Refined Sugar Manufacturing Process

In this sugar article mainly discussing about what is refined sugar, Refined
sugar making process, basic steps for making refined sugar and refined
sugar specifications.
Mainly sugars are classified as.
1. Raw sugar.
2. Plantation white sugar.
3. Refined sugar.

What is refined sugar

Refined Sugar is produced by sugar cane or beet via raw sugar. (i.e From
sugar cane or beet, first produced raw sugar by ordinary process known
as Defecation process. Then raw Sugar is following further process like
melting, clarification and decolourization to produced refined sugar.)

Refined sugar Vs White sugar:

Refined sugar is better than plantation white sugar because it contain less
impurities, less colour value of ICUMSA. As well as it is suitable for long time
storage.

Types of Refined Sugar manufacture

There are two types of sugar refineries.
a) Refineries operating in conjunction with raw sugar factory.
b) Independent refineries which purchase raw sugar from raw sugar factories.
Independent refinery called standalone refinery.
Flow Chart of Raw sugar Process from Sugar Cane

Pl
ease go through the below link for more information about raw sugar
manufacturing process step by step from sugar cane
Raw Sugar Process
Flow Chart of Refined Sugar Process

Refined Sugar Making Process step by step from Raw

Sugar
Affination:
Affination process required only for higher colour Raw Sugar(above 1200
ICUMSA colour value). For good quality of raw sugar there is no need to
follow this affination process.
The main aim of affination process is to obtain affinated sugar over 99%
purity & containing minimum colour and ash. In this process above 50 to 60%
colour is removed mechanically depending on input colour of raw sugar.
In affination process mainly done mingling the input high colored raw sugar
with affination liquor (Which is obtained molasses from the centrifuged in
same process) and purging the its magma mixer in centrifugal machine with
washing of hot water after the lquior has been spin off.
Affination Process in Standalone Sugar Refinery with Material balance
Calculation

Melting:
The equipment which is used for melting of sugar is called S ugar
Melter. Raw sugar (low colour & good quality) or Affinated raw sugar is
melted in a sugar melter.

Raw sugar having the crystal size in the range of 250 to 650 micron . The
retention time of melt in a sugar melter having 25 to 30 minutes and
maintained 75 o C temperature. For melting of sugar used hot water or sweet
water and maintained the concentration of melt liquor of 64 to 65 o Brix. Some
times we add enzymes of Dextron and Starch in this sugar melter. A screen
is usually installed at the exit of melter.

Raw sugar melter capacity and design calculation in sugar industry

Clarification:
Clarification process helps to removing impurities and eliminates maximum
colour of melt. Generally refineries are following two types of clarification
processes. They are
a ) Melt Phosfloatation : The Phosphoflotation process works on the
principle of forming low density aggregates of particles and bubbles, and
lower the density, more quickly they float.
For more information go through the below link
Melt Clarification System Design Criteria for Sugar Refinery Process
b) Melt Carbonation : This carbonation process of melt mainly having two
distinct steps. The first step is the formation of a voluminous and gelatinous
precipitate by reaction of calcium and CO2 and second step involves the
conditioning of the precipitate in order to improve its filter-ability.
Ca (OH) 2 + CO 2 = CaCO 3 + H 2 O

For more information go through the below link

Carbonation Process – Raw melt decolourization process in Sugar Refinery
In Clarification of raw melt process colour reduction will be depended on type
of process. It will be around in the range of 30% to 50%

Decolorisation:
In the Secondary Decolourization process colour reduction will be depended
on type of process. It will be around in the range of 60% to 70% on input of
the melt.
In this process mainly three decolorization processes are there.
a) Ion Exchange Resin (IER) : Ion exchange technology is one of the most
suitable processes for melt decolourization in sugar refinery and it was
introduced in refineries in 1970.

The Mechanism of colour removal in the IER process consists

Ion exchange reaction in between negatively charged colorants ,Hydrophobic
interaction between the non polar colorants and Adsorption inside the pores
of the resin bed of colorants
b) Powdered Activated Carbon(PAC) : In PAC process consists of colouring
matters is absorbed on the surface of activated carbon. These adsorbents
used in single stage or double stage, depending on the color loading and
effectiveness of other process stages. Filtration is a main limiting factor in
this process.

c) Granular activated carbon (GAC ): Granular Activated Carbon (G.A.C.) is

technically preferred as the adsorbent for removing color after
carbonation. G.A.C. will also used for removal of the odor in liquor, if any.
An after burner for the stack gasses is required to eliminate odor emission
problems from the furnace’s regeneration of G.A.C.
In GAC system the main disadvantage is the high sucrose loss associated
with the process. The sucrose will be around 0.04% on an operating day and
as much as 0.4% during the shutdown periods.
A GAC system is known to be capital cost is in higher side as compared to an
IER system.

Crystalisation and centrifuging:

The fine or decolourized liquor is feeding to first massecuite and syrup
separated from this massecuite is using as feed for second boiling, syrup
from second boiling is feeding for third massecuite boiling, and so on. White
massecuites (R1, R2 & R3 grades) are discharged from vacuum pans to
enclosed receiver and then sent to white centrifugal machines for crystal and
molasses separation.
For more information go through the below link
Pan Boiling Scheme, Color, Solids and Purity balance in Sugar Refinery
Process
Overview of Colour reduction in Sugar refinery
Drying ,Cooling :
Wet sugar from white centrifugal were conveyed through hoppers for the
process of sugar drying-cooling. These hoppers having hot and cold air
arrangements. The sugar comes from hoppers to be maintain less than 40°C
temperature and moisture having less than 0.04%. Sugar have conveyed to a
vibratory screen for lump separation and then followed by gradation process
in sugar grader.

Sugar Packing:
Sugar from bins automatically weighed and filled in bags and sewn in
automatic or manual sewing machine. Packed bags have transported by belt
conveyor to sugar warehouse and stacked manually or automatically.

Specification of Refined Sugar:

Refined Sugar Specifications (II REVISION) In INDIAN

STANDARD IS 1151:2003
Sr.No. Characteristic Requirement

1 Loss on drying %by mass (Max) 0.05%

2 Polarization (Min.) 99.7

 3 RS% by mass (Max) 0.04

4 Conductivity Ash% by mass (Max) 0.04

5 Color ICUMSA unit (Max) 60 IU

6 SO Content mg/kg (Max)

2 15 PPM

7 Lead mg/kg (Max.) 0.5

8 Chromium mg/kg (Max) 20

Specification of Refined Sugar as per European Economic

Community (EEC) – sugar grade
Sr.No Characteristic EEC1 EEC2 EEC3

1 Pol % (min) 99.7 99.7 99.7

Moisture %
2 0.06 0.06 0.06
(max)

3 RS % (max) 0.04 0.04 0.04

4 Ash % (max) 0.011 0.02 NS

Color %
5 (max)in 22.5 45 NS
ICUMSA

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Relative Topics
Description of Syrup Clarification System and Melt Clarification System
Methods for Decolourization of Raw melt
Design Criteria for Melt Clarification System
Carbonation Process in Sugar Refinery
Colour, solid and purity balance of massecuite boiling of Refined sugar
Material Balance Calculation for three massecuite Boiling
Know About How Many Types of Sugars Available like raw sugar, refined
sugar, white sugar, jaggery
Liquid Sugar Manufacturing Process from sugar cane | Liquid Sucrose

Categories: Articles, General Articles, Sugar Articles, Sugar

Refinery / 29 Responses / by siva alluri

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