3. Introduction:
• Most sugars occur naturally in fruits and vegetables
• Sugar is produced in 121 Countries and global production now
exceeds 120 Million tons a year. Approximately 70% is produced from
sugar cane, a very tall grass with big stems which is largely grown in
the tropical countries. The remaining 30% is produced from sugar
beet, a root crop resembling a large parsnip grown mostly in the
temperate zones of the north.
4. Sugar chemistry :
sugar, compound of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen belonging to a class
of substances called carbohydrates. Sugars fall into three groups: the
monosaccharides, disaccharides, and trisaccharides. The
monosaccharides are the simple sugars; they include fructose and
glucose. The disaccharides are formed by the union of two
monosaccharides with the loss of one molecule of water.
Disaccharides include lactose, maltose, and sucrose
5. Photosynthesis:
• The process whereby plants make sugars is photosynthesis. The plant takes in carbon dioxide
from the air through pores in its leaves and absorbs water through its roots. These are
combined to make sugar using energy from the sun and with the help of a substance called
chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is green which allows it to absorb the sun's energy more readily and
which, of course, gives the plants' leaves their green colour. The reaction of photosynthesis can
be written as the following chemical equation when sucrose is being made:
12 CO2 + 11 H2 O =C12 H22 O11 + 12 O2
• This shows that oxygen is given off during the process of photosynthesis
6. Production technology of sugar from sugar beets
consists of several procedures in a sugar factory :
• Washing of sugar beets
• Cutting them
• Extraction of sugar from cut beets
• Cleaning diffusive juice by defecation , saturation
• Cleaning and filtration
• Thickening juice by evaporating water
• Crystallization of the sugar, washing and spinning crystals of
sugar
• Drying of crystals of sugar
• Ready product
7. Washing of sugar beets
Sugar beets are the raw material from which we produce sugar
mainly in Poland. They are picked from fields in the period
when they have the biggest amount of sugar. The dug out
sugar beets contain a lot of dirt such as, leaves, stones and
remains of sand, which have to be removed.
8. Cutting them:
Sugar beets are tapped by water and cut in narrow
stripes. It increases the surface and facilitates
extracting of the sugar.
9. Extraction of sugar from cut beets :
The extraction takes place in extractors, where cut sugar beets are in hot
water. The extractor is a big container in which cut beets move
towards the opposite direction of the water movement. There is
higher concentration of sugar and as a result one can obtain a
solution which is called raw juice.
Usually, the juice after the process of diffusion contains on average
14% of sugar.
10. Cleaning diffusive juice by defecation ,
saturation:
The next stage of processing
raw juice is the removal of
solid wastes which cloud
the solution. One of the
two commonly used
techniques at this stage is
defecation and saturation.
Defecation is adding lime
milk to taste. Lime alkalizes
the juice and precipitates
wastes, for example,
insoluble sediment.
12. Thickening juice by evaporating water:
The juice makes its way towards a special place where the
evaporation of water till the moment the shapes are created
takes place .This place can hold 60 tons of solution. Additinally,
small crystals are added to the condensed syrup in order to
start crystallization.
13. Crystallization of the sugar, washing and
spinning crystals of sugar:
The mixture of syrup and crystals of the sugar is spinned in
centrifugal machines in order to separate crystals. Centrifugal
machines are big metal drums with small holes in the side
walls. In time of fast revolutions of centrifugal machines, the
syrup flows away by the holes outside and the crystals
precipitate on the walls of the drum.
14. Drying of Sugar Crystals :
Before packing, spinned crystals
are dried by hot air .
16. Production Of Sugar From Sugar Cane:
• The Sugar Cane is Harvested using this
machine which chops them and
transfers to transport bin.
• Then it is directly transported to sugar
mill for processing.
• It should not delay because after
chopping, the cane keeps losing its
sugar content.
17. Crushing & Extraction of Juice:
• The chopped cane is washed
thoroughly and passed through a crusher
Which further reduces its size and
From there on it moves to
“Milling Tandem” which extracts its juice.
• The juice is separated from the ‘Bagasse’
by passing through a channel.
• The dry pulp which remains after
Extracting the juice is known as Bagasse.
18. Processing of Juice:
• The juice now falls through a 10m high
tower where SO2 vapours are rising.
• This process is known as Sulphitation.
• The sulphur dioxide leaches the juice
and removes the impurities.
• Meanwhile In a separate tank the
powdered Lime is added to make solution.
19. Alkalisation:
• The powdered Lime solution is
added to juice to prepare a mixture.
• The Stirrer agitates the mixture
for 6-hours.
• The lime neutralises the excess
acid present in juice.
• Thus this process is known as
‘Alkalisation’.
20. • It regulates the juice pH level
and helps to clarify it.
• In reaction of juice to Lime the
colour changes from brown to
yellow.
• The juice is now moved to a
series of clarifiers.
21. Clarification:
• The juice now in Clarifier Tanks
separates itself from sludge and
floats above.
• The juice takes 2-hours to
separate from the sludge in
Clarifier Tank.
• This juice is collected to form
Crystals further.
22. • Workers filter the residue.
• The residue collected here is known as ‘Mud’.
• There is NO waste produced in Sugar mill as:
• This Mud is used as fertiliser for Cane Fields and
• The Bagasse is used as Fuel
• Also Bagasse is a very nutritious fodder for the Cattle Feed.
23. Evaporation of Juice:
• The juice now is introduced into a
series of evaporators.
• The juice is now boiled to concentrate
the sugar content.
• It brings the concentration of
sugar in juice up from
15% - 60%.
24. • Then the juice collects in 15 ton tanks
to clarify even more.
• Any sediment left in the juice floats
to the top.
• A rotating paddle skims this residue
off to the side of the tank.
25. • These tanks produces a type of thick syrup which requires
further processing.
26. CRYSTALLISATION:
• Now the microscopic sucrose crystals
suspended in alcohol is poured
into the syrup.
• This milky solution binds to the sugar
present in the syrup and
helps to dry it out.
• Next this mixture is boiled in large
vaccum pans forming sugar crystals.
• The water in the mixture boils away in
this process.
27. Centrifugation:
• It is next passed into high speed
centrifugal machine to remove the
sugar crystals from the uncrystallised
syrup.
• Inside the sugar spins at 1200 RPM.
• This action draws the ‘Molasses’ to
Outer shell of the machine while
crystals remains inside.
28. • Sprays of water washes the Crystals
• Then the water is drained out such
that only crystals remain.
• Now the centrifuge dries the crystals
by removing the moisture.
29. • Then the crystals are carried out of the centrifuge by a
‘Conveyor Belt’.
30. Bleaching:
• The sugar is now bleached for their sparkling white nature.
• Optionally Raw Sugar which has high Molasses colour and
unbleached is also produced by the mills.
31. Drying:
• Now the Conveyor belt carries the
sugar into large Dryers.
• Hot air is blown into the dryer
to bring down the sugar’s
humidity level to 0.02%,
which is the standard for
‘Table Sugar’.
• The sugar is ready to be
packed.
