Sugar industry

An agro-based industry involved in the production of sugar is known as the sugar industry. Not only sugar is the by-product of this industry, but it also produces waste or sludges.

There are two processes in the production of sugar. First is, sugar beets or sugar cane are processed into raw sugar. Then the second is, this raw sugar is then processed into refined sugar. In the extracts from cane sugar, sucrose, proteins, polysaccharides, waxes, starch and a lot of impurities are present.

Therefore, this raw juice is heated to eliminate all the colloidal particles as well as the proteins present in them. This process requires so much energy, this is why membrane technology is in very much demand. Ultrafiltration processes are also highly effective here. They don’t require any use of lime, sulphate, CO2 etc., for the removal of these impurities.

To brief the process, sugar cane is crushed first, then the juice obtained is heated and is sieved. It will be passed through several crystallization processes to form raw sugar crystals. They are then centrifuged to remove all liquids or juice present. In the last stage, a syrup containing sucrose, fructose and some impurities are obtained. Sucrose later becomes crystallised sugar. This raw sugar will be processed in a refinery where it will be processed into refined sugar.

During the sugar production process, sugarcane bagasse, molasses, sugar beet mud, pulp etc., are produced. The clear juice is formed on the top and the solid waste materials otherwise known as sludge are formed on the bottom part. For every hundred tons of sugarcane that are processed, three tons of press mud are formed.

Applications of activated alumina and molecular sieves in the Sugar industry

Excess moisture content in the refined sugar can lead to quality deterioration and various other issues as well. To prevent these issues from occurring while packaging and storage of sugar, dehumidifiers with desiccants can be used. Every sugar processing plant contains air dryer units or moisture control units for protecting refined sugar from humidity and moisture. Also, Sugar industries make use of alumina membranes for ultrafiltration processes. These are efficient means by which process fluids are filtered.

Ethanol or alcohol is one of the by-products of the sugar industry. To obtain absolute alcohol or 100% pure alcohol too, dehydration is done. For this, major adsorbents used are molecular sieves. When manufactured, alcohol is in the form of rectified spirit. In this around 94% is alcohol and the remaining is rectified spirit. Distillation can’t be done to remove water from this mixture as an azeotrope is formed at this point. Therefore, dehydration using molecular sieves is the best method to be used here.

Like every other industry, sugar industries also make use of dehumidification techniques and therefore uses of adsorbents are necessary for this industry too.

Molecular sieves

Aluminosilicate solids like zeolites with a high number of pores in precise- uniform size & diameter are known as molecular sieves. These are a known category of adsorbents. They adsorb small molecules with a size less than their pore size and exclude all the molecules that are larger than their pore sizes. They can adsorb particles according to their preference. This is based on their molecular size and polarity.

From powder, beads to granular forms, molecular sieves are available in different sizes and shapes. 3A molecular sieves, 4A molecular sieves, 5A molecular sieves & 13 X molecular sieves are the four major types of molecular sieves available. Each of them has different applications. For each type, the size and number of pores will be different. They have this incredible capacity to adsorb both gas and liquid molecules that are less than their pore size.

They are widely used in dehumidification processes, drying organic solvents like ethanol, in petroleum industries, for the separation of various components in the air, electronic industries, food processing industries etc.

Activated alumina balls

Activated alumina balls are non-toxic, odourless, and tasteless particles found in–the white colour that is insoluble in water. Due to all these features activated alumina balls are the most popular adsorbents used in most industries.

Produced by heating aluminium oxide at very high temperatures, activated alumina is a popular category of adsorbents that are highly capable of adsorbing water vapour and moisture. Not only they can adsorb moisture, but also impurities can be removed by them.

In the majority of industries, air purification is a must to achieve high performance and quality products. This can be achieved by using activated alumina balls.

Sorbead India is a global supplier of adsorbents and desiccants. They supply high-quality molecular sieves and activated alumina balls of different sizes and shapes for various industries. Being a trusted organization prioritizing customer needs, they take customized orders too.

An agro-based industry involved in the production of sugar is known as the sugar industry. Not only sugar is the by-product of this industry, but it also produces waste or sludges.

There are two processes in the production of sugar. First is, sugar beets or sugar cane are processed into raw sugar. Then the second is, this raw sugar is then processed into refined sugar. In the extracts from cane sugar, sucrose, proteins, polysaccharides, waxes, starch and a lot of impurities are present.

Therefore, this raw juice is heated to eliminate all the colloidal particles as well as the proteins present in them. This process requires so much energy, this is why membrane technology is in very much demand. Ultrafiltration processes are also highly effective here. They don’t require any use of lime, sulphate, CO2 etc., for the removal of these impurities.

To brief the process, sugar cane is crushed first, then the juice obtained is heated and is sieved. It will be passed through several crystallization processes to form raw sugar crystals. They are then centrifuged to remove all liquids or juice present. In the last stage, a syrup containing sucrose, fructose and some impurities are obtained. Sucrose later becomes crystallised sugar. This raw sugar will be processed in a refinery where it will be processed into refined sugar.

During the sugar production process, sugarcane bagasse, molasses, sugar beet mud, pulp etc., are produced. The clear juice is formed on the top and the solid waste materials otherwise known as sludge are formed on the bottom part. For every hundred tons of sugarcane that are processed, three tons of press mud are formed.