include nitrogenoxides (NO ), carbon monoxide (CO), CO , and sulfur oxides (SO ).