Direct clear juice: a summary of experiences gained in the production of clear juice in a sugarcane diffuser

The term ‘Direct Clear Juice’ (DCJ) refers to the production of clear juice (CJ) within a modified sugarcane diffuser, thus negating the need for further juice purification in a settling clarifier. The feasibility of producing CJ by filtering treated diffuser juice through a shredded cane bed was demonstrated on a laboratory scale at the Sugar Milling Research Institute NPC (SMRI) and reported at the 2013 ISSCT congress. Factory trials were subsequently conducted at Tongaat Hulett’s Maidstone factory where the promising laboratory results were replicated in a full-scale diffuser. The production of DCJ requires consideration of the juice flow path in the diffuser, the method of lime and flocculant addition, and the screening of the juice after the diffuser. This paper summarises the results and learnings from the DCJ trials between 2011 and 2015. The development of the DCJ technology has been a collaborative project between the SMRI and Tongaat Hulett Sugar.