GB1056996A - Method of purifying molasses - Google Patents

Abstract

In purifying molasses, e.g. cane molasses, to obtain sugars for use in chemical industry, the molasses is intimately mixed with a water-soluble organic solvent, such as methanol, ethanol or acetone, the mixture is filtered to remove the resulting precipitate, then diluted with water, and the organic solvent is removed and recovered from the diluted filtrate, as by simple evaporation or distillation. The resulting dilute molasses is then subjected, in any sequence, to at least one decolorizing treatment with active carbon, e.g. in the form of pellets, at least one deionization treatment with a cation exchange resin, e.g. in the H-form, and at least on deionization treatment with an anion exchange resin, e.g. in the OH-form. Suitable active carbons and cation and anion exchange resins are specified. A decolorizing treatment with active carbon may follow each deionization treatment. The resulting purified molasses solution may be concentrated under reduced pressure, and filtered, to yield a syrup containing 70%, by weight, of sugars.