BRINE RECOVERY IN SUGAR REFINERY

PORESEP MEMBRINE SOLUTION

Raw sugar with high ICUMSA value has to be

de-colorized. There are also two common
methods of colour removal in refineries, both
relying on absorption techniques with the
liquor being pumped through columns of
medium. One option open to the refiner is to
use granular activated carbon [GAC] which
removes most colour but little else. The carbon
is regenerated in a hot kiln where the colour is burnt off from the carbon. This is
a costly process in terms of the energy required.

The more recent option is to use an ion exchange resin which although removes
less colour than GAC, but it helps to remove of the inorganic contaminants as
well. The Resin process uses the degree of charge on the colours to separate
these from sugars by a absorption.
The Ion Exchange resin gets saturated after some usage and has to be
regenerated. It is regenerated chemically using Caustic Brine solution at 12-13
pH. The cleaning is very efficient, but this gives rise to large quantities of coloured
liquid effluents. This was a deterrent to the industry and various technologies are
being employed to re-cycle this effluent water.

The RO process for Brine recovery was efficient but could only get 40-50% brine
recovery and due to the neutralising process all caustic was lost.

Poresep Membrine process to recover the Caustic Brine uses modified

membranes to carry out the separation under most taxing environments.

• Brine recovery is done without neutralizing, as done in conventional

systems.
• Minimal make‐up of caustic and salt will be there as no acid is required
for neutralising
• High flux and high temperature stability at high pH upto 13
• Membrine process recovers upto 75-80% Caustic brine back into the
system.
• Colour concentrate can be further recovered as an option, making
caustic brine recovery as high as 90‐95%
• Low effluent loading as most of the colours will be precipitated out in
this new process ( optional).

The process comprises of series of pre-treatments followed by Modified

Membrine process where the colours are removed from the effluents at high
temperature and high pH. This process gives the saving in energy costs and also
chemical consumption.