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United States Patent O??ce: Patented Feb. 1, 1966
United States Patent O??ce: Patented Feb. 1, 1966
ce
3,232,793
Patented Feb. 1, 1966
3,232,793
experienced.
juices and the manipulation of said separated molasses. 25 the precipitate. gMoreover conventional raw sugar re
Many methods have been proposed for producing raw
covery methods, especially in the ?nal stages, suffer a
sugar. These methods involve, for instance, puri?ca
disadvantage in that the period required for crystalliza
tion of raw sugar cane juices. The object of such pro
cedures is to prevent sucrose inversion, eliminate non
ultimately recovered.
Further
.t
r.
3,232,793
speci?c example.
ment.
\ is). it?
pressures.
The polyelectrolyte may be applied at the same time
or separately to the juice stream entering the clari?er.
curs with heated or calcined magnesium hydroxide and 41 l) substantially smaller quantity of alkali used for the initial
ably in the ratio of 8 to 1. As a speci?c example they 50 able colored substances, or so-called melanoidin com
pounds under the action of boiling temperatures on the
reducing sugars present. In fact, the action of excess
aluminate and 1.25% caustic soda. In place of caustic
alkali materials such as lime, on sugars in solution at
soda there can be used potassium hydroxide. The pro
boiling temperatures results in the formation of formic,
portions of caustic can be varied widely and in some in
CI (Jr acetic and oxalic acids which are all capable of causing
stances omitted.
sucrose inversion.
The quantity of this mixture added to the juice will vary
The quantity of Mg(OH)2 required for best results
somewhat, depending on the variety of cane and the
with the usual mixed raw cane juices varies from 0.45
amount of suspended solids therein. In general, there are
to 0.55 part (MgO basis) per part of CaO required to
added about 50 to 120 parts of sodium aluminate and
6.25 to 15 parts of caustic soda per million parts of juice. 60 produce clari?ed juice of pH 7.0 when 50 p.p.m. of
H3PO4 (as P205) is used ahead of liming. Uncalcined
In the illustrative example there are employed 100 parts
MgO or calcined MgO can be substituted for the un
of sodium aluminate and 12.5 parts of caustic soda per
calcined Mg(OH)2 but the use of such materials increases
million parts of juice. There is then added su?ficient
the cost of the process, requires expensive mixing facili
noncalcined or previously unheated 10% Mg(OH)2 slur
ry-to bring the pH to 7.1 to 7.2. In the speci?c example 65 ties to make slurries and requires special continuous
agitation to prevent settling into a hard cake.
-,._
0.70 gallons of 10% Mg(OH)2 slurry are employed per
Comparative pilot plant tests using the usual lime,
214 gallons of mixed juice derived from a ton of cane
clari?cation and the process of the present invention have
subsequent to the sodium aluminate-caustic soda pretreat
shown that the calcium content of the clari?ed mixed
ment. The concentration of Mg(OH)2 can be varied, but
a 10% aqueous slurry having a Baum of 8.1 is preferred. 70 juices produced according to the instant invention aver
aged approximately 251 p.p.m. or about 43 percent lower
After this treatment the juice is passed through the
than those produced in the regular lime process, which
juice heater and brought to the boil. Just before dis
juices averaged about 440 p.p.m. in calcium.
1 >
charge, of the heated juice to the clari?er, a polyelectrolyte
While the sodium aluminate-caustic soda mixture is
is added. Advantageously, the polyelectrolyte may be
added in amounts of about 1 to 2 p.p.m. The best pro 75 preferably added to the cane juices before adding the
are added as an aqueous solution containing 10% sodium
3,232,793
magnesium hydroxide to bring about the ?nal pH adjust
ment, it is also possible to include the sodium aluminatc
and caustic soda with the magnesium hydroxide or non
magnesium hydroxide.
6
livered to evaporators where the operation of which
according to the present invention involves reducing the
clari?ed sugar juice to syrup of about 60-62 Brix, prefer
ably about 62" Brix with a substantial reduction in the
formation of scale and concomitant increase in effective
ness of heat transfer area available, heat. transfer rate and
decrease in expenditures required to remove any scale
formed. It has been known that when employing con
process is the same except that 1 part of MgO is used 15 ment to more than about 230 hours, thus greatly improv
3,232,793
7
handling temperatures to pump the molasses to storage or
Example 1
To 1,000,000 parts of raw sugar cane juice there were
added 100 parts of sodium aluminate (as a 10% aqueous
solution prepared with the solid form of sodium alumi 10 stantially to the boiling point and adding carboxyl con
mate) and 12.5 parts of caustic soda (as a 2.5% aqueous
taining anionic water-soluble polyelectrolyte to produce
solution). There was then added 0.70 parts by volume
a primary clari?ed juice and a ?rst precipitate, said ?rst
of 10% aqueous Mg(OH)2 (8.1 Baum) for each 214
precipitate consisting essentially of insoluble non-sugar
parts by volume of the sugar cane juice to adjust the pH
solids and clari?ed sugar solution, separating said primary
to 7.1-7.2. The juice was brought to a boil and there
clari?ed juice from said ?rst precipitate, separating said
was then added 1.5 p.p.m. of Separan AP30. The
clari?ed sugar solution from said ?rst precipitate com
Separan AP-3O was added as a 0.05% aqueous solution.
prising adding to said ?rst precipitate 80% phosphoric
Very
Example 2
The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that
there was added to the 1,000,000 parts of raw sugar cane
Example 3
raw sugar.
3,232,793
1,88787
2 422 6959;
310791331
1,095,926
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OTHER REFERENCES
Betz: Handbook of Industrial Water Conditioning, 5th
11
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