SUMMARY

A sugar cane mill is a facility that converts raw or white sugar from sugar cane. The name is

also applied to the machinery that breaks sugar cane sticks to release the juice. Sugarcane is s

a tall perennial grass that develops lateral shoots at the base to produce numerous stems, each

measuring approximately five centimeters in diameter and three to four meters high. Its

average growth phase lasts for about 12 months. Particularly, it is the raw material that is

used for sugar production. Moreover, this paper also discussed the different processes

involved in sugar production. Wherein, it includes the process of harvesting, cane

preparation, extraction, clarification, filtration, evaporation, crystallization, centrifugation and

drying.

Furthermore, due to several circumstances encountered related to traditional sugarcane mills,

different researches necessary for improving the process are studied and being conducted.

Eight recent developments necessary for improving the sugarcane milling industry were

presented in this paper including the following: (1) Equipment Reconfiguration of Sugarcane

Mill for Overall System Process Improvement; (2) Equipment Reconfiguration of Sugarcane

Mill for Overall System Process Improvement; (3) Installation of High-Pressure Boilers in

Sugar Industries; (4) Application of a Backward Feed Multiple Effect Evaporator in the Co-

generation System of Sugar Industry; (5) Incorporation of Scrubber and Chimney Water

System to Improve Water Cycle Process in the Sugarcane Mill; (6) Effluent Filtration Process

for Sugarcane Mill Industry; (7) Development of NutrioTM Technology, a Foliar

Biofertilizer for Sugar Production; and lastly (8) Modelling a Multi-Stage Diffuser for

Sucrose Extraction in Sugarcane Biorefineries. This paper discussed and presented how these

methods could be incorporated in the system.

The result of these researches revealed that by incorporating any of the abovementioned

methods for development, all of the following advantages could be achieved. (1) Sugarcane

mills will possess a higher value for the key parameters which indicates a better overall

system performance; (2) the stress on the mill's parts is significantly decreased by 50%,

which will result in an extension of their lifespan and allows for the possibility of increasing

SHP to obtain greater extraction; (3) from a power generation of 158kW, it will become

382kW and an extra power for other processes were also generated; (4) there will be a 3.2

percent increase in energy efficiency; (5) will also help to minimize excessive water

consumption throughout the process; (6) will offer a significant impact on reducing the

pollution load and environmental impact brought by the sugar industries; (7) will enhanced

the output by 19 to 37 percent, and lastly (8) there will be an increase in the sucrose

extraction of sugarcane diffusers which is necessary for greater production.

In addition, this paper also includes sample calculations for thermodynamic processes, fluid

mechanics/machineries, heating, refrigeration, ventilation and air conditioning related to the

system process of the facility being discussed.

INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM/EQUIPMENT/FACILITY

Sugarcane Mill and its History

A sugar cane mill is a facility that converts raw or white sugar from sugar cane. The name is

also applied to the machinery that breaks sugar cane sticks to release the juice. The Islamic

world during the Middle Ages is where sugar mills first appeared. They were first propelled

by watermills and subsequently by windmills in the ninth and tenth centuries. Eventually,

during the 13th and 14th centuries there was an extensive use of sugar mills on the Indian

subcontinent, which significantly expanded sugar production. Along with this, the draw bar

was employed mostly in the northern Indian subcontinent and was applied to the sugar-

milling process. There is evidence of its use in Delhi around 1540, though it may have been

used much earlier. By the end of the 17th century, worm gearing and roller technology were

also used for the first time in sugar rolling mills in the Indian subcontinent (Shrivastava et al.,

2011). Moreover, sugarcane production has been increasing all throughout the world when

several establishments of sugar plantations in the West Indies and the Americans in the 18 th

century. Before to this, people often use honey to sweeten their food. In the Philippines,

Spanish colonizers introduced the “encomienda” where Filipino elites were given a chance to

have their own lands and became a sugar plantation that made them successful exporters. By

1570s, sugarcane was planted in large numbers in different places of the Philippines such as

Laguna, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Cebu and more. (Tacio, 2014).

Sugarcane as Raw Material

Since ancient times, tropical regions in South Asia and Southeast Asia have been used to

grow sugar cane, or Saccharumofficinarum. It is a tall perennial grass that develops lateral

shoots at the base to produce numerous stems, each measuring approximately five

centimeters in diameter and three to four meters high. Its average growth phase lasts for about

12 months (Urbaniec et al., 2013). Moreover, sugar cane is a very effective energy crop that

transforms 2% of the solar energy available into chemical energy. Sugar cane generates the

most calories per unit of land when compared to other plants. Compared to other commercial

crops, sugar cane grows more quickly, is cultivable using sustainable methods, and has a

structural and chemical makeup that makes it particularly suitable for industrial processing to

turn into valuable products (Urbaniec et al., 2013).

Figure 1. Sugarcane

(Urbaniec et al., 2013)

There was also a study where a by-product of sugarcane – sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) was

used as a raw material for manufacturing bricks or concretes. According to the study, quarry

dust was used as a replacement to river sand and lime as the binder. With the use of different
applications such as X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning

electron microscopy (SEM), this principal raw material was characterized and confirmed

SBA as cementitious material, thermal stability up to 650°C and showed individual ash with

a rough surface and several pores, respectively (Madurwar et al., 2014).

Figure 2. Sugarcane Bagasse Ash as Brick

(Madurwar et al., 2014)

Sugar Production Processes

Sugar is typically produced using the following steps: sugar cane is harvested, the cane is

prepared, juice is extracted, the juice is clarified, filtered, evaporated, the sugar is boiled

(crystallized), centrifuged, and then dried (Pennisi, 2004). The figure presented below

showed the simplified sugar production process from sugarcane.

Figure 3. Simplified Sugar Production Process from Sugarcane

(Pennisi, 2004)

Harvesting
Both mechanical and manual methods can be used to harvest sugar cane. In order to make

cutting the cane easier for field workers, sugar cane fields are occasionally burned beforehand

harvesting. However, burning sugar cane fields results in environmental damage and the loss

of cane straw, which contains 30% of the energy present in the sugar cane plant (Urbaniec et

al., 2013). Thus, several countries are shifting to green method of sugarcane harvesting.

Cane Preparation

According to (Delgado, 2001), an essential stage that impacts how much juice is extracted

after milling is sugar cane preparation. Less than 24 hours after harvest, the sugar cane must

be brought to the milling station since the sugar content degrades quickly. In order to

eliminate dirt from the harvest field that was transported with the cane, it is customarily

cleaned before being moved to the crusher portion. Sugar cane farms need between 32 and

316 liters of water every second, and the waste water left over after washing the cane is either

recycled or dumped.

Extraction

The cleaned cane must be chopped up next in order to be crushed. Since the harvester

normally chops the cane stalks into pieces, as if the sugarcane was collected mechanically,

this step is skipped. Then, sugar juice is subsequently extracted by crushing and milling these

cut up cane stalks. As a by-product, bagasse is created and often burned in boilers. Shredders,

revolving knives, and milling rollers are examples of milling equipment that are usually used

in extraction process. Additionally, imbibition is a technique used to extract the juice from

the cane.
 Figure 4. Simple Illustration of Extraction Process from Sugarcane

(Deresse Birru, 2019)

In addition, during this process, cane juice, the primary ingredient in the manufacturing of

sugar and ethanol is created. Not all sugar mills combine the production of sugar and ethanol.

The amount of ethanol produced depends on the mill's design and market demand (Eggleston

& Aita, 2020)

Clarification

In this process, flocculants will be added which will react with the organic material and

precipitate non-sugar detritus (mud) that makes it possible to separate contaminants from the

juice. The clearing process produces clear juice that is transported to the evaporation phase

and mud whose juice will undergo additional filtration (Prati & Moretti, 2010).

Filtration

In order to separate the juice from the suspended particles and insoluble salts that were

produced during the clarifying process, this will undergo the process of filtration. A first

ultrafiltration membrane with first molecular weight cut-off was used to produce first
ultrafiltration permeate and retentate. The first ultrafiltration permeate is simply filtered

through second ultrafiltration that has a lower molecular weight cut-off than the first. This

second ultrafiltration will obviously produce second ultrafiltration permeate and retentate

which is commonly processed with nanofiltration. After this nanofiltration, the sugarcane

juice can now be used in evaporation and crystallization operations (Reisig et al., 2002).

Evaporation

During this process, the clear juice acquired during the filtration and clarity process with low

pressure steam will be heated in groups of vessels known as multiple effect evaporators, then

it will be concentrated to make syrup called molasses. The single evaporator vessel in the

figure's stream lines shows that a specific vessel receives its main supply of steam or vapour

from the previous vessel's exhaust. Because more water is lost to evaporation as the juice

moves along the vessels, it becomes increasingly concentrated. In this manner, the juice

vapour is discarded or utilised in other steps of the sugar/ethanol production process (Deresse

Birru, 2019).
 Figure 5. Evaporator Vessel in Sugar Production Process

(Deresse Birru, 2019)

As per a study on the design of evaporation systems and heaters networks, heat requirements

of the overall process are required and mainly occurs in this operation. It is then

recommended to use a thermoeconomic optimization procedure in order to analyze the

optimized distribution of the vapor bleed and it also important to know the heat transfer

happening on each part of the said equipment (Ensinas et al., 2007).

Crystallization (Sugar Boiling)

In this process, the syrup is transformed into crystals which typically occurs in vacuum pans

with basic effects. Typically, the vapour that bled from numerous effect evaporators is used

to generate the steam needed to boil the sugar (Pellegrini & de Oliveira Junior, 2011).

Centrifugation

By using this method, the crystals and molasses are separated, yielding to a raw sugar that

cannot be used yet. Along with this, traditional sugar mills employ batch centrifuges more

frequently, while newly constructed sugar mills are increasingly using continuous centrifuges

as well (Please et al., 2014)

Drying

This is the last stage of the raw sugar's processing before it is packed. The raw sugar may be

stored properly and the growth of microorganisms is prevented by the drying process. The

water content of raw sugar ranges from 0.5-2 percent before drying, and it can be reduced to

0.2 and 0.5 percent after drying with hot air. With the use of steam heating, drying is
accomplished with air. The air is heated to no more than 95 to 100 degrees Celsius to perform

the drying process.

Equipment Used in Sugar Production

Sugarcane Crusher

The cane mill for crushing and extracting juice is made up of a cane carrier, cane cutters,

Donnelly chute, and mill. Steel and cast iron are used to construct the mill's whole structure.

Depending on the requirements, the mills could be a single mill or multiple mills working

together.

Rotary Vacuum Filter

The filter is made out of an empty drum that rotates along a horizontal axis while being

partially submerged in the liquid to be filtered. The drum's edge, which is separated into a

number of independent sections, acts as the filtering surface.

Evaporator

In the sugar industry, multiple effect evaporators with vapour bleeding are frequently

employed. Juice from sugar cane is transformed into syrup by the evaporator. A multiple

effect evaporator consists of many vessels connected in series.

Crystallizer
It is the equipment used to facilitate the crystallization process of sugar. For the process of

separating liquid from solid in sugar production industries, this equipment is utilized. By

draining the solvent from a saturated solution, crystallizers produce a supersaturated solution.

The supersaturated solution's solute will then be cooled and form crystals.

Centrifuge

The most dynamic form of equipment used to make sugar is a centrifugal. The mother liquor

is separated from the sugar crystals at high spinning speeds using this equipment.

Hopper Dryer

In order to maintain the quality of finished sugar, this equipment in the range that is being

offered performs essential grading and drying tasks. As drying is important in sugarcane

process since it can be used to improve the calorific value and overall use of energy, it is

necessary to consider the influence of geometry in this equipment such as modifying the

angles and inferior outlets of the conical part of the cyclone of a dryer. (de Oliveira et al.,

2011)
RECENT IMPROVEMENTS

Throughout the years, everything is subjected to continuous improvement brought by

industrial revolutions. This causes the enhancement of different systems and processes of

numerous sectors either made through certain modifications or technological advancement.

In general, based on the technology employed and as presented on the information above,

sugar cane mills can be categorized into two main categories. These fall under the categories

of conventional or traditional and the contemporary or the modern sugar mills.

Traditional sugar mills are those that are conventionally utilized which commonly composed

of back pressure turbines, low pressure boilers, little to no surplus electrical power

generation, steam turbine-powered rollers, shredders, and other mechanical equipment, and

occasionally ethanol manufacturing. On the other hand, modern sugar mills are those that are

subjected to certain modifications for prior improvements. It usually has high-temperature

and pressure boiler installations, and they frequently use Condensing Extraction Steam

Turbines (CESTs) in co-generation mode to provide any excess electrical power. Most

contemporary sugar mills use electrical drives instead of steam turbines to supply mechanical

power. And for extracting cane juice, these mills additionally have diffusers.

Furthermore, even though the potential exists, the majority of traditional sugar mills are

forced to prioritize residue incineration in order to handle waste disposal. The majority of the

bagasse produced as a by-product in traditional sugar mill boilers is designed to burn with

little steam, which constitutes an inherent inefficiency. In addition, there is also a decrease in

electricity generation during the off-season, which is typically not compensated for, by a

build-up of extra bagasse during the growing season. The problem is additionally exacerbated

by the field burning of cane waste, which accounts for one-third of the crop's energy value.
Specifically, the above-mentioned circumstances related to traditional sugarcane mills

triggered the rise of different researches necessary for improving the process. Recent

developments necessary for improving the sugarcane mill industry are presented herewith.

1. Equipment Reconfiguration of Sugarcane Mill for Overall System Process Improvement

One method of improving the sugarcane milling process is the rearrangement of its

equipment. From a traditional set up, the equipment will be rearranged to achieved the

modern configuration of the sugarcane mill. The figures presented below showed the

reconfiguration of the sugarcane mill as performed, studied and evaluated by (Deresse Birru,

2019).

Figure 6. Equipment Arrangement in a Traditional Sugarcane Mill

(Deresse Birru, 2019)

 Figure 7. Equipment Rearrangement for a Modern Sugarcane Mill

(Deresse Birru, 2019)

The figure shows the reconfiguration of equipment in a sugarcane mill in order to improve

the process. The differences between the positions and changes of each equipment for a

traditional and modern sugarcane mill are clearly presented. For the comparison of the two

configurations, key parameters are considered including the efficiency of cogeneration,

power to heat ratio, boiler efficiency, quantity of crushed cane and the amount of sugar

produced. The key performance features of each mill are identified through in-depth analysis.

With the help of these performance characteristics, it is feasible to characterize elements

regarding the efficiency of both conventional and contemporary mills, as is the degree of

improvement brought about by the new equipment arrangement.

Additionally, to evaluate the effects of the new equipment configuration of the enhanced

sugarcane mill, the supplementary calculations were conducted as follows:

The Lower Heating Value on total basis was calculated from,

LHV t=LHV d 1−( F

100 )
−2443(
F
100
)
(1)

Where,LHV of bagasse on dry basis is taken as 17600 kJ/kg;

LHVt = the lower heating value in total basis in kJ/kg;

 LHVd= lower heating value on dry basis in kJ/kg; and

F= the moisture content of bagasse in %

Power output was calculated from,

Ṗ = ṁ ∙ ∆h (2)

Where,Ṗ= the power output in kW;

ṁ= mass flow rate in kg/s; and

∆h= change in enthalpy in kJ/kg

Heat flows (to the boiler and sugar/ethanol process) were calculated from,

Q=mst ∆ h (3)

Where,Q= heat flow rate in kW;

mst= mass flow rate of steam in kg/s; and

∆h = change in enthalpy in kJ/kg

Fuel power is calculated from equation 2,

Ṗf = ṁf ∙ LHVt (4)

Where,Ṗf= fuel power in kW;

ṁf= mass flow of fuel in kg/s; and

LHVt= lower heating value in total basis kJ/kg

Power to heat ratio (or the alpha value) was calculated from,

α =Ṗel/Q̇ps (5)

Where,Ṗel= electrical power output in kW

Q̇ps= heat flow to the sugar/ethanol process in kW

Boiler efficiency is calculated from,

QB (6)
n B= ×100
Ṗ f

Where,ηB= boiler efficiency in %; and

QB= heat recovered in the boiler in kW

Cogeneration efficiency is calculated from,

𝜂co=Qps +Pme+ Pel /Pf ×100 (7)

Where,𝜂co= cogeneration efficiency in %;

Q̇ps= heat flow to the sugar/ethanol process in kW;

Pel= electrical power output in kW

Ṗf= fuel power in Kw

Table 1. Summary of Comparison of the Key Parameters for the Traditional and

Reconfigured Sugarcane Mill

(Deresse Birru, 2019)

Parameters Traditional Reconfigured

Cane Crushed (ton/hr) 500 565

Sugar Produced (ton/year) 238 265.2

Steam to Bagasse Ratio 2 2

Surplus Power (MW) 0 44

Heat to Process (MW) 65 141

Power to Heat Ratio 0.04 0.4

Boiler Efficiency (%) 72 88

Cogeneration Efficiency (%) 67.1 73.4

Table 1 shows that the reconfiguration of the sugarcane mill process or equipment

arrangement have certain effects or changes for various parameters. The result of the

calculation showed that the modern configuration of the sugarcane mill possesses a higher
value for the key parameters which indicates a better overall system performance. Thus, this

study of (Deresse Birru, 2019) proved that this method can evidently contribute to the

improvement of the sugarcane mill industry.

2. Mill Drive Technology to Reduce Wear and Power Requirement in Milling

Most of the total electricity needed per ton of milled cane is used by the sugarcane mill

portion. Inefficient drives and numerous speeds are the primary causes of the excessive

power consumption during milling. Throughout the years, numerous initiatives have been

made to lower milling's power requirements. Until Patil et al. (2016) conducted a study

focused on making improvements in the shaft-mounted planetary drives of sugarcane mill

and lowering milling's power requirements. Shaft-mounted planetary drives can be installed

on mills in a variety of ways to adapt well to the diverse mill layouts and space constraints

across the world. The shaft mounted gearbox, which is the most common, is depicted in the

figure below.

Figure 8. Flexible Arrangement of Shaft-Mounted Planetary Drive on a Sugarcane Mill

 (Patil et al., 2016)

When the mill has to increase the tandem's crushing rate as well as lowering power

consumption without having to change the headstock or drives, this is the best option. In

addition, these drives operate independently, they are quite simple to synchronize with the

current mill automation system. Wherein, in terms of lowering the amount of electricity used

for extraction, this technique has shown excellent results and improvement in the extraction,

maintenance, and crush rate of the mill.

Table 2. Values of Certain Parameters Enhanced by Shaft-mounted Planetary Drive

(Patil et al., 2016)

Parameters Data

Total Crushing 890 000 Ton

Moisture % in Bagasse 48.27%

Mill Extraction 94.84%

Average Power Consumption 1.07 kWh/TCH/Mill

Wear on Mill Journal Nil to 0.3 mm

Wear on Mill Roller Bearing Nil to 0.12 mm

Evidently, the shaft mounted mill drives offer the lowest per-mill power consumption based

on the results provided in the table above. Also, stress on the mill's parts is significantly

decreased by 50%, which results in an extension of their lifespan and allows for the

possibility of increasing SHP to obtain greater extraction. Furthermore, this implies that shaft

mounted drives have dramatically lower maintenance costs.

3. Installation of High-Pressure Boilers in Sugar Industries

A study conducted by Venkatesh & Roy (2010), regarding the installation of high pressure

boilers for co-generation plant in sugar industries. Instead of the previous boilers and smaller

turbine, two high-capacity pressure boilers and a 30 MW turbine were added in the system.

Their study revealed that the power generation has increased from 9 MW to 23 MW as a

result of the installation of high-pressure boilers and high-pressure turbo-generators. Along

with this, table 3 below presented an overview of the advantages brought by that particular

system enhancement.

Table 3. Comparison of Key Parameters using a Low- and High-Pressure Boiler System

(Venkatesh & Roy, 2010)

Previous Status Present Status

(using a low- (upon installation
Parameters
pressure boiler of a high-pressure
system) boiler system)
Bagasse Quantity (TPH) 1 1

Steam Quantity (TPH) 2.1 2.2

Steam Pressure (ATA) 14 67

Power Generation (kW) 158 382

Extra Power Generated (kW) - 224

Steam quantity available for process (TPH) 2.1 2.2

Steam pressure available for process (ATA) 1.6 2.5

Based on the result presented above, there is a notable increased in the value of certain

parameters upon the installation of high-pressure boiler system for sugarcane mills. From a
power generation of 158kW, it becomes 382kW and an extra power for other processes were

also generated. Therefore, this implies that this method could really improve the performance

of the entire sugarcane mill system.

4. Application of a Backward Feed Multiple Effect Evaporator in the Co-generation System

of Sugar Industry

A sugar factory's cogeneration system comprises of a boiler, a steam turbine, and a process

for evaporating sugar juice. The forward-feed multiple-effect evaporator is the one utilized

for the traditional sugar juice evaporation process wherein in, the steam and the sugar juice

are flowing in the same direction. A study conducted by Chantasiriwan (2020) investigating

the effect of a backward feed multiple effect evaporator as incorporated in the co-generation

system of a sugar mill industry instead of utilizing the traditional one. Unlike the backward-

feed multiple-effect evaporator, which needs steam drawn from a turbine at two pressures,

the forward-feed multiple-effect evaporator only needs steam extracted from a turbine at one

pressure.
Figure 9. (a) Forward Feed Multiple Evaporator and (b) Backward Feed Multiple Evaporator

as used in Co-generation System of Sugar Industry

(Chantasiriwan, 2020)

To create the same amount of raw sugar using either technology, the same amount of sugar

juice must be processed. Additionally, both the forward-feed multiple-effect evaporator and

the backward-feed multiple-effect evaporator have identical juice concentrations at their

intake and exit as well as identical mass flow rates of evaporated water. Condensing pressure

of the two systems are also in the same value, the energy parameter that can be used to

compare the efficiency of the two system is the power output.

The power output of the forward feed (FF) multiple effect evaporator can be calculated from,

P=mv , 0(hs−h 0)+mc (hs−hc) (8)

h 0=hs−ηt (hs−h 0 s ) (9)

hc=hs−ηt ( hs−hcs) (10)

Where,ηt= isentropic efficiency of the steam turbine;

h0s= specific enthalpy of the extracted steam; and

 hcs= specific enthalpy of the condense steam

The power output of the backward feed (BF) multiple effect evaporator can be calculated

from,

P=mv , 0(hs−h 0)+ma(hs−ha)+mc (hs−hc) (11)

ha=hs−ηt (hs−has) (12)

Boiler efficiency can be determined from,

ɳ b =ms ¿ ¿ (13)

Where, hfw= specific enthalpy of the feed water; and

HHV= higher heating value of fuel

The result of the study showed that 36.14 MW of power are generated by the forward-feed

multiple-effect evaporator cogeneration system. Using extracted steam at a pressure of 151.3

kPa and a mass flow rate of 30.62 kg/s, the backward-feed multiple-effect evaporator with a

surface area of 15,500 m² can process an incoming juice flow rate of 125 kg/s. Additionally,

extracted steam at a pressure of 150 kPa and a mass flow rate of 10.63 kg/s must be supplied

to the pan stage by the cogeneration system that employs the backward-feed multiple-effect

evaporator. It generates power at a rate of 37.31 MW. Therefore, compared to the

cogeneration system that employs the forward-feed multiple-effect evaporator, this

cogeneration system that employs a backward-feed multiple-effect evaporator, results in a 3.2

percent increase in energy efficiency.

5. Incorporation of Scrubber and Chimney Water System to Improve Water Cycle Process

in the Sugarcane Mill

Another major environmental issue in the sugar cane processing sector includes the use of

enormous amounts of water and the production of liquid effluents that contain organic
compounds. This concern was studied and presented by Ingaramo et al. (2009) and was

addressed by incorporating a different method to improve the water utilization cycle in the

sugarcane milling process.

Figure 10. Flow Chart of Water Usage in a Traditional Sugarcane Mill

(Ingaramo et al., 2009)

The water usage and flow of water in a traditional sugarcane milling process diagram were

shown in figure 10. As presented, it is composed of different components excluding the

separation system where the scrubbers and chimney water system is located. In this manner,

greater amount of water is used and not regulated properly. In order to maximize the full

potential of water usage for the whole system process, (Ingaramo et al., 2009) enhanced the

configuration of the water system by introducing another component which is the separation

system where the scrubbers and chimney water system were incorporated.
 Figure 11. Scrubber and Chimney Water System Diagram

(Ingaramo et al., 2009)

Figure 11 showed the separation system diagram including the scrubbers and chimney water

system that was incorporated in the design reconfiguration. This cycle involves employing

scrubbers and water to cleanse the chimney smoke. Along with this, separating the solid

particles from the water is a necessary step for water reuse which will help to minimize

excessive water consumption. Likewise, the incorporation of this system in sugarcane milling

water cycle have brought a significant effect and a notable improvement.

Table 4. Comparison on the WIN and EIN values of the Traditional and Reconfigured Water

Cycle for the Sugarcane Milling Process

(Ingaramo et al., 2009)

WIN (Water use EIN (Environmental

Index) Performance Index)
Conventional Water Cycle Flow Sheet 0.58 18
With incorporated Scrubbers and Chimney 0.52 -0.26
 Water System

As demonstrated in Table 4, water utilization improves when the scrubber and chimney water

system are added to the operation, with the WIN falling from 0.58 to 0.52. The EIN,

however, turns negative, indicating that the amount of wastewater pollutants has decreased

below the legal limits. The reduction of pollution load is more influenced by this water cycle

than the actual savings from external water supplies. With this, the process would change

from a situation with an "environmental penalty" to one with an "environmental credit" if this

cycle was put into practice.

6. Effluent Filtration Process for Sugarcane Mill Industry

Despite the fact that the sugar industries have made benefits to various parts of the economy,

we cannot resist that there are also certain environmental problems frequently arise

throughout the sugar industries' production process. If not handled appropriately, the by-

products of the sugar industries could be dangerous to the environment. Due to their high

BOD load and hazardous elements, the liquid and solid waste generated by the sugar

industries has a negative influence on the ecology and environment (Olivério et al., 2010). If

industries don't manage their waste disposal and filtration processes properly, the

environmental effects get worse. Thus, a study conducted by (Kaur & Singh, 2021) regarding

the effluent treatment plant for sugarcane mill industry to help eliminate this concern. The

researchers have discussed and develop a design for the filtration process of the effluent

treatment plant suitable for a sugarcane mill industry. The figure below presented the flow

chart of the effluent filtration process.

 Figure 12. Effluent Filtration Process Flow Chart

(Kaur & Singh, 2021)

Figure 12 shows that this treatment facility has a BOD inlet of 600 mg/lit and can process

800m³ per day. 200 mg/lit is about how much the treated effluent will be. For the

management of hot effluent, two tanks are required. And a cooling tower with a capacity of

30.85 MW is used to lower the temperature. After that, the raw effluent is held in tanks for an

hour, during which time oil and other floating materials float to the surface and are routinely

removed. After this, it is delivered to a multi-grade filter, where the PH level is maintained at

7.6. The water is then transferred to a storage facility for degassed water after passing

through a micron cartridge filter, a sodium metabisulfite (SMPS) dosing tank, a hydrochloric

acid (HCI) dosing tank, and an antiscalant dosing tank. Strong acid cation, strong base anion,

and mixed bed were all processes that the degassed water underwent before it was exposed to

morpholene. Dosing adjustments are made to the water's PH level and the demineralized
water that is transferred to the DM tank in order to create a water tank where the PH level

lowers between 5.5 and 6.8. The water is made completely suitable for reuse after this

process. Thus, evidently these approaches had a significant impact on reducing the pollution

load and environmental impact brought by the sugar industries.

7. Development of NutrioTM Technology, a Foliar Biofertilizer for Sugar Production

One of the biggest problems facing the sector is low productivity. A diversity of planting

materials, fertile soil, and irrigation are a few production-related problems that can be to

blame for this. Low yield is also influenced by climate change's consequences, such as hotter

and drier weather. These issues can be resolved by expanding the selection of planting

materials, setting up nurseries for high yielding sugarcane types, improving fertilizer use and

efficacy, and upgrading irrigation infrastructure. Specifically, to addressed this concern, a

study conducted by (Tobias, 2020) regarding the development of a certain technology to

improve the current state of the industry. Wherein, the researcher was able to develop the

NutrioTM technology, a foliar biofertilizer that can enhance the production of that particular

industry. In fact, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources

Research and Development (PCAARRD) have funded the development of the

aforementioned technology knowing the fact that it can improve the health of the plant and

increases sugarcane production. Additionally, it decreases the need for chemical fertilizers,

lowering production costs. Moreover, the cane output was found to improve to 156 tons per

hectare when this method was used. The research's findings indicate that NutrioTM works

best when used with the minimum amount of inorganic or chemical fertilizers that are

advised. Every two months, starting three to four months after planting, NutrioTM is

administered twice per sugarcane cropping season (2 kg each time). In this manner, plants
will grow more sustainably and healthily as a result of using the product. Crop output and

profit will also increase. Furthermore, it has been noted that using NutrioTM in fusion with

inorganic fertilizers have enhanced the output by 19 and 37 percent, respectively.

8. Modelling a Multi-Stage Diffuser for Sucrose Extraction in Sugarcane Biorefineries

In sugar processing, sugar extraction is one of the first and main steps in order to achieve the

desired product. It is very important to ensure the high sucrose extraction efficiencies since it

will define the productivity of ethanol and sugar industries. Brazil has been increasing the

number of diffusers for several reasons such as higher efficiency, lower energy cost, lower

maintenance and lower capital costs (De Souza Noel Simas Barbosa et al., 2017). This is very

impactful to sugar industries because it seems to have an ideal case in production area. It will

give them the most benefit for having a higher efficiency with just a lower energy and capital

costs. Below is the simplified model representation of sugarcane diffusers in a study

conducted by De Souza Noel Simas Barbosa et al (2017).

Figure 13. Simplified representation of modelled sugarcane diffusers

(De Souza Noel Simas Barbosa et al., 2017)

In addition, there are several conditions that were considered in performing such scenarios to

evaluate the effectiveness of the modelled sugarcane diffusers and they are the different
imbibition liquid input positions, percolation liquid recirculation rates, and mass flow rates.

The results show that: (1) there is an increase of sugar concentration in both the megasse and

final juice as imbibition liquid is inserted in more than one stage of the diffuser, but there is a

decrease in percolation velocities in most of the stages; (2) a higher flow rate of imbibition

liquid inserted increases the percolation velocity; however, there is a decrease in sugar

concentration in megasse and dilutes the juice; (3) maintaining the imbibition liquid flow rate

while recirculating the percolation liquid that increases the percolation velocity in the same

stages, there is a decrease of sugar concentration in final megasse but, an increase of sugar

concentration in extracted juice. With this, the objective to increase the sucrose extraction in

sugarcane diffusers have been met and for further development, it is recommended to have a

multi-objective optimization to reach higher efficiencies in sucrose extraction (De Souza

Noel Simas Barbosa et al., 2017).