Raw Cane Sugar Production

ChE 180: Agro-Industrial Waste Management

Section B, 2nd Semester A.Y. 2019-2020

Robles, Mariecor Elsie B.

BS Civil Engineering, 2015-01127

Sugar can be found in all green plants; however, out of all green plants, sugar cane and
sugar beet are the crops which large amount of sugar is extracted. Plants produce
sugar through the process called photosynthesis. The sunlight energy is used to create
sucrose from the water absorbed by the plant from the ground by its roots and carbon
dioxide from the air. Sugar is the source of energy of most living things (Silverstein et al,
2008).

Sugar obtained from sugar cane and sugar beet is technically termed as sucrose. The
term sucrose or saccharose was derived from saccharides which is the general name
coined for all sugars. A simple sugar cannot be broken down into a simpler compound
which are called monosaccharides. Two significant monosaccharides that make up
sucrose are glucose and fructose which are also called blood sugar and fruit sugar,
respectively. (Pennington & Baker, 1990)

Sugarcane or Saccharum officinarum, locally known as tubo, is commonly planted at

tropical countries. In terms of this physical characteristics of a sugarcane, it is
associated to resemble a thin bamboo which has a root, root stock, stalk and leaves.
The juice is extracted from the stalk of the cane. It has a cylindrical shape having a
hard-outer tissue called the rind and a soft inner cellular structure which is called the
pith that functions as a storage for the cane juice. Sugarcane consists of 13% sugar as
shown in Figure 1 where it; also, it does not only contain sucrose and water but also
suspended matter, colloids and some organic and inorganic substances which are the
non-sugars (Panda, 2000).

Sugar Cane
(100%)

Juice Fibre
(85% Cane) (15% Cane)

Water Soluble Solids Fibre in pith Fibre in bundles

(71%) (14%) (3.6%) (4.8%)

Sugar Non-Sugars Fibre in rind

(13%) (1%) (6.6%)
Figure 1. Average composition of Sugarcane
 Source: Panda, 2000
RAW CANE SUGAR PRODUCTION PROCESS
In order to produce raw sugar, the cane must undergo extraction separating the juice
from the cane (or bagasse). After which, the juice will undergo processes of purification
such as treatment, clarification and evaporation leaving mill mud as a by-product. The
solution will now under go crystallization producing raw sugar and molasses which is a
by-product. Figure 2 summarizes the production of raw sugar and the by-products being
obtained after every process.

Raw Sugar

Harvesting of Extraction of Purification of

Crystallization
Cane Cane Juice Juice

Bagasse Mill Mud Molasses

Figure 2. Raw sugar production process

Sources: (Singh, 2015),(Sahu, 2018),(Panda, 2000),(Santos et al, 2015)
Harvesting of Cane
The cane is being harvested when it has become fully ripe which takes about 10
to 18 months depending on the kind of cane planted. The process of harvesting
cane consists of cutting the cane from the ground, stripping off the leaves and
removing the tops. The cane must be cut near the ground or at the roots as the
bottom part of the cane is the richest in sugar. (Panda, 2000)

Figure 3. Manual harvesting of sugarcane

Source: People’s Archive of Rural India, 2018

Extraction of Cane Juice

 Before subjecting the obtained canes to the crusher, the canes are first washed
with warm water in order to remove the mud, oil and other impurities that
adhered to it during its harvesting and transportation. Using a power crusher,

bullock-driven crusher or a rolling mill, the juice is separated from the fiber which
is now called the bagasse. As the cane has been crushed, the bagasse is
subjected with hot water for diluting. (Panda, 2000)
Figure 4. Extraction of cane juice using a cane crusher
Source: The Nation, 2017
Purification of Juice
Prior to preheating, sulfitation, pH adjustment and decantation, the juice passes through
cleaning processes that prevents the growth of microorganisms that may badly affect
the clarification and evaporation process. (Santos et al, 2015)
Clarification. The juice is boiled immediately in order to prevent the reformation of
non-sugars and to remove the unnecessary matter present in the juice after
extraction. The main goal of this process is to make the juice clear or light
colored. The process is considered to be done when no scums are present and
the juice is clear having the foams white. (Panda, 2000)
Evaporation. This is the first process in the recovery of sugar from the cane juice
which includes the removal of about 75% of the water from the juice. Also, non-
condensable gases are removed. The high temperature in the evaporator causes
thermal decomposition of amides and sucrose. (Santos et al, 2015)

Figure 5. Purification process of the cane juice

Source: Kumar, 2014
Crystallization
In this process, vacuum pans are used. Crystallization is the formation of the sugar
grain (or crystals) which is from the sugar solution produced during the evaporation
process wherein the juice reached a saturation point. There are three methods of
crystallization which are the following:
Waiting Method. This method involved spontaneous crystallization.
Shock Induced Crystallization. This involves the nucleation of the grains when
the solution reaches a certain level of concentration. Among other methods, this
method’s advantage is that the rate of crystallization can be adjusted which
allows the crystallization of a certain zone.
Complete Seeding Method. This is considered to be the best method to be
applied as this uses an automated vacuum pan which allows accurate reading.
(Santos et al, 2015)

Figure 6. Crystallization of the sugar syrup

Source: Michelin, 2017

INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT USED IN THE PROCESS

PROCESS EQUIPMENT
Harvesting Trucks, Harvesting Machines
Extraction power crusher/bullock-driven crusher/rolling mill
Purification Steam Transformers, Evaporators,Clarifiers
Crystallization Vacuum Pans,Centrigugal Machines,Sugar Driers
Sources: (Singh, 2015),(Sahu, 2018),(Panda, 2000),(Santos et al, 2015)

RAW SUGAR PRODUCTION PROCESS WASTE

PROCESS WASTE PRODUCED TYPE
Harvesting Dust from cutting sugar canes Air
Purification Smoke from steam transformers, evaporator and clarifiers Air
Extraction Water needed to wash the newly cut canes Water
Purification Leakage from equipments and scums produced from Water
evaporation
Harvesting Leaves and roots cut from canes Solid
Extraction Left over fibers Solid
 Crystallizatio Solidified leaked sugar syrup Solid
n
Source: Sahu, 2018

REFERENCES
PANDA, H. (2000). The Complete Book on Sugarcane Processing and By-Products o
Molasses (with Analysis of Sugar, Syrup and Molasses). Kamla Nagar, Delhi:
Asia Pacific Business Press, Inc.
PENNINGTON, N. & BAKER, C. (Ed.). (1990). Sugar: A User Guide to Sucrose. New
York: Van Nostrand Reinhold
SAHU, O. (2018). Assessment of sugarcane industry: Suitability for production,
consumption, and utilization. Annals of Agrarian Science 16(4), 389-395
SANTOS, F. BOREM, A. & CALDAS, C. (2015). Sugarcane: Agricultural Production,
Bioenergy and Ethanol. Oxford, UK: Elsevier.
SILVERSTEIN, A., SILVERSTEIN, V. & SILVERTEIN – NUNN, L. (2008).
Photosynthesis. USA: Lerner Publishing Group
SINGH, R. (2015). Membrane Technology and Engineering for Water Purification
(Second Edition). Oxford, UK: Elsevier.

Photo Credits:
CUTTING CANE FOR 2,000 HOURS. (2018). Retrieved on January 21, 2020 from
https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/cutting-cane-for-2000-hours/
KUMAR, S. (2014). Photo Essay | Bittersweet symphony. Retrieved on January 21,
2020 from
https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/xrILP6IeqqU05wBXGMuzGK/Photo-Essay--
Bittersweet-symphony.html
THE ART OF MAKING SUGAR. (2017). Retrieved on January 21, 2020 from
https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/features/rocksugar
THE NATION. (2017). Cane crushing may be delayed in absence of export mechanism.
Retrieved on January 21, 2020 from https://nation.com.pk/23-Nov-2017/cane-
crushing-may-be-delayed-in-absence-of-export-mechanism