Elimination of the juice clarifier and the drum vacuum filter at a cane sugar plant

The sugar manufacturing process includes many stations with specific residence times for proper and complete reactions. Sugar losses due to inversion in sugar processing are mainly influenced by temperature, pH value, d.s. content, and residence time of the juices/syrups. Reducing the residence time by the elimination of some process steps would reduce sucrose loss. Recycling of clarifier underflow into the cane diffuser was initiated in 2004. At the sugar units of The Andhra Sugars Limited the drum vacuum filter is no longer used. In the 2012/13 milling season at plant-3 a plant-scale run of clarification of juice in the diffuser to produce diffuser clear juice (DCJ) was carried out. The juice clarifier was bypassed with encouraging process and financial outcomes. With the elimination of the drum vacuum filter and the juice clarifier, there was a gain in sugar recovery as well as savings in manpower, electricity, steam, and maintenance costs. For a new raw sugar plant using this process the capital costs would be reduced.