NL1013605C2 - Processing method for beet especially sugarbeet, comprises pressing the harvested crop and collecting the moisture for subsequent processing into e.g. sugar - Google Patents

Abstract

Beet is harvested and then pressed until all the moisture is removed. The moisture is collected and then taken to a processing plant to produce e.g. sugar. A method for processing beet (6), especially sugarbeet or chicory, comprises harvesting the beet and then pressing it until all the moisture is removed. The moisture is collected and then taken to a processing plant. Independent claims are also included for (a) a harvester machine (1) for carrying out this method, provided with cutting means, a press, and means for collecting and discharging the moisture from the beet, and (b) a refinery for obtaining sugar from beet vapour, especially from sugarbeet, including at least one collection device for moisture from the pressed beet and a means for transferring collected moisture to a refining step.

Description

Title: Method and device for processing sugar beet and the like.

The invention relates to a method for processing sugar beet. More in particular, the invention contemplates such a method in which moisture from the sugar beet is efficiently obtained for refining, at least for further processing into sugar, in particular granulated sugar.

It is known to harvest beet in a field, with the aid of a digging machine, after which the beet is stored in an intermediate storage, then loaded for transport to a processing device. In the relevant processing device, the beets are cleaned and cut, after which the cut beets are treated in a scalding trough, such that the moisture present in the beet, with the sugar dissolved therein, is released by permitting the cell walls of the beet.

During the subsequent residence in an extraction system, water is added to the heated cut beet.

This water, containing the moisture of the beet, is introduced into the sugar production process. This known method 20 offers the advantage that a relatively large percentage of the sugar present in the beet is released. However, this method has the drawback that the beets are completely transported to a sugar factory for processing into sugar, which entails a great deal of energy for transporting and high transport costs. Moreover, a relatively large amount of energy is required to achieve sufficient digestion of cells by heating the cut beet.

The object of the invention is a method of the type described in the preamble, wherein the above-mentioned drawbacks of the known method are at least substantially avoided, while retaining the advantages thereof. To this end, a method according to the invention is characterized by the measures according to claim 1.

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Pressing the beets offers the advantage that the moisture obtained can be released and stored relatively easily. The moisture can be preserved, in particular to counteract lactic acid formation and sugar loss. In addition, there is no dense stacking of the beets, so that the volume gain during transport will be even greater. Pressing the beets and storing the moisture for later or direct processing offers the advantage that the costs of transport and processing will be greatly reduced in proportion to the total costs in the known production method of sugar.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, a method according to the invention is further characterized by the measures according to claim 2.

Processing, in particular pressing the beets on the field or at the place of loading, at least at the farmer prior to transport to the processing device offers the advantage that much less volume has to be transported compared to the known method. In addition, the remaining beet pulp can more easily be transported to processing means intended for this purpose, for instance an installation for the production of cattle feed, can be deposited directly as cattle feed or be returned to the relevant field where the beet has been harvested. Backfilling offers the advantage that organic matter remains on the field. In addition, this offers the advantage that fewer nutrients need to be applied to the field by using fertilizer. A further advantage of such a method is that less pollution of the environment by, for example, tare occurs.

The beet is preferably made small before pressing, so that the moisture can be squeezed out more easily. In addition, it may be advantageous to add means by which the moisture can be squeezed out of the beet more easily. For example, extra moisture can be added to dilute the moisture to be squeezed out of the beets, and (chemical) agents can be added to break or at least weaken the cell walls of the moisture-containing cells. As a result, more moisture can be extracted from the beets without the use of undesirably high pressing pressures.

In a further elaboration, a method according to the invention is further characterized by the measures according to claim 7.

Storage of the moisture pressed from the beet and its processing spread over time offers the advantage that a processing installation can be used with relatively limited capacity, while still sufficient moisture can be processed. After all, in the known method, the moisture extracted from the beet by heating has to be processed immediately, so that, as a result of the seasonal beet campaign, the processing installation can only be used continuously for a short time. This means that a processing installation with an (undesirably) large capacity must be used, or several processing installations.

The invention furthermore relates to an apparatus for processing beet and the like, characterized by the measures according to claim 8.

With such an apparatus, moisture can be extracted from beets and the like in a quick and simple manner for further processing, in particular for refining thereof into sugar, more in particular granulated sugar.

The invention further relates to a refiner, characterized by the measures according to claim 12.

With such a refiner, sugar can be obtained in a simple and advantageous manner.

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Moreover, for a longer period of time, that is to say, seasonal sugar can be produced, so that less capacity is required while the desired amount of sugar can still be produced.

In the further subclaims, further advantageous embodiments of methods and devices according to the invention are described.

To clarify the invention, exemplary embodiments of a method and device, as well as of a refining device according to the invention will be described with reference to the drawing. In it shows:

Figure 1 shows a schematic top view of a harvesting device according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows schematically in partial cross-sectional side view a harvesting device according to figure 1; and Figure 3 shows a schematic for a method according to the present invention.

In this description, like or corresponding parts have like or corresponding reference numerals.

In this description, the cleaning of beets, in particular sugar beets, will be discussed as an example. It will be clear, however, that other root products such as fodder beet, chicory roots and the like can also be treated in a similar manner.

Figure 1 schematically shows a top view of a harvesting device 1 according to the invention, which has a general structure as generally known. Insofar as such a lifting device 1 is generally known and is supplied, for example, by companies such as Vervaet,

Holmer, Agrifac and TIM, the grubber 1 will only be described broadly.

The harvesting device 1 comprises, in the direction of travel R, 35 front harvesting means 2 for harvesting 1 01 3605 5 root products such as beets 6 such as sugar beets or fodder beets from the field in a manner known per se and not specified in further detail. of means for removing leaves 8 from the beets and subsequently scalping the beets, for which purpose for instance a flail shaft and aftercoppers can be used.

The beets stripped of foliage and scalp are then transferred into sieve means 10 such as sieve wheels arranged behind the harvesting means 2 and transferred from there, for example with a conveyor belt 13 or further sieve wheels or the like, to mechanical cleaning means 12 such as a roller bed with star rollers 14, which are driven for mechanically removing at least part of the tare from beets, such as, for example, adhering soil and other dirt. The beets 6 are then carried away from the roller bed 12 with further transport means such as a conveyor belt 16, for instance to a wagon driving next to the harvesting device 1. Harvester 1 is equipped with wheels 18 and a cabin 20 and can be driven over a field 4.

The harvesting device 1 is provided with means for removing at least part of the moisture from the foliage 8. In the embodiments shown in the drawing, these means are designed as leaf press means 22, 25 arranged near the front end of the harvesting device 1. The foliage 8 which is separated from the beets 6 is introduced into the press means 22 in a suitable manner. In the leaf press means 22 the foliage 8 is bruised and compressed such that at least part of the moisture 30 is extracted from it. This moisture is pumped via a pipe 24 with the aid of a pump 26 to spraying means 28 above the roller bed 12. With the aid of spray nozzles 30, the moisture is sprayed forcefully over the beets 6 located on the roller bed 12, such that in addition to the mechanical cleaning also a wet cleaning is obtained. As a result, the beets are stripped of virtually all tare in a particularly good and 1013605 6 simple manner. The spray water, together with rinsed tare, passes between the rollers 14 of the roller bed 12 and flows back into the field 4. As a result, only 5 clean beets are discharged by the conveyor belt 16. The pressed foliage 8 can be discharged from the pressing device 22 via a pouring opening 32 and dumped back into the field 4 or discharged as feed.

As appears from Figure 1, two rows of nozzles 30 may be provided in the spray means 28, but it will be clear that any desired number of nozzles can be arranged, while, moreover, the spraying direction can be varied simply, as can the spray means used. It is also possible to spray at an earlier stage, for instance in such a way that at least a part of the moisture pressed from the foliage is already brought into contact with the beets before they are deposited on the roller bed 12. Therefore, some soaking can be obtained. A rinsing bath can also be provided.

Under the free end of the conveyor belt 16, a collecting device 40 is provided in which the cleaned and defoliated beetroot 6 can be collected. The collecting device 40 comprises a cutting device 42 of a type known per se with which the beets can be cut, or at least be comminuted. From the cutting device 42, the beets are then transferred to pressing means 44 in which the cut beets 6 are pressed for pressing moisture to be refined therefrom.

This moisture is transferred via a pipe 46 containing a pump 48 therein into a storage tank 50 in which the moisture can be collected. Pressed beet pulp remains in the pressing means 44, which can be removed, for example for processing into fodder or can be returned to the field 4. When returning to the field 4, 35 organic matter and nitrates remain on the field 1013605 7, so that less fertilizer is required and moreover no environmental problem arises.

With the aid of or from the storage device 50, the moisture that has been pressed from the beets 6 can be discharged to a processing device 52, in which the moisture can be transferred to a second storage device 54 in which the moisture can be stored for a relatively long time if necessary. From the second storage device 54, the moisture is then transferred to a refiner 56 where the moisture is refined in a manner known per se to obtain sugar, at least the desired end products. Because the moisture is stored in the second storage device 54, optionally together with preservatives or other supplements and / or at a temperature at which no decay or lactic acid formation or other sugar loss occurs, the moisture can be stored for a relatively long time, so that the moisture can be stored for a relatively long period of time using of the refiner 56 can be processed. This means that the refinery in question 56 can be of relatively small capacity and can be kept in operation for a long time, for instance a few months or the whole year.

Figure 3 schematically shows which steps can be performed in a method according to the present invention. To that end, in Figure 3, a first rectangle is shown in broken lines, which rectangle represents a farm 58, and a second rectangle, shown in broken lines, which represents the moisture processing device 52.

By way of illustration, a method according to the invention will be further elucidated with reference to figure 3.

Beets are harvested in a field 4 with a grubbing device 1, in which the beets are cleaned using moisture pressed from the leaves of the 1013605 8 beets using the leaf press means 22. The beets are then transferred by means of the conveyor belt 16 to the cutting device 42 in which the beets are cut into relatively small pieces. Then the cut beets are deposited in the pressing means 44, where the moisture is pressed from the beets. The moisture is then transferred via the pipe 46 to the storage means 50, for instance a mobile tank. After the pressing, the beet pulp, that is to say the remaining part of the beets, is removed from the pressing means 44 to pulp collecting means 60. From there, the pulp is either returned to the field 4 or removed for processing into, for example, animal feed. This can be done on farm 58, but will usually be done in a separate facility 15. Because the moisture in the field, at least on the farm 58, is pressed out of the beets, the moisture and the pulp can be removed separately, so that special logistical advantages are achieved.

The moisture 20 is transported from or with the storage device 50 to a processing device 52, for example a sugar factory, where the moisture is stored in a second storage device 54 in the manner described before, before further processing or can be directly introduced into the sugar production process. It will be clear that this achieves the advantage that a considerably smaller transport capacity can be used. After all, instead of the complete beets, it is sufficient to transport only moisture, which usually constitutes, for example, less than 50%, more in particular, for example, about 25-30% of the weight of the beets.

Cleaning the beets can be done, for example, as follows.

An apparatus 1 according to the invention is driven on a field, with approximately 105 tons of product being harvested per hectare, of which about 60 tons of sugar beets and at least about 45 tons of beet leaves. For example, the foliage has a moisture content of approximately 90% (weight percent). With the aid of the pressing device 22, for instance a positive displacement press, a part of this moisture can be separated relatively easily, for instance 50%. This means that approximately 20,000 liters of moisture per hectare, approximately 0.33 liters per kilogram of beet, is available for cleaning the beets. It has been found that with this a particularly good cleaning can be obtained. This makes it possible to considerably reduce the amount of tare that is removed with the beets.

By choosing suitable pressing means, sufficient moisture can easily be separated from the foliage. For example, between 20 and 100% of the moisture can be removed from the foliage 15, more in particular between 30 and 90% of the moisture. The pressing means 22 should be chosen at least in such a way that sufficient moisture can be extracted from the leaves per unit of time in order to be able to sufficiently clean the beetroot harvested in the same unit of time without clogging up, undesired parts of the foliage being pumped through the pipe 24 and without too much moisture being returned to the field. It has been found that it is usually sufficient to squeeze between 40 and 80% of the moisture from the foliage. The above example assumes approximately 50%.

The drawing and description describe a relatively extensive device and method. At will a number of steps as shown can be omitted. For example, beets or the like can be dug up and fed directly or after some time to the pressing means 44 during loading, without prior cleaning in which the squeezed moisture is filtered. When using suitable pressing means 44, the cutting means 42 can moreover be omitted. Moreover, the 35 beet pulp can be returned directly to field 4 without intermediate collection. The storage 50 for the moisture pressed from the beet 1013605 10 may form part of the harvesting device 1, but may also be included in a separate device.

In an embodiment not shown, during the pressing process extra moisture is added to the beets to be pressed, for instance between two pressing steps, in order to effect some dilution so that the beet moisture can be released more easily from the cells of the beet concerned. As a result, the moisture will flow away more easily, so that more moisture can be squeezed out of the beets, or at least a higher sugar yield can be obtained. This means that a higher yield can be obtained. Also, additives, in particular chemicals, can be added to soften or break down cell walls of the beet, so that the moisture contained therein can be squeezed out more easily. Such chemicals are sufficiently known per se from practice.

In a further alternative embodiment, the beets are brought from the field to a temporary storage location, for instance a loading device or location known per se. The pressing means 44 and possibly the cleaning means and the cutting device 42 are disposed there or integrated with the loading device. The moisture pressed from the beet is then drained from the loading device.

The invention is by no means limited to the embodiments shown in the description and the drawings. Many variations thereof are possible within the framework of the invention outlined by the claims.

For example, the beets can be cleaned in another way, for instance only mechanically, while other cleaning devices known per se can also be used for this, for example beet rinsing machines in which beets are fully or partially immersed 1013605 and subsequently agitated. All kinds of pressing means known per se can be used for pressing the moisture from the beet. Of course, a part of the beets can also be processed in another way, for example as described in the introduction.

These and many comparable variations are considered to fall within the framework of the invention outlined by the claims.

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Claims (13)

1. A method for processing beets, in particular sugar beets or chicory roots, wherein the beets are digested and pressed, such that substantially all the moisture is pressed from the beets, after which the moisture is collected and transported to a processing installation. 2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the beets are pressed at least at the relevant farmer on the field where they are harvested, after which the moisture is removed to the processing installation for further processing and the remaining beet pulp is removed for further processing or on the relevant field is returned. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the beets are cut or otherwise crushed prior to pressing. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the beets are cleaned before they are pressed and, if necessary, crushed. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least during the pressing of the beet, moisture is supplied such that it. moisture to be pressed from the beet is diluted. 6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least before or during the pressing means means are added or used for partially breaking, at least softening or otherwise weakening the cell walls of the cells of the beet. 7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the moisture pressed from the beet is stored and processed over time into at least sugar. 1 01 3605 8. Device for processing beets, provided with digging means and cutting means for cutting beetroot harvested with the digging means, wherein pressing means connect to the cutting means for pressing moisture from the cut beet, wherein collecting means are provided for collecting and discharging called moisture. 9. Device as claimed in claim 8, wherein cleaning means are provided for cleaning harvested beets, prior to feeding them to the cutting means. 10. Device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the cleaning means comprise defoliating means and second pressing means, such that during use at least the leaves can be separated from the beets with the aid of the defoliating means, which leaves are pressed into the second pressing means, the resulting result being obtained. moisture can be used for cleaning the beets. 11. Device as claimed in any of the claims 8-10, wherein the collecting means are arranged for collecting the moisture pressed from the beet, wherein supply means are provided for supplying preservatives to the moisture pressed from the beet. 12. Refining device for refining sugar from beet moisture, in particular sugar beet, wherein at least one storage device is provided for storing beet-pressed moisture, with supply means for supplying beet-pressed moisture and with input means are provided for importing moisture from the storage device into a refining process. Refining device according to claim 12, wherein the storage device is arranged for storing the moisture for at least two months, preferably for at least three months. 101 3605