FOR : MR. ANTHONY D.

SANCHEZ

FROM : KEVYN JOYCE R. CAÑETE

JARJOLEN L. JAMORA

DATE : July 16, 2019

SUBJECT : Effect of Extraneous Matter to Sugar Recovery Based on Different

Harvesting Systems

Extraneous matter in the sugar industry is any plant matter other than cane stalks, sucrose rich

and mineral material which contributes to the reduced levels of sucrose and interferes with the recovery

of the sugar in the manufacturing process.. A better understanding of the implication of the amount of

extraneous matter introduced in sugar processing is achieved upon comparing two harvesting systems,

namely manual and mechanical.

According to studies conducted in Louisiana (USA), it is indicated that for every 10 % of

extraneous matter on the harvested cane there is an increase of 1.8 % of fiber in cane, a reduction of 3.7

% in juice extraction and a decrease of 0.9 % in juice sucrose. This is associated with a loss of 15 kg sugar

per ton cane during commercial trials (Legendre, 1973).

Table 1. Impact of Quality of Cane based on Two Harvesting Systems

Extraneous Brix Pol Fibre Purity

Harvesting System Matter (% cane) (% cane) (% cane) (% cane)
(ave %)
Manual harvested 5.0 17.0 ± 0.7 14.6 ± 0.6 17.0 ± 1.5 86.0 ± 2.2

Mechanical harvested 16.0 16.7 ± 0.2 14.2 ± 0.3 18.0 ± 1.2 84.9 ± 1.4
 Extraneous matter on the two harvesting systems showed an average 11 % increase in the

mechanical harvesting in comparison with the manual harvested cane. Analysis indicated higher

percentage of leaves (7.2 %), soil (3.1 %), and tops (2.8 %) as major components of extraneous matter

incorporated with mechanical harvesting.

Table 2. Purity and Sucrose Content in Mixed Juice, Clear Juice and Syrup based on the Two Harvesting

Systems

Extraneous Mixed Juice Clear Juice Syrup Syrup

Harvesting System Matter Pol (%) Pol (%) Pol (%) Purity (%)
(ave %)
Manual harvested 5.0 13.3 12.0 60.6 89.5

Mechanical harvested 16.0 11.3 10.6 55.4 87.6

There are significant differences between the pol and purity where there is an average

reduction of 2 units in pol in the mixed juice and clear juice, along with a decrease of 5.2 units of pol in

the syrup for mechanical harvesting as compared to the manual harvesting. In general, there is an

average reduction of 0.18 units of sucrose in mixed juice for each increment (1%) of extraneous matter.

An increase in starch and dextran in mixed juice, clarified juice and syrup were also observed with

mechanical harvesting. This could impact the sugar recovery and final crystallization of sugar. The high

levels of dextran in the process suggest the importance of minimizing the time lag between cutting to

milling.
 A study on the effect of tops and trash based on four different trials claimed cane tops and trash

lower the quality of the cane for efficient milling (Reid, 1989).

Table 3. Harvesting systems and sucrose throughput in the mill

Test Harvesting System Tons pol/hr

1 UT – unburnt, topped (with trash / no tops) 16.2

2 BT – burnt, topped (no trash / no tops) 24.5

3 UU – unburnt, untopped (with trash / with tops) 13.5

4 BU – burnt, untopped (no trash / with tops) 25.5

Pol or sucrose throughput in the mill for every trial is shown in Table 3. It is indicated that the

capacity of the mill with regards to pol or sucrose throughput is greatly affected depending on the type

of harvesting system done. The data shows that for topped cane, the difference between burnt and

unburnt is 50% while for untopped canes, it is 90%. Thus, it is indicated that it was trash rather than tops

that hindered throughput.

Table 4. Syrup, pan feed and sugar colors

Test Clear juice Syrup Pan Feed A-Sugar

1 22,090 24,300 26,730 1,284

2 14,970 16,470 18,117 870

3 30,730 33,800 37,180 1,784

4 15,000 16,500 18,150 872

 It is shown in Table 4 that the presence of trash in cane increases sugar color by 76%. The

corresponding value for tops is 23%. Untopped and untrashed cane would result to sugar with very high

color.

There is also an effect on the quality of cane due to delay between burning or cutting and

crushing. Samples were taken from harvested cane in the field and just before crushing. The delay

between burning or cutting and crushing for most of the cane was in excess of 80 hours. Thus,

deterioration is expected, decreasing purity. Cane purities are shown in Table 5 below.

Table 5. Cane Purities in the Field and at Crush

Purities

Test Fresh At Crushing

1 91.5 90.8

2 92.7 89.6

3 90.9 90.9

4 91.8 89.4

Cane purity is reduced by 1.5 units on average due to delay and corresponds to about 0.8% drop

in recovery. It can be seen that the purity of BU cane is lower than that of the BT cane. This is to be

expected as topped cane deteriorates faster than cane with the crown of leaves attached. Topping

should be avoided if delay in crushing is anticipated.

Table 6. SJM Recoveries Based on Mixed Juice Target Purity and A-Sugar Purity of 99.5

Test Target Molasses Purity Mixed Juice Purity SJM Recovery

1 29.8 80.3 89.8

2 32.7 90.3 95.0

3 31.2 80.5 89.2

4 34.3 86.4 92.0

Table 6 shows the comparison between recoveries. It is indicated that both tops and trash have

negative effects. Recovery is decreased by 1.9 % for tops and 4.3 % for trash.

With regards to the effects of tops and trash on cane quality, cane with tops and trash have

higher fiber in cane and ash in cane. However, it is more prominent on cane with trash. It is expected

that the lowering of quality in cane will persist in mixed juice. Ash in cane may cause mechanical damage

to equipment (i.e. pumps, pipes, boilers) while ash in mixed juice is significant in terms of recovery.
Figure 1. LKG/TC vs Non-Pol, VMC Setting

LKG/TC vs Non-Pol
2.5

2
LKG/TC

LKG/TC

1.5 Linear (LKG/TC)

1
5 6 7 8 9 10
Brix – Pol in Cane

A graph on LKG/TC vs Non-Pol (Brix – Pol in Cane) is shown in figure 1. The data presented is

based on the operation from September 9 – November 25, 2018 of VMC. The figure indicates that a

corresponding 15 LKG of sugar is lost per ton non-pol. This value confirms the significant effect of

extraneous matter on sugar recovery as discussed above.