RU2370542C2 - Method of juice purification, method of manufacturing sugar from juice and sugar - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: food industry. ^ SUBSTANCE: method of purifying juice produced from vegetable material and containing saccharose, water and nonsugars involves treating the juice with a gas mixture consisting of the atmospheric gases, air and filtrated atmospheric gases and air, transferring part of the soluble substances from juice into the gas mixture prior to the introduction of alkali, increasing the contact area between the juice and the gas mixture by mixing juice and gas mixture or spraying juice or bubbling the juice by the gas mixture or injecting the gas mixture into the juice and increasing the speed of transferring the said part of the soluble substances from the juice to the gas mixture reducing their content in the juice. Juice produced from sugarcane, sugar beet and sugar sorghum is used. Soluble substances in the juice include dissolved gases from the group consisting of carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide, carbonate ion, bicarbonate ion and carbonic acid. Sulphur dioxide is chosen from the group consisting of gaseous sulphur dioxide, sulphuric acid and sulphurous acid. Nonsugar soluble substances include water-soluble acids chosen from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, maleic acid and lactic acid. Treatment of juice by gas mixture implies introduction of the mixture into the continuous juice flow resulting in a continuous mixed flow. The mixed flow of the mixture, juice and gas is treated by the reduced pressure produced by the juice flow configuration. The sugar production method implies crystallisation of the condensed purified juice according to the proposed purification method. ^ EFFECT: increasing efficiency of the juice purification and production of sugar from juice. ^ 24 cl, 13 dwg, 3 tbl, 2 ex

Description

The present invention relates to a method for purifying sugar-containing juice obtained from plant material, such as sugarcane, sugar beets or sugar sorghum, as well as to obtaining sugar from this juice.

The traditional method of extracting juice from plant material is the diffusion method. Sugar beets can be cut into thin strips called “chips,” which can then be introduced into one end of the diffusion apparatus, while liquid, such as hot water, flows from the other end. With this countercurrent treatment, about 98% sucrose can be extracted from the sugar beet chips. The resulting sugar-containing liquid is often referred to as "diffusion juice." Beet chips discharged from the diffusion apparatus may still be very moist, and the juice contained therein is 88-92% water, but may still contain some sucrose. Consequently, beet chips can be pressed on a screw press or a different type of press, extracting as much juice as possible. Such juice can have a pH of about 5 and in some cases it can be returned to the diffusion apparatus. The resulting pulp may contain about 75% water. The addition of cationic additives to the press material to improve the extraction process can reduce the water content in the pulp by about 1.5-2%. Using the diffusion method, it is also possible to extract sucrose from the stalks of sugar cane. One of the diffusion processes for sugarcane processing uses a moving layer of finely chopped pieces of sugarcane, which is passed through a diffusion apparatus, allowing sucrose to be extracted from sugarcane.

As a result of the diffusion process, the grinding process, and other processes by which the juice is extracted from the plant material or the vegetable juice is transferred to an aqueous solution, sugar-containing juice, non-sugar and water are obtained. The composition of nesugar and their content in the juice obtained in the above processes can be different, while nesugar can include all types of plant substances, as well as substances of non-plant origin. Non-sugar (i.e., non-sucrose substances) include, but are not limited to, insoluble material, such as plant fiber or soil particles; soluble materials such as fertilizers, saccharides other than sucrose, organic and inorganic non-sugar, organic acids, dissolved gases, proteins, inorganic acids, organic acids, phosphates, metal ions (for example, iron, aluminum or magnesium ions), colored pectins materials, saponins, waxes, fats or gums, fragments or derivatives thereof.

Such non-sugars are often highly colored, thermally unstable or otherwise interfere with certain stages of processing or adversely affect the quality or quantity of the sugar-containing product obtained during the cleaning process. It is believed that one weight part of non-sugars reduces the amount of sugar-containing product obtained during the cleaning process by an average of one and a half weight parts. It may be desirable to separate all such non-sugar or part thereof from the juice, or to extract them from the juice obtained by diffusion, grinding or other processes used to extract the juice from the plant material. Using a proper diffusion process, 25-30% of the impurities present in it can be removed from the juice. Recycling of saturated pulp water or pulp to a diffusion apparatus can reduce this value to 17-20%, however, it is still economically acceptable due to heat recovery, saving make-up water, increasing sugar yield, as well as reducing environmental pollution by wastewater.

Traditional processes use the remaining plant material or juices obtained by diffusion, grinding or other methods of extracting juice from plant material, such as the methods described in US patent No. 6051075; 5,92842; 5,480,490, each of which is incorporated herein by reference, or by such methods as described in Sugar Technology, Beet and Cane Sugar Manufacture, P.W. van der Poel et al. (1998); "Beet-Sugar Technology" edited by R.A. McGinnis Third Edition (1982), or "Cane Sugar Handbook: A Manual for Cane Sugar Manufacturers and Their Chemists", James C.P. Chen, Chung Chi Chou, 12th Edition (1993), each of which is incorporated herein by reference, to obtain various types of liquids and solid materials obtained in these processes.

Traditional technological processes, in particular, include the stages at which the juices obtained by diffusion, grinding or other methods of extracting juice from plant material are increasingly clarified, refined or refined. Typically, part of the insoluble material can be separated, for example, by filtering through a sieve. The juice obtained after straining, if it is sugar beet juice, may, for example, contain about 82% -85 wt.% Water, about 13-15 wt.% Sucrose, about 2.0-3.0 wt.% Dissolved non-sugars or impurities and a certain amount of insoluble residues.

Juice or sugar-containing juices, which can be produced at a speed of 1000-2500 gallons per minute, can be processed by gradually adding alkali to increase the pH of the juice. In some conventional processes, the pH of the juice can be raised from about 5.5-6.5 pH to about 11.5-11.8 pH, so that some non-sugar contained in such juices reach their isoelectric points. Such a stage is often referred to as "pre-defecation." However, the term used below does not limit the addition of alkali to juice or sugar-containing juices only to those processes in which such an addition of alkali is used as "pre-defecation". In various traditional juice processing processes, alkali may first be required to increase the pH of the juice before the next step of the process, such as a filtration step as described in US Pat. Nos. 4,432,806, 5,759,283 or the like; an ion exchange step as described in GB1043102 or in US Pat. Nos. 3,618,589, 3,785,863, 4,140,541, 4,314,483, 5,466,294, or the like; a chromatography step as described in US Pat. Nos. 5,466,294, 4,312,678, 2,985,589, 4,126,633, 4,412,866 or 5,102,553, and the like; or an ultrafiltration step as described in US Pat. No. 4,432,806 or the like; phase separation, as described in US patent 6051075 or the like; or processes in which active materials are added to the saturator during the final saturation, as described in US Pat. No. 4,045,242, which can serve as an alternative to the alkaline defecation and saturation steps of the traditional juice processing method, with each of the links incorporated herein by reference.

The use of the term "alkali" includes the use of materials that are capable of raising the pH of the juice, including, without limitation, the use of lime or sludge from processes in which lime is used. The term "lime" usually includes the use of quicklime or calcium oxides produced by heating calcium (usually in the form of limestone) in oxygen to produce calcium oxide. Many juice processing processes preferably use milk of lime, which consists of a suspension of calcium hydroxide (Ca (OH) ₂ ), according to the following reaction:

CaO + H ₂ O = Ca (OH) ₂ + 15.5 cal.

The term "isoelectric point" means a pH at which dissolved or colloidal materials, such as proteins in the juice, have zero electrical potential. When such dissolved or colloidal materials reach their specific isoelectric points, they can form many particles or flakes (flocculates).

Flocculation (the formation of particles or flakes) can be further enhanced by adding calcium carbonate-based materials to the juice, whose function is to form the center or substrate with which the particles bind. This method increases the size, mass or density of the particles, thereby facilitating the filtration or precipitation of such particles and their extraction from juice.

The resulting mixture of juice, lime residue, excess calcium carbonate, particles or flakes can then be subjected to the subsequent steps of the process described above. In particular, with regard to the technological process of clarification, purification or refining of juices obtained by pre-processing sugar beets, the mixture can first be subjected to the stage of cold basic defecation to stabilize the solids formed in the pre-defecation stage. The stage of cold main bowel movement may include the addition of another portion of lime, about 0.3-0.7% by weight of pre-defecated juice (or more, depending on the quality of the pre-defecated juice), carried out at a temperature of from about 30 ° C to about 40 ° C.

Juice subjected to cold main defecation can then be subjected to hot main defecation to further destroy invert sugar and other components that are unstable at this stage. Hot bowel movement may include the addition of lime to raise the pH of the defecated juice to a level of about 12 to 12.5 pH. This leads to the decomposition of a portion of soluble non-sugars, on which the previous addition of alkali or lime had no effect. In particular, using the main hot defecation defecated juice can be achieved thermal stability by partial decomposition of invert sugar, amino acids, amides and other dissolved non-sugars.

After a cold or hot main bowel movement, the defecated juice can first undergo a saturation step, in which the defecated juice is treated with carbon dioxide gas. Gaseous carbon dioxide reacts with the residual lime in the trapped juice to form calcium carbonate in the form of a precipitate. Using this procedure, you can not only remove residual lime (usually about 95% by weight of residual lime), since the precipitated surface-active calcium carbonate can also capture significant amounts of the remaining dissolved non-sugars. In addition, calcium carbonate precipitate can act as a means of improving filtration in the separation of solid materials from defecated and saturated juice.

The clarified juice product obtained in the first saturation step can then be subjected to (additional) defecation steps, heating steps, saturation steps, filtration steps, membrane ultrafiltration steps, chromatographic separation steps or ion exchange steps as described above, or combinations thereof, permutations or derivatives thereof, for further clarification or clarification of the juice obtained in the first saturation step, resulting in clarified or purified juice.

Such clarified or refined juice can be thickened by evaporating a portion of the contained water, thereby obtaining a product traditionally called “syrup”. Evaporation of part of the contained water can be carried out in a multi-stage evaporator. In this apparatus, steam is used in an efficient manner, in addition, this apparatus also allows you to create low-temperature steam, which can be used, if necessary, to carry out the crystallization process following evaporation.

Concentrated clarified juice or "syrup" can be sent to a container, usually containing 60 tons of juice or more. In this container, water is continued to be removed by evaporation until the syrup concentration is suitable for the growth of sucrose crystals. Since the growth of sucrose crystals can be difficult, seed crystals of sucrose are added to initiate crystallization. After crystal growth leads to a mixture of crystals (massecuite), the remaining juice (outflow) can be separated. Centrifuges are usually used to separate massecuite into sugar and flow. The separated sugar crystals are then dried to the desired moisture content before being packaged, sent to a warehouse, transported, or further refined or the like. For example, raw sugar can only be refined after delivery to the country of use.

The market for products made from plant materials and sugar-containing juices is so large that even a slight decrease in the cost of a single stage of the technological process can lead to significant and desired cost savings. Thus, in order to reduce the cost of production, in the sugar industry there is a significant need for research in the field of juice processing technologies to reduce the cost of sugar production by independent researchers and distributors who could pay for new reagents and equipment for the technologies being created, and in some cases created an additional incentive in the form of a percentage deduction from reducing the cost of the product for payments for improving the method.

However, although technological processes for the purification of juices from some plant-based sugar-containing materials, in particular from sugar beets, have been created and improved for at least 1000 years, industrial technologies have existed for more than 100 years, and even though there is a large incentive for improvement, there are significant problems in this area.

A significant problem in traditional sugar production technologies can be the costs associated with the production and use of alkali, such as calcium oxide, to increase the pH of sugar-containing liquids or juices derived from plant materials. As discussed above, calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide can be added to the juice to increase the pH to help remove some dissolved materials in the form of particles or flakes from the solution. Calcium oxide is usually obtained by calcining limestone, i.e. a method in which limestone is heated in a kiln in the presence of oxygen until carbon dioxide is released, thereby producing calcium oxide.

As shown in FIG. 5, calcination can be expensive since it requires the purchase of a kiln (40), limestone (41) and combustible material (42) such as gas, oil products, coal, coke or the like, which can be burned to heat the kiln to a temperature sufficient to release carbon dioxide (43) from the limestone (41). Ancillary equipment should also be provided for transporting limestone and combustible material for the kiln and for extracting the obtained calcium oxide from the kiln, along with equipment for flushing some gases from the kiln and for removing particles from the air exhausted in the kiln during calcination of limestone . Of course, to manage and maintain the equipment, labor must be provided, as well as quality control of the calcined limestone obtained, as well as control of the cleaning of gases and particulates released during the operation of the kiln.

In addition, for use in conventional technological juice processing systems, calcium oxide obtained by calcination must be converted to calcium hydroxide. This in turn requires the purchase of equipment to reduce the size of the particles of calcium oxide to a suitable size and mixing these particles with water to form calcium hydroxide. Again, manpower must be provided to manage and maintain the specified equipment.

Ultimately, investments in equipment and labor associated with the use of calcium oxides increase due to increased costs. These may include increasing costs of additional labor for mixing additional amounts of calcium hydroxide with juice, or they may include increasing costs of using equipment with a higher carrying capacity or higher power, or the like.

Another important problem associated with the production and use of alkali in traditional technological systems may be the removal of excess alkali or products formed during the interaction of alkali with organic acids or inorganic acids dissolved in juice. For example, when one or more saturation steps are used in a process system to clarify or purify the juice, the amount of calcium carbonate or other salts formed, often referred to as “spent lime,” will be proportional to the amount of lime added to the juice. It is easy to estimate that more lime added to the juice usually leads to more precipitation from the saturation stage. You can allow the "saturation lime" to settle to the bottom of the saturation apparatus with the formation of some amounts of sediment, referred to as "calcareous sediment". The calcareous filter cake can be separated on a rotary vacuum filter or frame filter press. The resulting product is hereinafter referred to as "defecation-saturation sediment." The defecation-saturation sediment or calcareous precipitate may to a large extent be a calcium carbonate precipitate, but may also contain sugars, other organic or inorganic substances or water. Such emitted sludge is almost always processed separately from other waste generated in the process system, for example, it can be suspended in water and pumped to settling tanks or storage facilities or sent to landfills.

On the other hand, saturation lime, calcareous sediment or defecation-saturation sediment can be re-calcined. However, the cost of the calcining kiln for re-calcining and the peripheral equipment for re-calcining the spent lime can be significantly higher than the cost of the calcining calcine for limestone. In addition, the quality of re-calcined "saturation lime" may differ from the quality of calcined limestone. The purity of calcined limestone compared to re-calcined saturation lime can be, as an example, 92% compared to 77%. Essentially, the amount of re-calcined lime needed to neutralize the same amount of hydroxonium ion in the juice may be correspondingly higher. The carbon dioxide content in spent lime can also be much higher than in limestone. Essentially, re-calcined lime can be not only expensive to obtain, it may also require the use of a significantly larger gas pipeline and equipment for transporting CO ₂ obtained from re-calcined spent lime, more lifting equipment for transporting re-calcined lime, larger saturators or the like

Also, regardless of whether the spent lime is disposed of in settling tanks, landfills or recycled, a larger quantity of utilized lime in a separate process system usually leads to higher costs for the disposal of the spent lime.

Another significant problem associated with traditional technologies for the production of sugar may be an increasing decrease in the throughput of the technological system, corresponding to an increasing increase in the amount of lime used for juice processing. One aspect of this problem may relate to limiting the amount or speed with which lime can be produced or served in the juice processing step. As discussed above, in order to obtain calcium oxide, limestone should be calcined before using it as an alkali in technological juice processing systems. The amount of lime produced may be limited by the availability of limestone, the functionality of the kiln, the availability of combustible material, or the like. The speed with which lime can be supplied to a technological juice processing system can vary based on the size, type or quantity of lime production equipment, available labor, or the like. Another aspect of this problem may be that the amount of lime used in the process system can proportionally reduce the amount of juice available in the process system. Increased use of alkali, such as lime, to maintain throughput in obtaining the same volume of juice may also require the use of larger localized areas, pipelines, or the like.

Another significant problem associated with traditional technologies for the production of sugar may be the excess of acids in the plant material, which is formed before the extraction of plant juice. In the acid-base balance of a plant cell, organic acids act as a buffer system to maintain the desired pH level in plant tissue. The source of origin of these acids can be divided into two groups, the first includes acids that the plant absorbs from the soil during its growth, and the second includes acids formed during biochemical or microbial processes. When there is insufficient acid absorption from the soil, plants can synthesize organic acids, mainly oxalic acid, citric acid and malic acid, to maintain a favorable pH of plant cell juice. Thus, the juice extracted from the plant tissue will contain a certain amount of various organic acids.

In addition to this naturally occurring amount of organic acids, acids can form in plant tissue during storage, mainly due to microbial processes. With very severe deterioration of the plant material, large amounts of organic acids can form, mainly lactic, acetic acid, and citric acid. In some circumstances, the total acid content in plant tissue can increase three times or more.

In addition, due to the destruction of the natural alkalinity of the juice, carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) can form in plant tissues. In this process, the bicarbonate ion and carbonate ion are converted to carbon dioxide. The resulting carbon dioxide, when its residues are transferred to the solution, forms carbonic acid, which provides a source of hydroxonium ion. Organic acids contained in plant cell juice, in whole or in part, remain in the juice obtained from plant material. Thus, to increase the pH of the juice, these organic and inorganic acids should be neutralized with a base. A higher concentration of organic acids or inorganic acids in the juice corresponds to a larger amount of alkali, which will be required to raise the pH of the juice to the desired value.

Another significant problem associated with traditional sugar technologies may be that plant materials or juice (s) treated with antimicrobial chemicals may have a higher acid content than untreated plant materials or juices. For example, sulfur dioxide (SO ₂ ) or ammonium bisulfite (NH ₄ HCO ₃ ) can be added continuously or at intervals to inhibit microbial growth or contamination. The amount of SO ₂ added depends on the degree of danger of microbial growth or contamination. To determine the degree of danger of this growth or contamination, the contents of lactic acid and nitrites can be controlled or monitored. For disinfection or treatment of the infected system, SO ₂ in a concentration of up to about 1000 ppm can be used. For disinfection, SO ₂ can be fed continuously in concentrations up to 400-500 ppm. The addition of SO ₂ or NH ₄ HSO ₃ for antimicrobial protection can reduce the pH and alkalinity of the juice. The decrease in alkalinity may be due to the conversion of natural bicarbonate ions into CO ₂ and carbonic acid.

Another significant problem associated with traditional technologies for the production of sugar may be the formation of scale in individual devices, such as evaporators or equipment for the crystallization of sugar. The main component of scale is often formed from the calcium salt of oxalic acid. This oxalate has a low solubility in solution and its solubility may decrease if the amount of calcium in the solution increases. Even after purifying the juice to “purified” juice or “syrup”, sufficient calcium may be present in the solution to remove oxalate from the solution. A method of removing scale from equipment surfaces can be expensive, including, but not limited to, the costs associated with a decrease in production rates and a drop in efficiency or a decrease in equipment life.

Another significant problem associated with traditional technologies for the production of sugar may be a lack of understanding that juice extraction equipment or methods used to obtain juice from plant material can alter or lower the pH of the extracted juice. Regarding the diffusion apparatus used to extract the juice from the sugar beet material, there may be a lack of understanding that during the diffusion method, the pH of the sugar beet juice may change or decrease. Another problem may be that there may be a lack of understanding that various apparatuses and methods for diffusing juice from sugar beets change or lower the pH of the resulting juice in different ways. Since the improvement of diffusion technology usually leads to an ever lower pH of the obtained juice, such devices or methods are far removed from the solutions obtained in the present invention.

Another significant problem associated with traditional technologies for the production of sugar may be that in the traditional method of sugar purification organic substances, dissolved gases or other materials dissolved in extracted, extracted or obtained by diffusion from sugar beet juice (for example, such as CO ₂ or SO ₂ ), or added to the extracted or diffusion juice, before the predefection stages may not shift to equilibrium or not balance with the partial pressures of atmospheric gases or and with partial pressures of the selected gas mixture. Thus, dissolved materials that could be transferred from extracted, extracted, or diffusion juice to the atmosphere or to another selected gas mixture due to reduced partial pressures or the concentration of such materials dissolved in diffusion juice remain so that, when combined with other processes, directly or indirectly participate in regulation of the pH of the juice, which leads to a decrease in the pH of the diffusion juice before the pre-defecation stage (s), initial defecation, lime addition or during s conduct. Upon reaching the desired pH of the juice, a lower pH may lead to the use of additional lime, as described above.

One aspect of this problem of traditional diffusion processing of beet chips (or other traditional methods for extracting or extracting juice and other substances from plant material) may be that traditional diffusion equipment (or other traditional equipment for extracting or extracting juice or other materials from plant material) material) does not provide the desired contact surface between the diffusion juice or liquid containing the extracted materials and the atmosphere or other selected or desired mixture of gases, so that the materials dissolved in the diffusion juice or liquid are shifted to equilibrium, which would significantly reduce the concentration of such materials in the specified juice or liquid.

Another aspect of this problem may be that traditional diffusion methods and apparatus for processing sugar beets (or other traditional equipment for extracting or extracting juice and other substances from plant materials) do not provide sufficient recirculation of atmospheric gases or other selected gases in the equipment so that maintain the differential pressure of the partial pressure between the concentration of dissolved material in the juice or other liquid containing extracted or extracted plant material Methods and material, and the concentration that can potentially be balanced with the partial pressures of gases at the boundary of gas-liquid contact, to effectively achieve the desired, potential, or possible reduction of pH reducing amount of materials in the diffusion juice or other liquid containing extracted or removed plant material. A partial or complete equilibrium established between the partial pressure of the gas at the liquid boundary and the partial pressure of the gas in the solution, respectively, slows down or stops a further decrease in the concentration of materials, compounds or gases that lower the pH in the diffusion juice.

A third aspect of this problem may be that in traditional diffusion methods or equipment for processing sugar beets (or other traditional equipment or methods for extracting or extracting juice or other materials from plant material), the diffusion juice (s) may not mix well to allow the entire volume or sufficient volume of diffusion juice or liquid containing extracted or extracted plant materials that contribute to a decrease in pH, come in p vnovesie with atmospheric gases or other mixture of gases at the interface of liquid-gas.

A fourth aspect of this problem may be that traditional diffusion methods or equipment for processing sugar beets (or other traditional equipment used to extract or extract juice or other materials from plant material) do not apply heat to diffusion juice or other liquids containing extracted or extracted plant material (s), to a temperature at which solubility in diffusion juice or other liquids containing extracted or the extracted plant material (s) is sufficiently reduced so that the concentrations of pH-reducing materials shift to equilibrium or balance with the concentration corresponding to the partial pressures of the gases at the liquid-gas interface, or arrive at a point of equilibrium at which the concentration of materials that lower the pH can be reduced to the desired, potential or possible concentration, or shifted to equilibrium or balanced with the partial pressure of gases at the gas-liquid interface with the required at the speed or at the potential or probable speed of reaching equilibrium, which may be desirable or which can be achieved.

Another significant problem associated with traditional sugar technologies may be that the partial pressure of the extracted or diffusion juice can be balanced with the partial pressure of atmospheric gases or another gas mixture with a higher concentration of pH lowering substances that may be present at the surface of the juice when cooled. When diffusion juice or other liquids containing extracted or extracted plant material are cooled, the solubility of atmospheric gases or other gas mixture may increase. So, when cooling diffusion juice, the concentration of gases or other materials that can dissolve in the juice (including, without limitation, substances that lower the pH) can increase. As just one example, when the diffusion juice is cooled during a temperature change from a range of about 55 ° C-70 ° C to a range of about 20 ° C-30 ° C before the pre-defecation or defecation steps, the solubility of atmospheric CO ₂ increases. A long stay of the juice at atmospheric partial pressures of CO ₂ or in any gas mixture with a sufficient partial pressure of CO ₂ facilitating the transfer of CO ₂ to the juice when it is cooled increases the concentration of CO ₂ in the diffusion juice compared to the amount of CO ₂ at higher temperatures. An increased concentration of CO ₂ in diffusion juice can lower the pH of the juice. Essentially, an increased concentration of CO ₂ or other gases in the diffusion juice may require the addition of more significant amounts of lime during the subsequent addition of lime, pre-defecation, or other stages of defecation to achieve the desired or desired pH.

Another important objective of sugar production technologies is to create partial gas pressures at the gas-liquid interface of diffusion juice or other liquids containing extracted or extracted plant materials capable of causing a concentration gradient sufficient to volatilize, transfer, recover or otherwise transfer desired or the required portion of materials dissolved in diffusion juice or other liquid containing extracted or extracted plant materials for atochnogo raise the pH of the diffusion juice or reduce the concentration of materials that reduce the pH of the diffusion juice.

The present invention provides a technological juice processing system, including both devices and methods that solve each of the above problems.

Thus, the general objective of the invention is to create a technological juice processing system for producing products from liquids or sugar-containing juices obtained from plant material. One aspect of this general objective is the creation of an alternative to traditional technological systems for juice processing or sugar production. The invention can provide a technological system as a whole, including both a device and methods for producing products from sugar-containing liquids or juices. The second aspect of this general objective can be attributed to providing methods used in juice processing technology that are compatible with methods used in a traditional technological system for processing juice or sugar. With regard to this task, the invention provides method steps and apparatus that can be used to add, substitute or modify traditional methods and apparatus for processing sugar-containing liquids or juice.

The second general objective of the invention can be attributed to reducing the cost of obtaining products from liquids or sugar-containing juices. One aspect of this objective of the invention is to increase the productivity of the juice processing process, which may be wholly or partially limited by the availability of alkali, such as reduced availability of limestone or lack of functionality for converting limestone to calcium oxide, or the like. Another aspect of this task relates to cost reduction by reducing the amount of alkali, such as lime, used in the processing of sugar-containing liquids or juice into food products. A third aspect of this object of the invention relates to reducing the amount of waste obtained, for example, after defecation.

A third general object of the invention can be attributed to the production of a liquid sugar-containing product or a juice-based product obtained according to the invention. One of the aspects of this task can be attributed to obtaining a product based on a sugar-containing liquid or juice having a reduced content or a reduced concentration of dissolved material, such as water-soluble acids, volatile organic compounds, dissolved gases (for example, CO ₂ or SO ₂ ), ammonia or the like The second aspect of this task can be attributed to obtaining a product based on sugar-containing liquid or juice, which has a higher pH after processing according to the invention. The third aspect of this task can be attributed to obtaining a product based on sugar-containing liquid or juice, which has a higher pH level after processing in accordance with the invention without the use of any alkali. A fourth aspect of the invention relates to the preparation of a product based on a sugar-containing liquid or juice that has a higher pH, even when an alkali such as lime or a precipitate from conventional juice processing or the like is added before processing in accordance with the invention. The fifth aspect of this task can be attributed to obtaining a liquid product or a product based on sugar-containing juice, which has reduced functionality for the formation of a hydroxonium ion. The sixth aspect of this objective of the invention can be attributed to the production of a product based on sugar-containing liquid or juice, which requires less alkali to raise the pH to the required value, to achieve the isoelectric focus of the dissolved material, to perform the stages of pre-defecation or basic defecation in traditional technological systems, for the destruction of invert sugars or other products formed from liquids or sugar-containing juices.

A fourth general objective of the invention can be attributed to the provision of methods and devices that reduce the content or concentration of dissolved material in the juice obtained from plant material by traditional procedures for the extraction (extraction) of juice, such as pressing, grinding or diffusion. One aspect of this task can be attributed to providing a method of reducing the amount or concentration of dissolved material without adding alkali, the need to add alkali, or before adding alkali. The second aspect of this task can be attributed to the provision of a method that can be applied before adding alkali to liquids or sugar-containing juices, in combination with adding alkali or after it, to reduce the amount or concentration of dissolved material in such juice. The third aspect of this task can be attributed to the provision of a method that helps to reduce the amount or concentration of dissolved materials in a sugar-containing liquid or juice. A fourth aspect of this task can be attributed to providing a method of reducing dissolved material in sugar-containing liquids or juices compatible with traditional methods of clarifying or purifying juice, including, without limitation, predefection, basic defecation, ion exchange and filtering, as described above.

The fifth general objective of the invention can be attributed to the provision of various devices and methods for increasing the contact area between a sugar-containing liquid or juice and gases with the required partial pressures.

The sixth general objective of the invention can be attributed to the provision of various devices with which gases with the required partial pressures are injected, introduced or otherwise mixed with juice obtained from plant material. One of the aspects of this task can be attributed to the provision of a device for introducing a gas mixture into juice, providing a mixed stream of juice containing juice and gases with the required partial pressures.

The seventh general objective of the invention can be attributed to the provision of various devices for the separation or extraction of mixtures of gases in partial or complete equilibrium with dissolved material, or with partial pressures of gases contained or dissolved in juice.

The eighth overall objective of the invention can be attributed to the accounting, control, formation or maintenance of liquids containing material (s) extracted or extracted from plant material at temperature or temperatures, or at temperatures controlled (either manually or automatically) in response to or relative to time; the concentration of any particular material or component contained therein; a particular method or step (s) for purifying such liquids or another method for treating such liquids; a method for extracting, extracting or diffusing such materials from such plant material; or any method for preparing or storing such a liquid in a predetermined range or at a specific solubility value (s) of materials to control the concentration of materials that lower or may lower the pH of such liquids.

The ninth general objective of the invention can be attributed to the provision of devices and methods for processing diffusion juice or liquids containing materials extracted or extracted from plant material to limit, reduce or control the partial pressures of gases that are present at the liquid-gas interface before the initial addition of lime or subsequent additions of lime.

The tenth general objective of the invention can be attributed to the provision of a device or methods that allow the required or required volume of juice for interaction at the liquid-gas interface to contribute to the required or necessary for materials from diffusion juice into gases with atmospheric partial pressures or into gases with selected partial pressures.

The tasks are solved by the proposed method of purification of juice obtained from plant material and containing sucrose, water and non-sugar, including insoluble material and soluble substances, providing for the processing of juice with a mixture of gases consisting of atmospheric gases, air and filtered atmospheric gases and air, transferring a portion of soluble substances from juice to a gas mixture before adding alkali, increasing the contact area between the juice and the gas mixture by mixing the juice with the gas mixture or spraying the juice or bubbling the juice with a gas mixture or injecting a gas mixture into the juice and increasing the rate of transfer of the indicated portion of the soluble substances from the juice to the gas mixture with a decrease in their content in the juice.

Preferably, juice obtained by diffusing plant material, for example juice obtained from sugar cane, sugar beet and sugar sorghum, is used for cleaning by the method of the invention.

Processing the juice with a gas mixture is preferably carried out by introducing this mixture into a continuous stream of juice with the formation of a continuous mixed stream.

The mixed flow of mixture, juice and gas is preferably influenced by the reduced pressure created by configuring the juice flow. Also, the separation of the gas mixture stream from the mixed juice stream and the gas mixture is preferably carried out under the action of a means creating a reduced pressure (below atmospheric).

After the transfer of part of the soluble substances from the juice to the gas mixture, the juice is sent for pre-defecation with alkali, which is selected from the group: calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, milk of lime.

Saturation can be carried out in three stages using atmospheric gases, air, carbon dioxide to form a precipitate adsorbing non-sugar.

These and other features and objectives of the invention are described in detail in the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a schematic view of an exemplary device for implementing the method of purifying juice according to the invention, which contains a pipeline for juice containing a mixture of gases introduced into the juice to form a mixture of juice with a mixture of gases, and which may further include a device for distributing gas, such like grooves or grooves inside a juice pipe, or a vane pump;

figure 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary process in which the method according to the invention can be used;

3 is a flowchart of another exemplary process in which the method of the invention can be used;

4 is a flowchart of a third exemplary process in which the method of the invention can be used;

5 is a block diagram of an exemplary process using the method according to the invention, in which additionally defecate and saturate the juice to further clarify or purify it before evaporating water to produce syrup or before sugar crystallization;

6 is a block diagram of an exemplary process using the method according to the invention, in which ion exchange is additionally carried out to further clarify or purify the juice before evaporating water to produce syrup or before sugar crystallization;

7 is a flowchart of an exemplary process using the method of the invention, in which additionally filtering steps, such as ultrafiltration, are carried out to further clarify or purify the juice before evaporating water to produce syrup or before sugar crystallization;

Fig. 8 is a graph showing how increasing the temperature of a juice can lower the solubility of certain substances, materials, or components contained in such juice;

Fig.9 is a schematic view of a process for processing sugar beet chips, in which the obtained sugar-containing liquids are purified by the method according to the invention before the predefection stages;

figure 10 is another schematic view of a process for processing sugar beet chips, in which the obtained sugar-containing liquids are purified by the method according to the invention before the traditional stages of pre-defection;

11 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a method according to the invention;

12 is a top view of an embodiment of the method of the invention;

Fig.13 is a side view in section along aa in Fig.12.

In General, the invention relates to a method for purification of juice without the addition of alkali or with a reduced addition of alkali before evaporating excess water or before crystallization of sucrose. In particular, the invention provides for obtaining juice with a reduced content of dissolved material, a reduced content of dissolved gases, with a higher pH or reduced acidity for use in technological juice processing systems.

As discussed above, juice can be obtained from plant material such as sugar beets, sugar cane, sugar sorghum, and the like. Of course, the juice can be obtained from other types of plant material, and it should be understood that the invention is not limited to juice extracted by diffusion or squeezing from any particular plant or its part or any plant material. In addition, the term “juice” should be understood broadly as any sugar-containing liquid at any stage of any sugar production technology before sugar crystallization. Sugar-containing liquids obtained from plant material by grinding and squeezing stages, or juice obtained by diffusion processing of plant material, are only two examples of such juice. As further described above, the term “juice” includes sugar-containing liquid, non-sugar and water, which may be in various proportions depending on the particular plant materials and stages of juice extraction. The purification method according to the invention allows you to remove part of the soluble materials contained in the juice, which are highly colored, thermally unstable, or otherwise interfere with some stages of juice processing, or adversely affect the quality or quantity of the resulting sugar. Sugar-containing liquids that have previously passed the known clarification or purification steps are also encompassed by the term “juice”.

Specific embodiments of the invention include recovering at least a portion of the dissolved materials, volatile materials, dissolved gases, water-soluble acids and the like, such as carbon dioxide or sulfur dioxide, which can form water-soluble acids, causing a decrease in the pH of the juice.

For example, when the juice contains a sufficient amount of cations, OH ^- ion can act as an anion that promotes the dissolution of carbon dioxide CO ₂ in juice in the form of carbonate ions (CO ₃ ) ^-2 or in the form of bicarbonate ions HCO ₃ ^- . With the dissociation of HCO ₃ ^- a very weak acid ^is obtained. However, when the juice contains insufficient cations so that dissolved CO ₂ can form carbonate or bicarbonate ions, an equilibrium is established between carbon dioxide and carbonic acid H ₂ CO ₃ . In the pH range of the resulting juice, carbonic acid can act as a strong acid. Subsequent formation of the hydroxonium ion increases the existing concentration in the juice, leading to pH values that may be lower.

Similarly, sulfur dioxide (SO ₂ ) or ammonium bisulfite (NH ₄ HCO ₃ ) can be added to juice to regulate, reduce or eliminate microbiological activity, hydrolysis of sucrose, invert sugar formation or loss of sucrose, or to establish a lower pH. In turn, when the juice contains a sufficient amount of cations, such as calcium, sulfites such as calcium sulfite can form. However, when the juice contains insufficient cations so that dissolved sulfur dioxide (SO ₂ ) can form sulfites, an equilibrium is established between sulfur dioxide (SO ₂ ), sulfurous acid (H ₂ SO ₃ ) and sulfuric acid (H ₂ SO ₄ ). Sulfuric acid and sulfuric acid can act as strong acids. Subsequent formation of the hydroxonium ion increases the existing concentration in the juice, leading to pH values that may be lower.

In addition, other water-soluble acids may form in the plant during normal growth, and other acids may also form due to microbial activity, including but not limited to phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, maleic acid, lactic acid or the like.

In addition, during the breakdown of amino acids or during the conversion of materials added to the juice, such as ammonium bisulfite, other soluble materials such as ammonia NH ₃ can be formed.

Now turn to figure 1. In this embodiment of the invention, the juice (1) obtained from the plant material (2) is exposed to a mixture of gases (3) by dispersing it in the juice so as to form an increased contact surface area (4) between the juice (1) and the gas mixture (3) ) Due to the increase in the contact surface area between the juice (1) and the gas mixture (3), the transfer rate of various types of dissolved materials (5) from the juice (1) to the gas mixture (3) due to the difference in partial pressures can be increased. The gas mixture (or stripping gas) can be selected so as to provide the partial pressures necessary for transferring the undesirable dissolved material (5) from the juice (1) to the gas mixture (3). In the gas mixture (3), partial pressures of individual gases can be continuously or periodically controlled to prevent equilibrium between the gas mixture (3) and the dissolved material (5), thereby supporting the transfer of the dissolved material (5) from the juice to the gas mixture (3) .

By the method of the invention, dissolved inorganic compounds, organic compounds or dissolved gases (e.g., carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide or ammonia) can be extracted from the juice. The juice purified by the method according to the invention may have a reduced content of dissolved material, a reduced content of dissolved gases, a reduced acidity or a higher pH compared to the same juice obtained without using the method according to the invention. As an example, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the juice can be significantly reduced by using atmospheric air as the gas mixture. The pH level of the juice as a result of processing according to the invention can be increased by 0.05 pH, 0.1 pH, 0.2 pH, 0.3 pH, 0.4 pH, 0.5 pH, 0.6 pH, 0.7 pH, 0.8 pH, 0.9 pH, 1.0 pH, 1.1 pH, 1.2 pH, 1.3 pH, 1.4 pH, 1.5 pH, 1.6 pH, 1.7 pH, 1.8 pH, 1.9 pH, 2.0 pH, however, any increase in pH relative to the initial pH of the raw juice can provide significant cost savings, which is important from a commercial point of view. The actual increase in the pH level from its initial level generally depends on the type and quality of the juice to be purified by the method according to the invention, the degree of increase in the contact surface area formed over the entire volume of the juice, the length of the period during which the gas mixture contacts the juice formed increased contact surface area, and partial pressures created in the gas mixture. As such, the increase in pH may vary depending on the embodiment of the invention used. For example, a change in the volume or quantity of juice processed per unit time using the same embodiment of the invention can lead to an increase in pH by various values.

The invention can provide a reduction in the amount of alkali added per unit mass or per unit volume of juice processed by the method of the invention to achieve the desired or desired pH or acidity compared to untreated juice or juice processed in the conventional manner. The amount of alkali added after the juice is processed by the method according to the invention can be reduced to establish the desired pH, such as from about 11.0 to about 12.0, or from 11.5 to about 12.5, or in the pH range for predefecation "," main defecation "," intermediate defecation ", or to establish a pH value corresponding to the isoelectric point of any particular non-sucrose substance in the juice, or required to regulate the acidity or alkalinity of the juice to the desired concentration. As for the consumption of lime, for example, when applying various embodiments of the invention, it can be reduced to 30% compared with untreated juices or juices processed in the traditional way.

Now turn to figure 2. In this embodiment, the gas mixture (3) may contain

atmospheric gases or air, or

atmospheric gases or air passed through one or more filters to reduce or substantially completely remove non-biological microparticles or biological particles (such as bacteria, viruses, pollen, microscopic flora or fauna or other pathogens), or

atmospheric gases or air passed through chemical scrubbers or otherwise processed to obtain the desired concentration or range of concentrations of partial pressures of gases;

purified gases or

combinations of the above gases.

Specific embodiments of the invention may further include a gas filter (6) in the flow path of the gas mixture (3). The gas filter (6) can be placed in front of or behind the gas flow generator (7), creating a gas mixture flow (3). The gas filter (6) in the flow path of the gas mixture (3) may be an HEPA filter, an ULPA filter, or another type of filter for delaying macro- or microparticles. You can also use additional filters for rough preliminary cleaning to remove particles from the gas mixture before it is fed to the gas stream generator (7) or such additional filters can be used after the gas stream generator, but before the gas filter (6).

The unfiltered gas mixture (3) can be sent to the first preliminary treatment (8), then to the second preliminary treatment (9) and then through the gas flow generator (7). The gas mixture purified at the pre-treatment stage can then be passed through the gas filter (6) (HEPA, ULPA or another type of filter). When a HEPA filter is used, up to 99.99% of all particles about 0.3 microns in size are removed from the gas mixture, and when using an ULPA filter, up to 99.999% of all particles about 0.12 microns are removed from the gas mixture. The filtered gas mixture can then be used to disperse in the juice (i.e., to form or control an increased contact surface area (4) between the juice (1) and the gas mixture (3)). In other embodiments of the invention, the gas mixture (3) or juice (1) can be exposed to a source of short-wave ultraviolet radiation (10) to reduce the number of pathogens or bacteria. The invention may further comprise a temperature adjusting means (11) for setting the desired temperature of the gas mixture (3) before making them react with the juice (1) or in response to an increased contact surface area (4). In the circuit of FIG. 2, there is also provided means (11) for adjusting the temperature of the gas mixture or juice, controlled by a signal from a temperature sensor (12), which can record the temperature of the gas mixture (3) or juice (1).

To form or increase the contact surface area, you can use a filtered or unfiltered mixture of gases (3). For this, for example, juice (1) can be supplied to the gas injector (13) by gravity or under pressure created by a pump (14) or other similar device. The gas injector (13) may have an inlet (15) through which the juice (1) enters the injector (13), an outlet (16) through which the juice (1) is discharged from the injector (13), and at least one an injector (17) through which a mixture of gases (3) can be introduced into at least a portion of the volume of juice (1) located in the injector (13) or passed through it.

When the injector (13) is designed for periodic processing of juice, i.e. when the injector is periodically filled with juice and periodically emptied, the inlet (15) and the outlet (16) can be the same hole. When the gas injector (13) is designed to handle a pulsating juice stream (1), which is periodically reduced or interrupted to increase the length of time the juice (1) stays in the injector (13), or is designed to process a continuous juice stream (1), the flow rate of which can be controlled , the inlet (15) and the outlet (16) may be separate.

In any embodiment of the invention, the gas mixture (3) is introduced into the juice (1) under pressure or in the form of small bubbles in such an amount as to form the desired, increased contact surface area (4) between the juice (1) and the gas mixture (3). The increased contact surface area (4) should ensure the transfer of at least a portion of the material (5) dissolved in the juice from the juice (1) to the gas mixture (3).

The injector (13), irrespective of the mode of operation for which it is performed - periodic, pulsating, intermittent or continuous, may additionally contain a stirrer or other similar means of mixing (18), for additional dispersion of the gas mixture (3) in the juice (1) to further increase the contact surface area (4). The introduction of a gas mixture (3) into a continuous, pulsating, or periodic flow of juice (1) in the injector (13) leads to the formation of a mixed stream (19) of juice and gases. Gases in the mixed stream (19) can be further dispersed using protruding parts, grooves and the like provided on the inner surface of the injector (13). The protruding parts or grooves can be made to create the desired turbulization of the juice inside the injector (13). You can also optionally use the injection pressure control means (20) associated with the gas flow generator (7) to increase or decrease the pressure or volume of the gas mixture (3) injected into the juice (1), mixed with the juice (1) or bubbled into juice (1). The injection pressure control means (20) may separately or in combination contain an adjustable flow restriction means located between the gas flow generator (7) and the nozzle (17).

Dissolved gases may be additionally formed in the juice in an amount exceeding their initial concentration in the juice. This additional amount can be up to 10 times the concentration that could be obtained by saturation of the juice at atmospheric pressure. The injection pressure of the gas mixture (3) into the juice (1) can range from the pressure created by the juice (1) to about 20 bar.

Several injectors (13) arranged in series or in parallel can be used, and each of them can have many nozzles (17) for injecting gas in one place or in different places arranged in series or in parallel. Each of the nozzles (17) can be separately or alternately regulated depending on the volume and pressure of the gas mixture (3) injected into the juice (1). Adjustable nozzles (17) can be adjusted according to the volume of juice (1), the length of time the juice stays in the injector (13), the concentration or amount of materials (5) dissolved in the juice (1), or the concentration of gases dissolved in the juice (1), etc.

The gas mixture (3) can be introduced into the juice (1) in front of the pump (14), as a result of which the pump (14) can serve to disperse the gas mixture (3) in the juice stream (1) to form a mixed stream (19) with an enlarged surface contact (4). Some types of pumps are capable of providing a mixed stream (19) containing at least 35% of the gas mixture with substantially complete saturation of the juice stream (1) with bubbles of the gas mixture (3). As one example for the formation of a mixed stream (19), the Shanley Pump can be used. If you want to process a certain amount of juice (1) for the required period of time, you can use several pumps (14) located in series or in parallel.

The juice stream (1) can be additionally equipped with means for creating a reduced pressure in the juice stream (1) to draw a mixture of gases (3) into a pulsating, continuous or periodic juice stream (1).

Only part of the juice stream (1) can be exposed to the gas mixture (3). For example, if juice (1) contains a small amount of dissolved material (5) to be removed, then the juice stream (1) can be divided into parts and only part of the juice (1) can be exposed to the gas mixture (3). Then these parts can again be combined into one stream in the required proportions.

Now turn to figure 3. In this embodiment of the invention, the juice (1) is sprayed through a juice dispersion device (21), such as a nozzle. Using the device (21), it is possible to form an aerosol in the form of very small drops (22) or particles of juice. When spraying, an increased contact surface area is formed (4). Juice can be sprayed in a separate aeration section (23), in which drops of juice are exposed to a mixture of gases (3), filtered or purified, as described above. Juice can be discharged in the upper part of the aeration section (23) (for example, through a spray nozzle), and then exposed to a gas mixture (3) passed through this aeration section (23). To increase the efficiency of transfer of the material (5) dissolved in the juice (1) into the gas mixture (3), the specified gas mixture (3) can be passed through the aeration section (23) in countercurrent to the drops of juice (22). The aeration section (23) can be, for example, a 150 gallon tank, taking into account that the size and shape of the specified tank can vary depending on the amount of juice processed.

In some embodiments, a separate aeration section (23) may have a surface (24) for dispersing the juice. Juice (1) can be dispersed on this surface (24), providing an additional increase in the contact surface area (4). Juice can be discharged in the upper part of the aeration section (23), dispersing it on the surface (24), and expose it to a gas mixture (3) passed through the aeration section (23). The gas mixture (3) can be passed through the aeration section (23) in countercurrent movement of the juice (1) entering the dispersing surface (24) to increase the efficiency of transfer of the material (5) dissolved in the juice (1) to the gas mixture (3).

In each of the above embodiments of the invention, which use a separate aeration section (23), the juice (1) can be collected and re-passed through a separate aeration section (23) as many times as may be required.

Now turn to figure 4. In some other embodiments, juice (1) can be sent to a separate juice section (25), and a mixture of gases (3) can be introduced into juice (1) by bubbling juice (26). The pressure and volume of the gas mixture (3) can be adjusted in accordance with the volume of juice (1) and the size of a separate section for juice (25). A separate juice section can be further combined with a separate aeration section (23) described above.

A general discussion of gas absorption is given in Chemical Engineer's Handbook, edited by Perry, McGraw-Hill Book Company, p. 688, and the following. (1950), is incorporated into the description by reference to the extent necessary to understand the general principles of gas absorption.

It should be borne in mind that based on the relevant information related to the supply of juice (1) to the injector (13), a separate section of aeration (23) or a separate section for juice (25), the quantity and pressure of the gas mixture (3) injected, sprayed or sparged, the amount of material (5) dissolved in the juice (1), etc., can provide a variety of traditional pipelines, shut-off and control valves or other devices, such as pressure measuring instruments.

Again we turn mainly to figure 2. The invention may further comprise a gas separator (27) for releasing a gas mixture (3) that contains dissolved material (5) transferred from the juice (1). In some embodiments of the invention that utilize a separate aeration section (23), as described above, the gas separator (27) may include a diaphragm with a hole in a separate aeration section, allowing a mixture of gases passed through a separate aeration section to be released into the atmosphere. In embodiments of the invention in which the injector (13) includes a bubbler (26), the gas separator (27) may be a diaphragm with a hole releasing a mixture of gases (3) containing dissolved material into the atmosphere. In embodiments of the invention in which, using an injector (13), a mixture of gases (3) is introduced into the juice stream (1) to form a mixed stream (19), continuous, pulsating or periodic, transferred to a pipeline isolated from the atmosphere, the gas separator (27) can include a portion of the pipeline that provides additional internal volume in fluid communication with the atmosphere. In particular, the gas separator (27) in communication with the atmosphere may include a pipe section provided with a means for narrowing the flow to control the interaction time of the mixed stream (19) and the atmosphere.

A specific modification of the gas separator (27) may be to increase the internal volume of the pipeline to distribute the mixed stream (19) along the internal surface of the pipeline, to increase its length of stay or to increase the surface area of the contact of the juice with the atmosphere, or both. In some embodiments of the gas separator (27), the juice can be spread over a much larger surface to allow the gas mixture (3) in the juice (1) to be substantially balanced with atmospheric partial pressures before transferring the juice from the gas separator (27). The inner surfaces of the gas separator (27) can be additionally provided with protruding parts, grooves, make them corrugated, etc. for additional mixing or shaking of the juice (1) in the gas separator (27) in order to increase the rate of transfer of the gas mixture (3) from the juice (1) to the atmosphere.

The flow of gases (28) transferred from the juice (1) to the atmosphere can be obtained by connecting the gas separator (27) with a source of reduced pressure (29). The reduced pressure is provided near the increased contact surface area (4) of the juice (1) by creating partial pressures of gases that are lower than the partial pressures of dissolved materials (5) transferred to the gas mixture (3). It is clear that when the partial pressures of the gas mixture containing the dissolved materials (5) extracted from the juice exceed atmospheric pressure, the atmosphere can be a source of reduced pressure (29). In embodiments of the invention, reduced pressure (29) can be obtained by increasing the internal volume of the pipeline in which the mixed stream (19) circulates. A reduced pressure (29) can also be obtained using a vacuum pump, a diffuser, or other device in fluid communication with a gas separator (27). The partial pressure of the gases near the increased surface area (4) of the juice can then be adjusted to the desired level (for example, below atmospheric pressure) in order to increase the transfer rate of the gas mixture (3) containing the dissolved material (5) from the mixed stream (19).

The gas separator may further comprise a check valve (30) or further comprise a signal generator (31) connected to a source of reduced pressure (29) in response to an accumulation of gases or partial pressures of gases in the gas separator (27), or respond to a decrease in the materials dissolved in the juice ( the total amount of dissolved material, some dissolved materials, the concentration of dissolved materials or the concentration of some dissolved materials), to reduce the acidity of the juice, the alkalinity of the juice, increased the pH of the juice or another indicator that indicates a significant amount transferred from the juice (1) of the dissolved material.

The invention may further include storing or transporting a gas mixture (32) containing dissolved materials extracted from juice that are not fully or partially released to the atmosphere. In some embodiments, a gas mixture containing dissolved juice materials (eg, carbon dioxide) can be used for the carbonation steps as described above, as just one example.

The invention may also include the addition of antifoam agents to the juice (1) (33). Juice contains a large amount of material, which can be surface-active or which can change the surface tension of water. In fact, air bubbles in the juice or bubbles of dissolved gases transported from the juice to the atmosphere can cause foam. There are many types of defoamers that can be used to reduce the amount of foam. Including, but not limited to, fatty acids, oils, and the like. In order to inject the gas mixture (3) into the juice (1) or to transfer the gas mixture (3) containing at least some dissolved material (5), as described above, it may additionally be necessary to add a defoamer simultaneously with the juice or about at the same time that the juice is exposed, or injected (antifoam) with the desired mixture of gases (3).

After the required amount of dissolved material, volatile material, dissolved gases, water-soluble acids, etc., is transferred from the juice (1), the obtained product containing juice can be transported to the existing sugar production technological equipment for additional clarification or purification. On the other hand, various embodiments of the invention for the production of juice with a reduced content of dissolved material directly on the spot can be included in technological equipment for the production of sugar.

Now turn to figure 5, which relates to technological systems for processing sugar, which use alkali, such as calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide, to increase the pH in order to initially reach the isoelectric point of various materials dissolved in the juice (1), or as part the traditional method of predefection of juice (33), either separately from the additional stages, or in combination with additional stages, such as cold defecation (34), main defecation (35) or intermediate defecation (36), or separately or in with the first stage of saturation (37) or the second stage of saturation (38), which can lead to the precipitation of calcium carbonate (39), to absorb from juice (1) at least a portion of non-sugars so that the resulting clarified or purified juice it is possible to filter (44) before evaporating (45) the required amount of water; the method and apparatus that includes the invention can be used to produce a product containing juice with a reduced content of dissolved material or a reduced content of dissolved gases, suitable for administration at one or more, or all of these traditional stages, or at traditional stages modified to such an extent as to provide an advantage in terms of the characteristics of the juice processed in accordance with the invention.

As you can understand, the invention can be applied to reduce the amount of dissolved materials in the juice before any addition of alkali. Since the invention can significantly increase the pH or reduce the acidity of the juice, the amount of alkali used in the traditional stages of preliminary bowel movement or alkaline bowel movement can be reduced. On the other hand, in those technological systems in which a precipitate, such as spent lime, is used to neutralize some of the acid in the juice or to reduce foaming in the technological system, the precipitate can be introduced either before or after application of the invention.

In particular, the method for purifying the juice of the invention may include obtaining juice (1) from plant material (2), the juice, as described above, containing sucrose, non-sugar, and water. The method according to the invention can be used in various ways, either to increase the pH or to reduce the acidity of the juice before preliminary defecation (33) of the juice. Cold main defecation (34) of juice (1) or hot main defecation (35), or both, can be used in combination with saturation (37) (38). When calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide is used as alkali (46) in the pre-defecation stages (33) or the main defecation stages (34) (35), calcium carbonate (39) deposited in the saturation stage (37) can absorb at least a portion of the non-sugars in juice (1). After the precipitation of calcium compounds (39), non-sugar in the precipitate can be removed from the juice by separating the juice (1) from the precipitate (39). In some embodiments, intermediate defecation (36) can be performed in combination with additional saturation (38). Again, trapped non-sugar can be removed along with precipitated calcium carbonate (39). After removing the precipitate of calcium carbonate (39), it is possible to obtain juice (1), from which after evaporation of part of the water (45), syrups (46) of the required quality can be obtained. After this, by crystallization (47) of sucrose in the juice, sugar (48) can be obtained.

Now turn to Fig.6. As for technological systems for processing sugar, in which instead of the traditional defecation with calcium carbonate, as described above, ion exchange is used in the technological system for processing sugar (49), according to US patents 3,785,863; 4331483 or 4140541, each of which is incorporated herein by reference, an alkali, such as lime, is used to pre-treat the juice to facilitate its filtration before the ion exchange stages (49), regeneration of the ion exchange material to obtain a calcium form, to replace the polar charge of the juice calcium or to reduce the acidity of the juice after ion-exchange processes.

In such methods, the present invention can provide a reduction in the amount of dissolved materials or dissolved gases, or a decrease in the acidity of the juice before the juice is pretreated or in combination with it, or a decrease in the polar charge of the juice before ion exchange, or a decrease in the acidity of the juice after the ion exchange steps. Thus, each of these methods can be improved in accordance with the invention.

Now turn to Fig.7. In sugar processing technologies in which, instead of conventional defecation with calcium carbonate, as described above, filtration or ultrafiltration is used, as described in US Pat. No. 4,432,806, which is incorporated herein by reference, the method of the invention can be used to pre-treat the juice before adding alkali to then the juice was easier to filter (50).

In methods of this type, the invention can provide a reduction in the amount of dissolved materials or dissolved gases, or a decrease in the acidity of the juice before the juice is pretreated with a base or in combination with it, so that non-sugar reaches their isoelectric points and aggregates or otherwise forms solid particles that can be filtered out from the remaining liquid parts of the juice. Each of these methods can be improved by the juice purification method in accordance with the invention.

Now turn to Fig. The invention may include a processing device or methods for processing sugar-containing liquids or diffusion juice, which provide an advantage in the form of lower solubility in such liquids of materials that lower the pH. If sugar-containing liquids are heated, the solubility of some materials, including gases, such as CO ₂ and SO ₂ , decreases. In fact, the transfer of these materials from such liquids can be initiated or increased at the interface between such a liquid and a mixture of gases with partial pressures, even when the material cannot be transferred or cannot be transferred additionally at such a partial pressure of gases at a lower liquid temperature.

Turning now to Fig. 9, a particular embodiment of the invention is shown in which sugar beet chips (51) are introduced into the mixer (52) usually from a conveyor belt or other means of transportation, or beet chips (51) can be introduced directly into the diffusion apparatus (53) using a pump (54). In embodiments in which beet chips (51) are introduced into the mixer (52), the chips (51) inside the mixer (52) can be exposed to part or all of the diffusion juice or liquid (55) flowing out of the diffusion apparatus (53) before being fed chips with a pump (54) into a diffusion apparatus (53).

In a diffusion apparatus (53), sugar beet chips are extracted with hot water (59) with a temperature typically between 50 ° C and 80 ° C, sometimes in countercurrent, to extract or transfer sugar beet juice, which may contain a variety of soluble and insoluble substances, as described above, from beet chips (51). The hot liquid, which now contains substances extracted from beet chips (51), and called the "diffusion juice", is collected and transferred to the mixer (52) as a separate stream or a plurality of outflowing streams (55) (55) with a pump (60).

It is important that although diffusion technology has been used for decades, until the present invention it was not known that the diffusion apparatus itself (53) can prevent or reduce the transfer of certain substances or materials that lower the pH to diffusion juice, which may contain amounts of some substances or materials reduced in accordance with the invention. In embodiments of the invention, the advantage is obtained from the increased diffusion temperatures of beet chips, which reduces the solubility of certain substances contained in diffusion juice and the like, for removing, reducing or transferring certain substances or materials, such as alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters , nitriles, sulfides, pyrazines, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, sulfur dioxide, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, sulphurous acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, succinic acid, fumar acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, maleic acid, propanoic acid, 3-methylbutanoic acid, butanoic acid, pentanoic acid, 5-methylhexanoic, hexanoic, heptanoic or lactic acid.

Monitoring, evaluation of juice and processing of juice using elevated temperatures, which reduce the solubility of materials that lower the pH of the juice, are carried out using the equipment shown in Figs. 1-7 and 11, 12, 13 and described here, in the diffusion apparatus (53) or in various places (200) (201) (202) shown in Fig. 9, for processing diffusion juice between the diffusion apparatus (53) and the apparatus for preliminary defecation (57). Heaters (T) (203) (204) can be added to the system to maintain juice or diffusion juice at a juice temperature set or maintained in the range from about 60 ° C to about 80 ° C. In various embodiments of the invention, heaters can be used to set or maintain the temperature of the juice at about 60 ° C, about 61 ° C, about 62 ° C, about 63 ° C, about 64 ° C, about 65 ° C, about 66 ° C, about 67 ° C, about 68 ° C, about 69 ° C, about 70 ° C, about 71 ° C, about 72 ° C, about 73 ° C, about 74 ° C, about 75 ° C, about 76 ° C, about 77 ° C, about 78 ° C, about 79 ° C, about 80 ° C or another temperature, if required.

Some variants of the invention use different equipment using diffusion apparatuses and diffusion technology for processing sugar beet chips, some equipment is shown in Fig. 9 with typical locations (200) (201) (202) where various equipment can be placed, such as 10-13 and described below in illustrative embodiments of the invention. These illustrative examples are not to be construed as limiting the wide variety of various embodiments of the invention not shown.

In an embodiment of the invention, the exchange rate of atmospheric partial pressures is controlled in a diffusion apparatus or the partial pressure of gases (62) is maintained, which provides additional transfer of pH-lowering substances from hot diffusion juice (205). The diffusion apparatus (53) can be modified by providing an additional fluid communication with the atmosphere to increase the difference in partial pressures between the atmosphere and the surface of the heated diffusion juice. In the case when it is impossible to modify the design of the diffusion apparatus in this way, then a gas flow generator (64) can be installed inside the diffusion apparatus (53). The gas flow generated inside the diffusion apparatus (53) can be balanced by enhanced ventilation (63). Evaluation tool (65), which monitors the transfer of certain substances from diffusion juice to the gas stream, can provide information on the metabolic rate between the juice and the atmosphere (or other selected gas mixtures or partial gas pressures) on the surface of the diffusion juice.

Turning now to FIG. 10, in the embodiment of the invention shown, hot diffusion juice (66) is pumped (60) or other means of transporting liquid to a separate section (67), in which the surface area of the hot diffusion juice (66) is increased to provide a more significant decrease in the concentration of pH-lowering agents, such as CO ₂ or SO ₂ , or to accelerate the transfer of pH-lowering substances from hot diffusion juice. The increased surface area (or adjusted desired surface area) of the hot diffusion juice (66) can be obtained in various ways, as described above, by introducing gases with the required partial pressures to contact the diffusion juice sprayed in this separate section or distributed over the surface with an increased area .

Some embodiments of the invention may include a container (67) with a substantially open top and may further be provided with a substantially open bottom (which may conveniently have a small opening for transferring treated diffusion juice to a mixer or sedimentation tank (68)) by pump (56) (54) or other similar means. Hot juice (66) from the diffusion apparatus can be introduced near the upper part of the container (67) so that the hot juice (66) inside the container has a significantly increased contact area with atmospheric gases. As shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment of the invention, the hot juice is introduced near the upper part of the container (67) so that the hot juice is distributed along the inner walls and slowly spirals down at least at a certain portion of the height of the inner surface to increase the duration stay in the tank (67).

In an embodiment of the invention, the method itself introducing hot juice into the container (67) can increase the surface area of the heated juice (66), while the container (67) serves only to receive the processed diffusion juice. In this embodiment of the invention, the configuration of the flow of hot juice can be modified to further increase the surface area for contacting the juice with atmospheric gases or gases with the desired partial pressures, for example, by mixing, pulsating, splitting into many streams, spraying, droplet formation or otherwise.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, to optimally increase the surface area of the hot diffusion juice (66), a container configuration (67) can be used. For example, the container may have a cylindrical or conical configuration, or even a variable configuration, in which the surface area of the hot juice distributed over the surface of the container (67) and the length of stay on the surface of the container can increase or decrease in a controlled manner. In some embodiments of the invention, the container may be an extension of the diameter of the pipeline (69) for the juice, providing fluid communication with atmospheric partial pressures or with gases having the required partial pressures, injected into the pipeline for hot diffusion juice, to remove lower pH and other undesirable substances that can be removed by distillation.

In some embodiments of the invention, the partial pressures of the gases in contact with the juice surface can be controlled by vacuum to maintain a constantly reduced concentration of gases with the desired partial pressures to increase the transport of dissolved gases or substances from the hot diffusion juice, including the stripping of gases, as described herein.

Now turn to 11. The embodiment shown here may include a pump (70) or other similar device for transferring liquid, which creates sufficient liquid pressure (from about 20 to 25 psi) in the injector nozzle (71). As described above, the process fluid can be heated to a temperature of from about 50 ° C to about 80 ° C to reduce the solubility of gases such as CO ₂ , SO ₂ , volatile organic or inorganic compounds, and other compounds described above in the liquid being treated. After air or gases with other desired partial pressures are introduced into the fluid to be treated through the nozzle orifice (71), this fluid can be transferred to a gas-liquid separator (72), which can be a centrifugal gas-liquid separator, which allows reaching approximately four times the acceleration of gravity (G ) A gas-liquid separator (72) provides partial pressures that allow the gases injected into the liquid to be transported to transport dissolved gases, volatile organic or inorganic compounds to the atmosphere to reduce the concentration of these substances in the liquid to be treated. In an embodiment, the gas-liquid separator may be a container in which the liquid to be treated is contained in such a way as to increase the area of contact of the atmosphere with this liquid, facilitating the transfer of materials from the liquid to the atmosphere in a shorter time. When using a centrifugal gas-liquid separator, the processed fluid under the influence of centrifugal forces can be distributed on the inner surface of the tank of a cylindrical configuration (although other configurations are possible) with a force corresponding in this embodiment to approximately four times the acceleration of gravity (G). The distribution of the liquid to be treated on the inner surface of the cylindrical tank of a centrifugal gas-liquid separator increases the contact area of this liquid with the atmosphere or gases with other partial pressures into which the gases contained in the liquid can be transferred. The gas exhaust system (73) facilitates the transfer of gases with partial pressures from the treated liquid to the atmosphere. In an embodiment of the invention, the treated liquid from the gas-liquid separator (72) may be supplied for preliminary defecation using a traditional sugar production technology or may be supplied to other processing stages, as described above.

In other embodiments of the invention, a pump (74) or other similar fluid transfer means transfers the fluid to be processed into a fluid spray device (76), such as a nozzle, to disperse the fluid in order to increase the surface area of the fluid in contact with the atmosphere or gases with other partial pressures. A device for spraying liquid (76) may create drops or aerosol. Using a gas distribution manifold (77) or other similar means of gas distribution, air or gases with other partial pressures are supplied through a dispersed liquid, contributing to the additional action of these gases on dissolved gases, volatile organic compounds or volatile acids and the like in the treated liquid. In some cases, the gas stream introduced by the gas distribution manifold (77) may be a stream directed towards the movement of the dispersed liquid from the liquid spraying device (76) in order to increase the efficiency of gas distribution or stripping. An additional anti-foaming agent (78) may also be included to quench the foam formed by the liquid during gas distribution or stripping. For these purposes, you can use a mesh or sieve with holes of a suitable size. A device for spraying liquid (76), a gas distribution manifold (77) and a defoamer (78) can be located inside a separate section (79) or gas distribution column. The volume of the gas stream directed to the gas distribution manifold (77) can be controlled using a gas transfer device (80). The volume of the gas stream can be controlled quantitatively based on an analysis of conditions inside a separate section (79) or chemical conditions inside a process fluid, individually or in combination. In embodiments of the invention, the treated liquid (juice) may be pre-defecated according to a conventional sugar production technology or other processing steps, as described above.

Some options may additionally use a vacuum chamber (84) into which the fluid to be treated can be supplied. To transfer from the liquid passed through the vacuum chamber (84), the required amount of volatile materials or to achieve the desired pH of the liquid inside the vacuum chamber (84), you can adjust the pressure. It is also possible to create reduced pressure inside the chamber using a vacuum pump or, in the embodiment, by moving the fluid through the ejector system (88) (89) (90). The amount of processed liquid entering the vacuum chamber (84) can also be controlled by means of a liquid shutter (81), and to increase the area of contact with the gas, the liquid can be sprayed through a second liquid spraying device (82). Then the liquid can be supplied from the vacuum chamber (84) for pre-defecation according to traditional sugar production technologies or sent to other processing stages, as described above.

The invention can additionally use a drainage system (91), consisting of various components (72) (79) (84) (90) for draining excess liquid or foam from this liquid into a drainage tank (93), into which through a device for spraying antifoam ( 92) you can add antifoam.

The liquid collected in the drainage tank (93) can then be transferred from the vacuum chamber (84) for pre-defecation according to traditional sugar production technologies or sent to other processing stages, as described above.

Turning now to FIGS. 12 and 13. In this embodiment, the invention can use a juice processing system provided with a juice dispenser (300), a non-limiting example of which is a BEX PSQ square spray nozzle or a BEX PSWSQ wide-angle square spray nozzle (300) . Juice (301), whether heated as described above or not, can be sprayed in gas (302), or in a gas mixture, or in gases at a certain partial pressure, or in atmospheric gases adjusted to the required partial pressures with characteristics allowing transfer at least one substance from said juice to said gas. An adjustable generator (303) generates a stream of such gas (302) sufficient to maintain the mentioned gas characteristics (partial pressures, volume, residence time, speed, etc.) that allow the transfer of at least one of the aforementioned substances from said juice to gas (302). The device for the release of gas (304) allows you to release gas containing substances extracted from juice into the atmosphere or to collect and transport to the desired location or to submit to the desired process or to the desired stage of the method. The gas stream (302) can be discharged in one place or from several places of release (305). In an embodiment of the invention, the gas is first directed to the gas distribution member (310), such as the gas distribution ring shown in FIG. 13 and having a plurality of openings (313). The gas distribution element (310) serves to provide the required characteristics within the counterflow or other gas stream section (312).

For example, spraying juice (301) at a rate of about 60 to about 110 cubic feet per minute into a gas stream having a speed of about 450 to 850 cubic feet per minute can cause substances such as alcohols to be transferred from the juice to the gas stream. aldehydes, ketones, esters, nitriles, sulfides, pyrazines, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, sulfur dioxide, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, sulfuric acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid , pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, maleic acid, propanoic acid, 3-methylbutanoic acid, butanoic acid, pentanoic (valerianic) acid, 5-methylhexanoic, hexanoic (caproic), heptanoic (enanthic) and lactic acid and etc. As for the options shown in Figs. 12 and 13, to reduce the amount of various substances in the diffusion juice from sugar beets, they use a gas stream (302), approximately four times the volume of the sprayed juice (301). See examples 1-3. Similarly, juices obtained from crushed sugarcane can be processed in a similar manner with similar results. Depending on the amount of juice to be sprayed and the gas stream to be generated, equipment for processing according to the invention juice obtained using conventional sugar beet processing equipment (usually 1000-5000 gallons) of diffusion juice per minute) can be selected accordingly, while some components of the equipment may be located sequentially or in parallel.

In an embodiment of the invention, an additional gas stream generator (306) can be used to form an additional gas stream (307), which may contain oxygen, ozone, air from which some gases are removed, an oxidizing agent capable of converting primary alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes or carboxylic acids. Alternatively, embodiments of the invention may use additional oxidizing agents (308), which can be sprayed into the juice to be processed through the nozzle (311).

As discussed above, using the heater (309), it is possible to maintain the juice at a substantially constant temperature in the range from 60 ° C to 80 ° C, when said juice (301) is sprayed in said gas (302) with characteristics that allow at least transfer one mentioned substance from juice to gas. In various embodiments of the invention, when juice (301) is sprayed in a gas (302) with characteristics that allow the transfer of the aforementioned substance from juice (301) to gas, this juice may have a temperature selected from the group consisting of about 60 ° C, about 61 ° C, about 62 ° C, about 63 ° C, about 64 ° C, about 65 ° C, about 66 ° C, about 67 ° C, about 68 ° C, about 69 ° C, about 70 ° C, about 71 ° C, about 72 ° C, about 73 ° C, about 74 ° C, about 75 ° C, about 76 ° C, about 77 ° C, about 78 ° C, about 79 ° C and about 80 ° C.

Some embodiments of the invention may additionally use dividing walls to increase the area of contact between the sprayed juice (301) and the gas (302) with characteristics that allow the transfer of at least one substance from the juice to the gas.

Juice processing, as described above, can be carried out in the first section (312) shown in Fig. 13, from which the processed juice is sent through an outlet (314) to a pre-deflector (57) or to another technological stage, or to the second section (315) ) processing of juice. In embodiments of the invention in which the treated juice is sent to the second processing section, the juice (301) can be sprayed again using at least one second spray device (316). Using the reduced pressure generating means (317), it is possible to lower the pressure in said second section (315) in order to reduce the partial pressures of the gases to facilitate the transfer of at least one substance from the juice (301) to these gases (318) with reduced partial pressures.

Using the reduced pressure generating means inside the second section (315), it is also possible to create and maintain a pressure (318) sufficiently reduced to boil the sprayed juice (102). The reduced pressure (318) inside the second section (315) can be varied or adjusted (automatically or manually) based on the temperature and composition of the sprayed juice (301). To transfer evaporated substances to the atmosphere with a stripping gas stream using means (319) to create a stripping gas stream (320), a stream of this gas can be introduced into the second section (315). The stripping gas (320) may be air, atmospheric gases, nitrogen, oxygen, or another desired gas.

In an embodiment, additional reduced pressure generating means (321) may be used in addition to reduced pressure generating means (317) to provide boiling of the sprayed juice (301) in the second section (315).

As in the first section (312), partition walls can also be included in the second section (315) to increase the contact area between the juice (301) and the gas with reduced partial pressures (318).

In an embodiment, another third section (322) may be used in which reduced pressure can be created and maintained, as described above. Juice (301) through the outlet (323) can be discharged from the second section (315) and sprayed in the third section using a device for distributing juice, similar to the device used in the first and second sections of the juice processing. On the other hand, juice (301) exiting the second section (315) can be sent directly to preliminary bowel movement or filtration, or to other stages or methods as desired.

The above examples of embodiments of the invention are intended, in particular, to illustrate the general principle of applying a decrease in the solubility of certain substances, gases, volatile compounds, acids, and the like. in heated juice, for monitoring, controlling or regulating the concentrations of these substances by regulating individual partial pressures of gases or by combining these pressures on the surface of hot diffusion juice, or by increasing the surface area of hot juice in contact with gases having the desired partial pressures before predefection of juice. The advantages of the invention are understood in the context of adding small amounts of alkali, such as lime, and controlling the foaming of the juice when it is processed before the pre-defecation step.

EXAMPLE 1

Juice was obtained by traditional diffusion of beet chips in a diffusion column. Each of the control and experimental groups contained six identical 500 ml portions of diffusion juice. Each of the portions in the control group and the experimental group was analyzed to determine their pH. In each portion of the control group, the pH was about 6.3. Each portion of the control group was titrated to a pH of 11.2 with a solution of sodium hydroxide at a concentration of 50 wt.% / Vol. Each portion of the experimental group was treated with the method according to the invention, after which the pH of each portion was determined and each of the experimental portions was titrated with a solution of sodium hydroxide with a concentration of 50 wt.% / Vol., Essentially in the same way as the control group, to pH 11, 2.

The results are shown below in table 1. As can be seen from the table, each of the portions of juice before processing had a pH of about 6.3. The experimental group after treatment according to the invention, without the addition of any alkali, had a higher pH, and to achieve a pH of 11.2, less sodium hydroxide was required compared to the control group.

Table 1 raw juice pH ml sodium hydroxide solution pH of the processed juice ml sodium hydroxide solution % reduction in sodium hydroxide 6.3 1.8 6.5 1,5 16.6 6.3 1.8 6.6 1.4 22.2 6.3 1.8 6.6 1.4 22.2 6.3 1.9 6.6 1,6 15.8 6.3 1.9 6.5 1,5 21.0 6.3 1.9 6.5 1,6 15.8

The decrease in the amount of sodium hydroxide solution to obtain a pH of 11.2 for portions of juice in the experimental group treated according to the invention, compared with portions of juice in the untreated control group, was from about 15.8% to about 22.2%.

EXAMPLE 2

Juice was obtained by traditional diffusion of beet chips in a diffusion column. A control group and an experimental group were formed, each of which contained five identical 500 ml portions of diffusion juice. Each portion of the control and experimental groups was analyzed to determine its pH. For all servings of diffusion juice of the control group, the pH was about 6.1. Each portion of the control group was titrated, without any additional treatment, to a pH of 11.2 with a solution of milk of lime with a solids content of 30 ° Brix by hydrometer. Each portion of the experimental group was treated with the method of the invention, after which the pH of each portion was determined, and each of the experimental portions was titrated with a solution of milk of milk with a solids content of 30 ° Brix according to the hydrometer, essentially in the same way as the control group, to pH 11.2 .

The results are shown below in table 2. As can be seen from the table, each of the portions of juice before processing had a pH of about 6.1. The experimental group after treatment according to the invention without the addition of alkali had a higher pH, and to achieve a pH of 11.2, less milk of lime was required compared to the control group.

table 2 raw juice pH ml of milk of lime pH of the processed juice ml of milk of lime % reduction of milk of lime 6.1 4.6 6.5 3.3 28.3 6.1 4.4 6.6 3.2 27.3 6.1 4.7 6.6 3,5 25.5 6.1 4.4 6.6 3.3 25.0 6.1 4,5 6.6 3.3 26.7

The decrease in the amount of milk of lime required to achieve a pH of 11.2 for portions of juice in the experimental group treated according to the invention, compared with portions of juice in the control group, was from about 25.0% to about 28.3%.

Thus, the data presented in tables 1 and 2, allow you to compare two different types of diffusion devices and diffusion methods. It is important that the data presented show that using different diffusion devices or different diffusion methods, it is possible to obtain diffusion juice with significantly different pH levels, although the initial pH levels obtained for each type of diffusion technology can be comparable. See, for example, the initial pH of the raw diffusion juice in table 1, which corresponds to a pH of 6.3, compared with the raw diffusion juice in table 2, which has an initial pH of 6.1.

EXAMPLE 3

Diffusion juice was obtained by traditional diffusion of beet chips in a diffusion column and processed according to an embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, with juice processing between the mixer and the pre-deflector. Diffusion juice at a flow rate of about 100 cubic feet per minute was sprayed countercurrently to a stream of atmospheric gases at a speed of about 400 cubic feet per minute in a 72 x 72-inch pipe with a pipe height of about 144 inches to allow the transfer of various substances from the sprayed juice, which then identified using gas chromatographic / mass spectral analysis, the data of which are shown below in tables 1'and 2 '.

Table 1'

Table 1 'shows the data of gas chromatographic analysis of samples SMBSC 1 and SMBSC 2 (condensates obtained from the gas stream after countercurrent exchange with juice, as described here) with chromatograms of such samples compared to the gas chromatogram of a sample of a standard mixture of organic acids 1-9. As you can understand, processing the juice according to the invention removes various amounts of each of the organic acids included in the standard mixture.

Table 2'

Table 2 'shows the gas chromatographic / mass spectrometric analysis of SMSBC5 D samples (condensates obtained from the gas stream after exchange with the juice in countercurrent, as described here, without applying reduced pressure at a juice temperature between 60 ° C and 70 ° C) with a chromatogram such a sample, which shows an increase in various volatile compounds with peaks above the base curve corresponding to different alcohols.

Each of these compounds was identified using GCMS and is presented below in table 3 in the form of structural formulas.

Although there are different types of diffusion devices and different diffusion methods, those skilled in the art do not take into account that during the diffusion of the material (sugar beet or other types of plant material) the pH may change or decrease, or they do not take into account that different diffusion devices or different the methods produce juice or liquids with different pH values, or do not take into account the fact that the latest types of diffusion devices usually result in diffusion juice with a lower pH value. With the widening of the understanding that diffusion technology produces diffusion juice with different pH values, or that improvements in diffusion technology change or decrease the pH of diffusion juice, it can be understood that such traditional approaches to extracting juice from plant material are far from the essence of the invention .

As can be understood from the foregoing, the present invention can be implemented in various ways. It should also be understood that various modifications of the invention are possible without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims (24)

1. The method of purification of juice obtained from plant material and containing sucrose, water and non-sugar, including insoluble material and soluble substances, comprising treating the juice with a mixture of gases consisting of atmospheric gases, air and filtered atmospheric gases and air, transferring part of the soluble substances from the juice into the gas mixture before adding alkali, increasing the contact area between the juice and the gas mixture by mixing the juice with the gas mixture, or spraying the juice, or bubbling the juice with the gas mixture, or cts of a mixture of gases into juice and an increase in the rate of transfer of the indicated portion of soluble substances from juice to a mixture of gases with a decrease in their content in juice. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that they use juice obtained by diffusion of plant material. 3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that they use juice obtained from sugar cane, sugar beets and sugar sorghum. 4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the insoluble material of non-sugars is soil particles, fertilizers, pulp, and soluble substances are saccharides, organic non-sugars, inorganic sugars, dissolved gases, organic and inorganic acids, proteins, phosphates, carbonate - ions, bicarbonate ions, metal ions, pectins, coloring agents, saponins, wax, fats and gums. 5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the soluble non-sugar contains volatile material. 6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the soluble substances in the juice include dissolved gases from the group consisting of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. 7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the gases dissolved in the juice are selected from the group consisting of gaseous carbon dioxide, carbonate ion, bicarbonate ion and carbonic acid. 8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the sulfur dioxide is selected from the group consisting of gaseous sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid and sulfurous acid. 9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the soluble substances of non-sugars include water-soluble acids selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, lactic acid, glycolic acids, pyrrolindocarboxylic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, maleic acid and lactic acid. 10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the processing of the juice with a mixture of gases is carried out by introducing this mixture into a continuous stream of juice with the formation of a continuous mixed stream. 11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the mixed flow of the mixture, juice and gas is affected by the reduced pressure created by the configuration of the juice flow. 12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the stream of the gas mixture is isolated from the mixed stream of juice and gas mixture under the action of a means of creating a reduced pressure below atmospheric. 13. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that with a decrease in the content of soluble substances, the pH of the juice rises by 0.1-2.0. 14. The method according to item 13, wherein the pH of the juice is 11.0-12.5. 15. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that during the processing of the juice with a mixture of gases, the content of water-soluble acids formed by dissolved gases is reduced. 16. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the insoluble material of non-sugars is removed before processing the juice with a mixture of gases. 17. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the removal of insoluble material from the juice is carried out after processing with a mixture of gases. 18. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the juice after transferring part of the soluble substances from the juice to the gas mixture is sent for pre-defecation with alkali, which is selected from the group of calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, milk of lime. 19. The method according to p. 18, characterized in that they carry out cold or hot main defecation. 20. The method according to p. 18 or 19, characterized in that the saturation is carried out in three stages using atmospheric gases, air, carbon dioxide to form a precipitate adsorbing non-sugar. 21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the precipitate formed with non-sugars is separated from the juice. 22. The method according to item 21, wherein the juice is thickened by removing water. 23. A method for producing sugar, comprising purifying the juice according to claims 1-22 and crystallizing sucrose in the condensed juice. 24. Sugar obtained according to item 23.

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