Refining of Raw Cane Sugar

Sugar refining has always been about precision. A small variation in pH during clarification or supersaturation during crystallization can make the difference between premium white sugar and off-spec product. As global demand for high-purity sugar rises and energy costs climb, refineries are turning to advanced process control and instrumentation to keep operations consistent, efficient, and safe. This article explores how modern sugar refineries use automation systems such as Siemens PCS 7 , smart sensors, and SCADA platforms to optimize performance across every stage of production. 1. Why Process Control Matters in Sugar Refining From the moment raw sugar enters the refinery until the final crystal is packed, dozens of critical parameters must stay within narrow limits. Effective process control ensures: Consistent quality – maintaining purity, ICUMSA color, and crystal size. Energy optimization – balancing steam, electricity, and water consumption. Safety – reducing...

Sugar refining is a multi-stage process that transforms raw sugar juice or raw sugar into high-purity, food-grade crystalline sugar. Each step plays a critical role in removing impurities, reducing color, and improving crystallization. Here's a summary of the major stages involved: 🏗️ Raw Sugar Handling ↓ 🧴 Affination ↓ 💧 Melting ↓ ⚗️ Clarification ↓ 🧲 Filtration ↓ 🎨 Decolorization ↓ 🔥 Evaporation & Liquor Concentration ↓ 🧪 Crystallization ↓ 🌬️ Drying & Cooling ↓ 📦 Screening & Packaging 1. Raw Sugar Handling Before refining begins, raw sugar must be properly received, stored, and prepared. This stage includes: Receiving and Inspection : Raw sugar is delivered via trucks, railcars, or ships and inspected for moisture, color, grain size, and contamination. Sampling protocols ensure representative analysis, and substandard sugar may be rejected or diverted. Storage and Inventory Management : Accepted sugar is stored in silos or warehouses with mo...

Sugar Final product of Sugar Refinery. Chemically, a form of Disaccharides or Carbohydrates, essentially sucrose. Raw sugar is produced in a raw sugar plant and requires further processing in a refinery. Raw sugar is the raw material for sugar refineries. Some raw sugar mills have refineries attached to them. And there are standalone refineries that purchase raw sugar from raw sugar mills and refine it in their process house. Sucrose β-D- Fructofuranosyl α –D- glucopyranoside is the chemical name of sucrose, which is pure chemical compound of formula C 2 H 22 O 11 , widely known as sugar.  Source: Wikipedia Ash Content A quantitative measurement of Solid residue from incineration in oxygen presence. High ash content in Raw Sugar will require much more filtration and have a negative impact on total sugar refining capability. Ash content in sugar products is determined by incinerating a sample in the presence of oxygen and measuring the solid residue gravimetrically. During the ...

During the processing of Sugar from Sugarcane or Sugar Beets, meager or well percentage of Molasses remains in final product. Amount of Molasses in Raw Sugar may vary depending on the use or absence of centrifuge in the processing. Such Sugar is brownish in color and has caramel-y flavor. This Sugar with little amount of molasses is knows as Raw Sugar or Brown Sugar. Refined sugars are processed from Raw Sugar. Refined Sugars are quite dissimilar to natural sugars found in fruits, vegetables and milk. Raw Sugars are processed to remove remove color and impurities. Table Sugar or Sucrose is widely used Refined sugar we use in our everyday life. Our body converts Sucrose or Sugar into Simple Sugar. Refined Sugars are extremely sweet compared to Brown/Raw Sugar and easy for our body to disintegrate. Refined Sugars are like quick energy for us as they take less time to get metabolized and provide Glucose. This is why consumption of Refined Sugars causes a quick raises of Insulin and ...

Sugar is a widely used crystal that makes our lives sweet. Sugar crystal can be colorless, white, or brownish depending on its refining state. Refined sugar is mostly colorless or white whereas less refined sugar tends towards brownish color. Chemically Sugar is Saccharides, a form of Carbohydrates. The sugar we use on daily basis refers to Sucrose, a Disaccharide. Disaccharides are formed when two Monosaccharides (Glucose, Fructose and Galactose) are bonded together by Glycosidic bonding. Monosaccharides are commonly known as Simple Sugar whereas Disaccharides are called Compound Sugar. Oligosaccharides and Polysaccharides are formed from the polymerization of multiple Monosaccharides and have a longer chain. They are not considered Sugar.  Image Source: Wikipedia In a nutshell, Sucrose is the chemical name of Sugar. And it is abundant in nature. Fruits, Vegetables and Plants contains sugar in them through photosynthesis. The sugar we see in our day-to-day use, is the crystalline ...