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Chemistry of Saccharide

Recovery of Sugar from


Principal Sources: Sugar Cane

Lorenz Esperon-Borromeo | 2015


BS Chemical Engineering

Introduction:
Carbohydrates, sugars and starches are the most widely
distributed and abundant organic chemicals on earth.
Carbohydrates
-polyhydroxy aldehydes or polyhydroxy ketones or
substances that yield such compounds on acid
hydrolysis.

They;
have a central role in the metabolism of plant and animals
serve as a basic food
act as sweetening agents, gel/paste-forming agents,
thickening agents and stabilizers
act as precursors for aroma and coloring
substances generated within the food by a series of
reactions and during handling and processing

The Chemistry of Saccharides


Saccharum
Latin word for sugar
Saccharides
Basis of a system of classification for carbohydrates

All carbohydrates consist of the following molecules;


1. Monosaccharide (simplest sugar)
Contains one saccharide molecule
Includes fructose and glucose (structural isomers)
Chemical Formula: C6H12O6

2. Disaccharide
Union of 2 monosaccharides with the loss of 1 molecule water
Includes Lactose, Cellobiose, Maltose and Sucrose
Sucrose has the formula: C12H22011

2. Polysaccharide
Compounds in which the molecules contain
many units of monosaccharides joined together by
glycoside links.
Includes starch and cellulose

Starch
Most valuable polysaccharide
Tree-like, containing 250 to 1000 or more
glucose units per molecule joined together
through alpha linkages

Cellulose
Most abundant polysaccharide
Fibrous component of a plant cell wall
Chains of molecules up to 14,000 units of Dglucose

Properties of Sugar
Product of photosynthesis
Occurs in greatest quantities in sugar
cane and sugar beets
Crystallizes from aqueous solution as
monoclinic, hemimorphic crystals
Melting point is 188 oC, BUT is
indefinite
Density if 1.5879 g/cm3

Properties of Sugar
Linear expansion coefficient ranges
from 0.028 to 0.050% depending on
axis
Dipole moment is 2.8x10^-29 (8.31D)
Sparingly soluble in alcohol but
moderately soluble in organic solvents
such as dimethyl formamide and
pyridine.
Specific heat of crystalline sucrose is
415.98J/mol at 20oC
Polarization- sucrose in solution
rotates a polarized light to the right in
equal proportion to the quantity of
sucrose present

Raw Sugar Manufacturing: Cane Sugar


Typical flow diagram for the manufacture of raw sugar from Sugar Cane
Washed Cane

Cutter/
Shredder

Mill/
Diffuser

Diffusion Juicer

Clarifier/
Filter

Water
Raw Sugar

Vacuum
Pan
Crystallize
r

Molasses

Multistage
Evaporato
r

Cake
Lime

Mixer/
Juice

Washing
Mechanically harvested cane picks up field, mud,
sand, trash and fine dirt during transportation
into the factory.
To avoid these, cane first goes to a washer.
Washing systems vary from a simple system of
spraying warm water on a table to a very
elaborate system consisting of conveyors with
water jets, stripping rolls and baths.

Cutting/ Shredding
The cane is chopped into short segments (8 to
12 in. long) and the segments are passed
through 2 sets of knives.
1st Set: Cut the canes into small pieces and acts
as a leveler to distribute the cane more evenly
onndthe carrier.
2 Set: Acts as a shredder and thoroughly cuts
up and shreds the cane into a fluffy mate of
pieces of few cm in length.
3rd Set (Special Case of a diffusion): Canes are
put through an even finer shredder called a
buster. No juice is extracted in the shredder.

Milling
The cut pieces from the shredder then pass
through a series of mills, called a tandem or
milling train
Prime Objectives
To extract the greatest possible amount of
sucrose from the sugar cane in juice form.
To make the final bagasse (fibrous residue from
the cane) as dry as possible so that it will burn
readily in the boilers.
From 3 to 7 sets of such 3-roller units, described
as a 9-roller to 21-roller mill are in use.

A classical combination of 3 rollers arranged in


triangular form is the standard milling unit of the
sugar industry

The top roller rotates counterclockwise and the


bottom 2 rollers clockwise.

After passing through the first mill, the bagasse


is carried to the second mill by bagasse carriers
by a turn plate
Compound Imbibition is used to reduce the
sucrose in the fiber by repeated dilution and
milling.
The juice is collected from the 1st mill and mixed
with the juice from the crusher. The mixed juice
is then passed through perforated metal screens
(1mm diameter) for clarification.

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