WATER MINIMIZATION STRATEGIES IN SUGAR REFINERIES

摘要

Water is the essential processing aid in sugar refining and should be regarded as such, not as something readily obtained and disposed of. The raw material into the refinery (raw sugar) is essentially water free and the white sugar leaving the refinery is dry and the other products/byproducts such as liquid sugar, molasses, filter cake, etc. contain little water as compared with that required in process. Refineries attached to raw sugar factories have an abundant supply of water from the raw process as compared with the stand-alone refineries and this contrast often relieves the refinery of water handling problems. The ease of crop operation has to be balanced against the problems of non-crop operation of the refinery. Further, not all water is equal and the appropriate water quality for a particular should be determined. Questions that arise in water usage and that will be discussed include -1. Water quality and water treatment;2. Application of pinch technology to water usage;3. Relationship between water usage and steam demand;4. Control of water usage and relationship to losses;5. Disposal of waste water.