India is the largest sugar producing country in the world. The sugar industry is the second largest industry in India and operates seasonally for 4-5 months each year. Sugar production yields several byproducts in addition to sugar, including molasses, bagasse, wastewater, and mill mud. On average, each tonne of raw sugar produced generates seven tonnes of waste. The wastewater from sugar mills is treated on site before being recycled or used for irrigation. Bagasse is used as a biofuel to power sugar mill boilers and generate electricity, with any excess electricity exported to the local grid. Incineration of bagasse also converts it into ash, flue gas and heat to further support power and thermal

1. India is the largest sugar producing country in the world. The sugar industry plays an important role
in India’s economy. It is the second largest industry in the country. Sugar industry is a seasonal
industry which operates for max 4-5 months a season. The industry use sugarcane as the raw product
along with other various chemicals to increase the face value of the final product.
Milling of cane stalks for the extraction of raw sugar yields several by-products of varying
usefulness. Sugar is the main product that we receive from the sugarcane industry. These by-products
include wastewater, molasses, and bagasse and mill mud. On average, each tonne of raw sugar
produced yields seven tonnes of waste products. Molasses is thick, dark brown, uncrystallized juice
obtained from raw sugar during the refining process and in the sugar industry is allowed to pass
through a distillery then it forms ethanol. Thus we see that sugar mills even process the molasses to
make ethanol.
During the process a huge amount of water is also used per day and as a result industry
generateswaste water. Waste water is generated in a sugar mill, mill house. In the mill house it is
mostly contaminated by oil and grease. The wastewater which is produced from the process house
mainly results from floor and equipment washing and is highly contaminated with the additive and
other chemical used at the different stages. Boiler house mainly contributes in the air pollution and
have a very little share in water pollution.
But the gas produced by the boiler house is treated within the factory and is then released in the air so
that it does not contaminate the air.Based on the ratio a sugar mill having a capacity to crush 4500
tonnes of cane a day requires 9000 m3 / per day Of water with the ratio 1:2 and hence the mill
generates the wastewater in the range of 1800m3 / day.
The sugar mill waste water is characterized by its brown color, burnt- sugar like odor, high
temperature, low pH, high ash or solid residues and contain high% of dissolved organic and inorganic
matter.
The waste water is again treated in the factory itself. The process of sedimentation takes place where
the entire solid matter settle at the bottom and the calcium hydroxide is allowed to pass through it so
that it is neutralized. Finally when the water is neutralized its color is removed and the water is
recycled. The recycled water is passed through the fermentation tank for fermentation to happen. And
even this water is used for irrigation.
Bagasse is mainly used to fuel the mill boilers and generate electricity and mill mud or filter mud
and ash are mainly used as soil ameliorants or, to lesser extent, as plant nutrients. . Bagasse is the
fibrous matter that remains after sugarcane stalks are crushed to extract their juice. It is currently
used as a biofuel and in the manufacture of pulp and building materials.
The bagasse is first collected in a recovery pit and then it is passed through a grinder. After the
grinding is over it is collected in a collecting tank after that it is fermented. The fermentation tank has
water which is received from the waste water treatment plant. From the fermentation tank mud is
formed which is used as fertilizers in farms. Mill mud is one of the by-products that are produced in
significant volume.
The bagasse is further collected in a desulfurizing tube and then is passed through a gas engine power
generator and is finally used to produce electricity.
The sugar industry produces significant amounts of bagasse that can be incinerated and secure a
basis for own power and process heat production while delivering excess power to the grid.
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances
contained in waste materials. Incineration and other high temperature waste treatment systems are
described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue
gas, and heat. The ash is mostly formed by the inorganic constituents of the waste
In this way a huge amount of electricity is generated form bagasse from the sugar industry.