The third conference of the European Society for Sugar Technology (ESST) and Verein Deutscher Zuckertechniker (VDZ) took place in Warsaw, Poland, from the 5th to the 8th of May 2013. The congress was a most successful event, organized this year by members of the VDZ’s Northern branch. For 2013 meeting, the two associations had decided to cooperate with the Polish Sugar Technologists Association (STC).
The event was held in the building of the Polish Association of Engineers (NOT), in the center of Warsaw. The NOT building dates from the time before World War I, and is equipped with a spacious conference hall, ideally suited for this meeting.
In total, 285 participants from 21 countries had registered for the conference. The guest program was attended by 34 participants. This number makes it the most well-attended ESST conference in the history of the organization.
ESST Council Meeting
During the conference, the European Society for Sugar Technology held the meeting of its governing Council. The ESST Council decided to change the status of the society to non-profit, according to German law (Gemeinnützigkeit). The Executive Board was reelected for another two-year term. Board members include: Denis Bourée (President), Paul Mesters (Incoming President), Piotr Wawro (Treasurer) and Gary Punter (Board Member). The ESST currently has as members: 13 sugar manufacturers, 5 Sugar Technologists Associations and 51 Suppliers.
Scientific Committee Meeting
On May 6, the ESST Scientific Committee held its regular meeting. During this meeting, committee members were informed in detail on the current status of the work of the ESST Nitrite in Feed Subcommittee. The main results also were presented in the nitrite session of the conference. The Scientific Committee elected as new members:
o Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Jördening (Technical University Braunschweig);
o Wolfgang Klosterhalfen (Pfeifer & Langen);
o Dr. Timo Koch (Pfeifer & Langen); and
o Thomas Michelberger (Südzucker).
Scientific Sessions
The conference opened with a presentation by M. Derezinski, President of KSC and the Polish Association of Sugar Producers. This was followed by 20 presentations and a Poster Session with nine posters, presented for five minutes each. The abstracts of the papers have been published in Sugar Industry No. 5 and are available on the web at www.esst-sugar.org.
The main themes of the conference were
o Nitrite in animal feed products;
o Scale – formation, composition, removal, avoidance;
o Waste water treatment, including anaerobic digestion of sugar beet residues;
o Analysis of deteriorated beet; and
o General Sugar Technology.
Awards
During the first two conferences the President of the Scientific Committee presented at the end of the conference a “Best Paper Award” based on his own judgement.
For the 2013 Meeting the ESST Board decided to establish two Awards, the ESST Science Award and the ESST Best Paper Award. The aim of the awards is to encourage Sugar Technology R&D and sharing results with others and to reward high-quality scientific contributions to ESST and the international sugar technology network. There by it hopes to improve the ESST image.
For 2013 the ESST Board decided to give the ESST Science Award to Dr. Martin Bruhns (see page 386). Chosen from a small committee of the ESST Board, the Best Paper Award was given to Dr. Walter Hein (Zuckerforschung Tulln) for his presentation on “Experiences with the objective detection of deteriorated beet.”
After his studies at the Universität für Bodenkultur in Vienna, Walter Hein joined the Austrian Sugar Research Institute in Fuchsenbigl (now Tulln) in 1980. Dr. Hein has been the author and co-author of numerous papers on subjects from beet quality to molasses purity calculations. In 2004, he became the head of the Sugar Technology Division of the Sugar Research Institute. He lectures at the Universität für Bodenkultur, is President of Austrian National Committee of ICUMSA and member of the Scientific Committee of CITS/ESST.
Social Program
As in the previous conferences the organizers of the VDZ had found very attractive venues for the evenings. The conference Dinner took place in the Palace of Culture and Science, the most visible landmark in the center of Warsaw. Built as a gift by the Soviet Union it reflects the Stalinist architecture of the time. The impressive marble hall gave a wonderful surrounding for first presentation of the ESST Science Award by Denis Bourée, President of ESST. On the second evening participants were invited to visit the Copernikus Science Museum, a modern building next to the Vistula river. It contains over 450 interactive exhibits that enable visitors to single-handedly carry out experiments and discover the laws of science for themselves. The Centre is the largest institution of its type in Poland and one of the most advanced in Europe.
Exhibition
For the second time a small exhibition was organized during the conference. Despite the limited space in the NOT Building the exhibitors were very satisfied with the contact to the participants of the conference. The following companies exhibited: Barriquand, BMA, Eberhardt, EnerDry, ESCON, Fischbein, IPRO Industrieprojekt, ITECA, Johnson Screens, Kemira, Maguin, Mahle Industry, Neltec, Novasep, NPI, Polimex-Cekop, Pol-Inowex, Progress Eco., proMtec, Putsch Group, Schmidt + Haensch, Silver Weibull, VRL Automation.
4th ESST Conference
The next ESST/VDZ conference will take place in Reims, France, from May 10 to 13, 2015.
Martin Bruhns: Winner of the ESST Science Award
Formed in 2007 and born of the former Commission Internationale Technique de Sucrerie (CITS, est. in 1947), the European Society for Sugar Technology (ESST) provides an international platform where sugar scientists can meet, discuss current issues and exchange information on the progress being made in sugar technology and chemistry. When looking more closely at the ‘small’ world of sugar scientists, one can identify few individuals who, over the years, have made significant contributions to the technological understanding of sugar processing. Such contributions are now recognized by the ESST Board, whose members felt that the organization, on occasion, should honor sugar scientists. The board formed a special ESST awards committee to identify high achievement in the field and make nominations for recognition.
Thus, the ESST Board has granted the first prestigious ESST Science Award to Dr. Martin Bruhns for his outstanding contribution and many years of dedication to the science of sugar-processing technology.
Martin Bruhns was raised in a ‘sugar’ family. (He is the great-grandson of ICUMSA founder Alexander Herzfeld, and his parents ran Bartens Verlag in Berlin, publisher of the original German sugar journal Zeitschrift für die Zuckerindustrie.) Despite his strong sugar -industry heritage, Martin Bruhns began his career with appliance manufacturer AEG, spending two years in an apprenticeship there.
Martin’s excellent sailing skills also carried him onto Germany’s national sailing team, which excelled in the 1978-79 European and World championships. When Germany joined the boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, however, Martin’s career underwent a “sea change,” so to speak. His interest in sugar technology ignited. After completing his studies in mechanical engineering and business economics at the Technical University of Berlin, he attended the summer course at the highly esteemed Brunswick Sugar Institute. He spent that year’s beet campaign at the sugar factory in Nordstemmen, and began his professional sugar career in 1983 as an engineer at Brunswick Sugar Institute.
In 1992 he led the institute’s Department of Energy & Process Engineering and obtained a PhD in 1995, writing on “Heat Transfer and Flow Behaviour of Massecuites.” After closure of the Brunswick Sugar Institute in 1996, Martin moved on to Pfeifer & Langen’s unit for Central Process Development, in Elsdorf and, in 1998, became head of the Department Development, Technology & Analytics there. He has been a member of the CITS/ESST Scientific Committee since 1999 and chairman of the German National Committee of ICUMSA since 2007.
Throughout his career, Martin Bruhns has been a highly regarded contributor to the beet sugar industry, having covered most aspects of sugar processing, from beet quality to sugar crystallization. He has presented many high-quality scientific papers at international sugar conferences and is also well-published in international journals. He has contributed to two Bartens Verlag volumes, Sugar Technology and Sugar Technologists Manual.
He has actively participated in several committees, international working groups and projects. The ESST Board of Directors is very pleased to name Martin Bruhns as the winner of the first ESST Science Award.
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