Sugar Processing Industry-Juice Treatment

It is very important if you know how sugar cane juice is treated in sugar processing industry. First and foremost lets understand what sugar in the market is. Commercial sugar is a type of carbohydrate called dissacharide(sucrose). It is a compound that is formed from one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose joined by a glycosidic bond at alpha-1-carbon of glucose molecule to 2-beta carbon of fructose molecule. This means that sucrose is a non-reducing sugar. Why? because there is no free reducing ends on both glucose and fructose molecules  that can accept the electrons to be reduced, all are utilized in the formation of the glycosidic bond, that is keto- group at carbon number two of fructose and aldehyde group at carbon number one of glucose molecule. Don't  get confused when I talk about alpha- or beta- I'm just referring to the orientation of the hydroxyl groups(anomeric hydroxyl group) at carbon number one of glucose or carbon number two of fructose, when hydroxyl group faces up at this carbon, it is referred to as beta and when it faces down then it is referred to as alpha. This means that at carbon number one of glucose molecule, hydroxyl group attached to it faces down while that of fructose at carbon number two, hydroxyl group faces up. This type of process of formation of sucrose  is known as condensation, where there is a lost of water molecule. hydrogen atom is abstracted from both glucose(carbon number one) and fructose(carbon number two)(carbons that participate in the formation of bond), resulting in two hydrogen atoms which combine with oxygen atom released during the process to form water. As indicated below;
Glucose + Fructose = Sucrose + water
mono-saccharides       dissacharide
Up to here I hope you have grasped what sucrose is composed of. In sugar processing industry after the juice have been extracted from canes. The raw juice is screened collected in main tank, this raw juice is then pumped to raw juice tank where phosphoric acid is added of certain quantity depending on the amount of the sugar juice in the tank. This acid is added to aid in purification of the juice, it enhance settlement of the impurities in the juice. The juice is then pumped to primary heater, it comes here when it is 25 degree Celsius, then it is heated up to 65-70 degree Celsius, this increase the intermolecular movements of molecules in juice. It is then pumped to the lime tank where calcium hydroxide is added, after it preparation in its section, this added also depending on the amount of the juice in this tank. In this reaction between phosphoric acid and calcium hydroxide takes place, to form a solid (calcium phosphate), this form a floc on the top of the tank trapping some impurities, this floc formed can be removed. This juice is then flows to secondary heater, where it is heated to a temperature of 100 degree Celsius, this further increased intermolecular movements of the molecules. Juice then flows to flush tank(flat septum filter), this is designed in umbrella from. In this from it allow escapes of gases like oxygen, carbon (iv) oxide, water vapor to escapes. From here juice flows to clearifier, which is designed in form of a big cylindrical tank with agitator in the middle of it which moves at a certain speed, in this tank foloculant is added, this is a chemical(polymer) of high molecular weight composed of polyelectrolytes of both cations and anions. These further trapped more impurities  and being that it(polymer) is heavier it settle with these impurities down the tank and the clear juice overflow to the pipe leading to evaporators. While these settlements(mud) are pumped to rotatory vacuum filter where they are mixed with bagacillo, to aid in filtration, to extract juice remained in them, which are recycled back to the mills to be mixed with fresh juice for processing.