Measuring water content of pressed beet pulp – Microwave transmission measurement for process optimization and quality improvement*

In the 2016 campaign, the Aarberg sugar factory of Schweizer Zucker AG successfully installed and operated a microwave based water content measurement system at the discharge line of the pressed beet pulp aiming for improved availability and reliability of dry substance value allowing a more precise adjustment of water content within contract specifications. For optimum performance, calibration and verification of the measurement results an automated sampling system has been introduced. Within this article the measurement results are presented and compared to laboratory analysis. The improvements achieved on pressed pulp processing in comparison to current methods as well as the sampling setup and the suitability of microwave transmission technology for this measurement task in general are discussed.