SK50852005A3 - Sugar production system - Google Patents

Abstract

A sugar process system which includes an aeration chamber (37) or a vacuum chamber (42), or both, to condition sugar process liquid (4) obtained from plant material.

Description

Technical field

Generally, a system for producing sugar from sucrose-containing fluids obtained from plant material is described. Specifically, a fluid processing apparatus for making a sugar process that modifies the properties of a fluid for a sugar making process is described, and the steps of a process for making a sugar using a fluid having altered properties for a sugar making process are described.

The PCT patent application claims the right from U.S. provisional patent application no. 60/457 516, filed March 24, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sucrose, C12H22O11, a disaccharide, is a condensed molecule that binds one glucose monosaccharide and one fructose monosaccharide. Sucrose occurs in nature in a number of fruits and vegetables from the realm of plants, such as sugar cane, sugar beet, sorghum, sugar palm tree or sugar maple. The amount of sugar produced from plants may depend, inter alia, on the genetic strain, soil or fertilization factors, weather conditions during growth, impact of plant diseases, degree of maturity or treatment during harvesting and processing.

Sucrose can be concentrated in certain parts of the plant, such as sugar beet root or stalks of sugar cane plants. All or parts of the plant where sucrose is concentrated can be harvested and the plant material can be processed to obtain a sugar production fluid that contains a certain amount of sucrose. See, for example, Sugar Technology, Beet and Can Sugar Manufacture ”by P.W. van der Poel et al. (1998); Beet-Sugar Technology ”, eds. R.A.McGinnis, 3rd ed. (1982); or ”Cane Sugar Handbook: A Manual for

PP 5085-2005

357 / ώ-'ώ.04 2006

Can Sugar Manufacturers and Their Chemists ”by James C.P. Chen, Chung Chi Chou, 12th ed. (1993); and U.S. Pat. 6,051,075; 5,928 42; 5,480,490; each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1, as a non-limiting example, in which the sugar beet 1 can be cut into thin slices called sweet slices 2. The sweet slices 2 can then be introduced into a sweet slice mixer 3 through which the liquid stream 4 for the sugar production process passes. The sweet shavings 2 are fed into the sweet shredder mixer 3 upstream of the fluid stream 4 for the sugar production process in the sweet shredder mixer 3. As the sweet pulp 2 is conveyed to the sweet pulp mixer 3, a portion of the sucrose from the sweet pulp 2 is conveyed to the liquid stream 3 for the sugar production process. The sweet pulp 2 and a portion of the sugar production fluid 4 may be transferred to the sweet pulp slurry inlet at the first end of the diffuser 6, while the diffuser fluid 7 enters the diffusion fluid inlet 8 at the second end 8 of the diffuser. The sweet pulp 2 is conveyed to the diffuser 7 upstream of the diffuse fluid stream 8. Up to about 98% of sucrose can be transferred by countercurrent diffusion of the sweet pulp 2 from the sugar beet together with various other sweet pulp materials 2. The sweet pulp is transported from the diffuser 6 9 the sweet shreds slurry to the reskolis 10 in which the fluid is pressed from the sweet shreds 2. The pressed sweet shreds fluid 2, often referred to as the reskolis water 11, may have a pH of about 5 and return to the diffuser 6 at the reskolis water inlet 9 at the other end of the diffuser 6 for combining with the diffusing fluid 7. The sugar stream 4 of the process for processing sugar from the diffuser 6 (often referred to as diffuse juice) returns the combined diffusing fluid 7, reskolis fluid 11 and other fluid or fluids which to be introduced into the diffuser 6 to the mixer 3 of the sweet cuttings. The flow of the sugar production process fluid 4 from the diffuser 6 may be divided into two or more streams and other fluids may be combined with the flow of the sugar production fluid 4 as it returns to the sweet chopper mixer The flow of the sugar production process fluid 4 entering the mixer 3 the sweet shredder moves the sweet shredder 3 upstream of the sweet shreds 2. The sugar process liquid 4 conveyed from the sweet shredder 3 is often referred to as diffuse

357Ό juice.

There are a number of alternative methods for conveying sugar-containing fluids from plant material. As a second non-limiting example (not shown in the figure), a diffuse method using a sugar cane using a movable bed of finely modified pieces of sugar cane, which is guided by spraying a diffuse fluid to convey sucrose (along with various other materials) from the plant material into a diffuse fluid.

As a third non-limiting example, the milling of the sugar cane, wherein the stalks of the sugar cane pass through rollers to compress the sugar juice from the cane as a plant material. This process can be repeated several times in a series of mills to ensure that substantially all of the sugar juice is removed from the cane.

Regardless of the method or method used to convey sucrose from the plant material, the resulting sugar process fluid 4 comprises sucrose, non-sugar substances, and water. Non-sugar substances may include substances obtained by all means from plants and substances obtained other than plants, including, but not limited to, insoluble materials such as plant fibers, soil particles, metal particles or other debris, and soluble materials such as fertilizers, sucrose, carbohydrates other than sucrose, organic and inorganic substances other than sugars, organic acids (such as acetic acid, L-lactic acid or D-lactic acid), dissolved gases (such as carbon dioxide, oxide sulfur and molecular oxygen), proteins, inorganic acids, phosphates, metal ions (for example, iron, aluminum or magnesium ions) or pectins, color materials, saponins, waxes, fats or gums for each of their constituent or bonded moieties, or derivatives thereof.

Referring now to FIG. 2 shows that the sequential introduction of base 13 to the sugar production fluid 4 increases the pH from about 5.5 to about 6.5 to about 11.5 to about 11.8. Increasing the pH allows certain non-sugar substances contained in fluid 4 pro

The method of sugar production to achieve their respective isoelectric points. This step, often referred to as lime pretreatment, can take place in the multi-cell lime pretreatment apparatus 14. The term lime pretreatment "is not limited to the step of adding a base to the fluid 4 of a process for producing sucrose-containing sugar only to those systems that relate to base addition as a lime pretreatment. Rather, it should be appreciated that in various process systems for various conventional juices, it may be desirable to first use a base to raise the pH of the liquid 4 for the sugar process prior to subsequent blackening or purification steps. The following blackening or purification steps may include a filtration step as described in U.S. Pat. 4,432,806, 5,759,283 or the like, an ion exchange step as described in GB patent no. No. 1,043,102 or U.S. Pat. 3,618,589, 3,785,863, 4,140,541, or 4,331,483, 5,466,294, or the like, a chromatographic treatment step as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,294, 4,312,678, 2,985,589, 4,182,633, 4,412,866 or 5,102,553 and the like, an ultrafiltration step as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,367,249; 4,432,806 or the like, phase separation as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,075, or a method of adding active materials to a final saturation vessel, as described in US Patent No. 5,702,049; No. 4,045,242, each of which as an alternative to conventional steps, a process for producing sugar from main lime blackening and saturation ”is incorporated herein by reference.

The term base "includes the use of any material capable of raising the pH of juice or liquids 4 for a sugar production process, including the use of lime or residue from the methods they use, lime such as calcium carbonate containing sludges 13 obtained after hot lime blackening or saturation. but not limited. The use of the term blackening usually involves the particular use of quicklime or calcium oxides formed by heating calcium (usually in the form of limestone) in oxygen to form calcium oxide 15. Lime milk is preferred in many juice-based process systems and consists of a calcium hydroxide (Ca (OH) slurry). ₍₂ ) in the water produced in the lime extinguisher 16 according to the above reaction:

357 / B

CaO + H 2 O = Ca (OH) 2 + 15.5 cal

The term " isoelectric point " refers to a pH at which dissolved or colloidal materials, such as proteins, in the sugar production fluid 4 have no electrical potential. When such dissolved or colloidal materials reach their designated isoelectric points, they may form a plurality of solid particles, flocculants or flakes in the sugar process liquid 4.

Flocculation can be further improved by adding calcium carbonate containing materials to the juice which functionally forms a core or substrate to which the solid particles or flocculants are attached. This method increases the size, weight or density of the particles, which facilitates the filtration or deposition of such solid particles or materials and their removal from the juice.

Typically, the sugar process 4 further purifies fluid 4 for the process, including removal of residual lime, excess calcium carbonate, solids, flocculant or flakes, to stabilize the flakes or particles formed in the lime pre-blackening step. The main cold liming step (not shown in Figure 2) may include the addition of an additional about 0.3 to 0.7% lime based on the weight of the sugar process fluid 4 (or more, depending on the quality of the pre-treated juice). lime blackening), which is carried out at a temperature of about 30 to about 40 ° C.

The cold main lime juice can then be subjected to hot main lime 17 due to further degradation of the inverse sugar and other ingredients that are not stable in this step. The hot main lime blackening 17 may further comprise adding lime 18 to cause the pH of the lime-black juice to be raised to a pH between about 12 to about 12.5. This causes the breakdown of a portion of the soluble non-sugar materials that is not effective after the addition of base or lime. Particular thermal stability by particularly decomposing the main lime 17 with the lime of the sugar production process 4 can be achieved by decomposing the inverse sugar, amino acids, amides and other soluble non-sugar materials.

357'B

After the main leaching 17 with cold or hot lime, the sugar production process liquid 4 after the main lime treatment can be subjected to a first saturation step 18 in which carbon dioxide gas 19 can be contacted with the main leaching sugar production process liquid 4. lime. Carbon dioxide gas 19 reacts with residual lime in the juice after main blackening to form a calcium carbonate precipitate 13 or suspension thereof. In this way, not only residual lime (usually about 95% by weight residual lime) can be removed, but also the surfactant precipitate 13 of the calcium carbonate can trap a substantial amount of the remaining dissolved non-sugar substances. Further, the calcium carbonate precipitate 13 may act as a filter aid to physically remove solids from the juice after main lime blackening 17 and saturation 18.

The black sugar process liquid 4 obtained from the first saturation step 18 may then be subjected to additional lime blackening steps, a heat treatment step, a second saturation step 20, a filtration step, a membrane ultrafiltration step, a chromatographic separation step or an ion exchange step as described above. or combinations thereof, permutations or derivatives thereof, to further black or purify the juice obtained from the first saturation step and result in a sugar process fluid 4, referred to as light juice. '

Referring now to FIG. 3, which provides another non-limiting example, the light juice may be concentrated by evaporating a portion of the water content to obtain a sugar process liquid 4, commonly referred to as a heavy juice. Evaporation of a portion of the water content may be carried out in a multi-stage evaporator.

Referring now to FIG. 4, as another non-limiting example, the concentrated sugar process liquid 4 or heavy juice ”is mixed with other sugar process liquids (heavy juice, centrifuged wash liquids and syrups) and the re-melted crystals 22, 23 of the resulting low quality sugar are conveyed. to the refined mix ”24 is as well

357 / B removes more water by boiling under conditions that are suitable for the growth of sucrose or sugar crystals. Since it may be difficult to achieve good growth of sucrose or sugar crystals, several sucrose or sugar seed crystals may be added to initiate crystal formation. Once the crystals have grown, the resulting crystal mixture can be separated in a white centrifuge "25. The thickened sugar refinery liquid 4" is conveyed to the very coarse sugar container 26 for crystallization. In the very thick sugar container 26, very thick sugar crystals 27 are formed and separated from the thickened sugar process liquid by means of a very thick sugar centrifuge 28 and returned to the very thick sugar melting vessel 22, where they are combined with by the input of heavy juice ”, while the thickened liquid from the process for producing sugar from the refinery grain 24 is recrystallized in the vessel 29 for less coarse sugar”. The crystals 30 from the less coarse sugar container return to the less coarse sugar melting container 23 to be combined with the incoming heavy juice. The remaining concentrated liquid 4 of the process for producing sugar from a container for less coarse sugar "that is not crystallized is referred to as molasses".

The sugar crystals of the refinery grain 31 after separating the thickened liquid from the white centrifuge process can be washed (large wash) 32 to achieve the desired color. The large white centrifuge wash 32 "contains a substantial amount of sucrose and returns to the melting vessel 22 for very coarse sugar". The separated sucrose or sugar crystals 33 are then conveyed to a sugar dryer 34 to obtain sugar crystals 33 having the desired moisture content.

As can be seen from the above non-limiting examples, purification of sucrose containing a fluid of plant material results in a number of types of fluids from the sugar process and sugar process products. These are solids containing the remaining plant material, solids separated from the sugar process liquid during the purification, purification and refining process, sugar or sucrose containing juices, crystallized sugar or sucrose, mother liquors from the crystallization of sugar or sucrose, by-products from the system

357'B production and various combinations, permutations or derivatives thereof, each having a level of impurities consistent with the steps of the method used to produce them, or consistent with the usual standards for such type or type of product produced, including animal feed containing plant material such as removed sugar beet pulp, excluded pulp or bagasse or other solids or juices separated from the process liquids, solid fuels which can be burned to produce steam for the production of electric current or for the production of low pressure steam which can be returned to sugar production system or low energy (low calorie) heat production, syrups obtained from pure sucrose solutions, as well as sold to industrial users for processed syrups containing fragrances and colorings, or which include invert sugar to prevent crystallization sucrose, for example gold syrup, molasses obtained by removing all or any of the crystallizable sucrose or sugar, or molasses products, such as refined molasses, molasses distilled alcohol, blanco directo or vegetable sugars produced by sulphitation with sulfur dioxide (SO) ₍₂ ) as bleaching agents, jugeri or raw sugar produced by boiling juices containing sucrose or sugar until they are essentially dry, sugar from boiling refined white sugar juice or syrup or syrups which may or may be further discolored, cane sugar from a single crystallization; often referred to as raw sugar ”in the United Kingdom or other parts of Europe or referred to as evaporated cane juice in the natural food industry in North America, to describe a free-flowing once crystallized cane sugar that is produced with a minimum degree of processing, ground cane, demerar, muscovite, rapedure, panel, turbine, raw sugar, which may be about 97-97% sucrose, the rest being molasses, ash and other trace substances, refined sugars such as extremely finely granulated sugar, having a quality based on the quality of the bottle filler as specified by the National Soft Drink Association, which is white water and at least 99,9% sucrose, special white sugars such as poured sugar, icing sugar, sugar cubes or preservative sugar, brown sugars which may be prepared by spraying; and

357 / B by mixing white refined sugar with molasses, which may be light or dark brown sugar depending on the characteristics of the molasses, or powdered sugars formed in various degrees of fineness of powdered granulated sugar in a powder mill and which may further contain corn starch or other chemical compounds caking.

The above list is not intended to be limited to products made from sucrose-containing fluids, obtained from plant material or subsequently formed liquids from the sugar process during purification, but rather is meant to illustrate a number of variable products that may be formed by conventional systems for a sugar process including, but not limited to, the sugar process systems described above, and other non-specific sugar process systems described above, which are understood as inherent to the description described above based on the type of plant material being processed or obtained end product. Sugar process systems include a series of permutations and combinations of individual process components or process steps that may result from the same or similar or different products from the sugar process and by-products. It is to be understood that the invention may be useful for any type or type of system for a sugar production process that is explicitly or inherently described herein.

There is a competitive global market for products obtained from sugar production systems. Because the market for sugar and by-products from the sugar production process is large, even a slight reduction in the cost of sugar or by-products can provide substantial and desirable financial savings. While this strong commercial incentive may be associated with a long history of sugar production in at least 1000 years, and especially with regard to sugar production from sugar beet, for which industrial production systems were introduced 100 years ago, important unresolved problems related to sugar production remain.

A significant problem associated with sugar production may be the amount of organic acids and inorganic acids in the sugar process fluids. When plant cell juice 3 contains enough cations,

2? The 257 / B hydroxide ion (OH) can act as an anion, allowing carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) to dissolve in juice 3 as carbonate (CO ₃ ) ² 'or bicarbonate ions HCO ₃ '. Dissociation of HCO ₃ 'gives very weak acid. However, if the juice 3 contains an insufficient number of cations to allow the dissolution of carbon dioxide to form carbonate or bicarbonate ions, the equilibrium is the result between carbon dioxide and carbonic acid (H ₂ CO ₃ ). The carbonic acid can act as a strong acid in the pH range at which the sugar process liquid 4 is processed.

Similarly, sulfur dioxide (SO ₂ ) or ammonium bicarbonate (NH ₄ HSO ₃ ) can be introduced into liquid 4 for a sugar production process to control, reduce or eliminate microbiological activity, sucrose hydrolysis, inverse sugar formation or sucrose loss, or to adjust lower pH Again, if the sugar process fluid 4 contains sufficient cations such as calcium, sulfites such as calcium sulfite may be formed. However, if the juice contains insufficient cations to allow the dissolution of sulfur dioxide (SO ₂ ) to form sulfites, the equilibrium is the result between sulfur dioxide (SO ₂ ), sulfuric acid (H ₂ SO ₃ ) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Sulfuric acid and sulfuric acid may also act as strong acids.

In addition, other inorganic and organic acids can be formed by plants during normal growth and other acids are formed by microbial activity, including acetic acid, carbonic acid, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, pentanoic acid, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, sulfuric acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, glycolic acid, pyrrolidonecarboxylic acid, formic acid, butyric acid, maleic acid, 3-methylbutanoic acid, 5-methylhexanoic acid, hexanoic acid or heptanoic acid, but the calculation is not limited , individually or in various combinations and concentrations.

The inorganic acids and organic acids contained in the sugar process liquids 4 reduce the pH of the sugar process liquids, and

357'B must be neutralized with base. The higher the concentration of organic acids or inorganic acids in the sugar process fluid 4, the greater the amount of base that may be necessary to raise the pH of the juice to the desired value in the lime pre-grinder 14 or another step prior to subsequent purification steps. .

As discussed above, carbon dioxide 15 or calcium hydroxide may be added to the sugar process liquid to raise the pH, which allows certain dissolved materials to precipitate out of solution as solids, flocculants or flakes. Calcium oxide is usually obtained by calcining the limestone in a manner in which the limestone is heated in the furnace in the presence of oxygen until carbon dioxide is released to form calcium oxide. Calcination can be costly because it requires the purchase of a furnace, limestone and a fuel such as gas, oil, coal, coke or the like that is burned to sufficiently raise the temperature in the furnace to release carbon dioxide from the limestone. Additional equipment must also be provided to transport the limestone and fuel to the kiln and to remove the resulting calcium oxide from the kiln, together with equipment for washing certain kiln gases and waste gas particles leaving the kiln during calcination of the limestone.

In addition, the calcium calcination resulting from calcination must be converted to calcium hydroxide for use in conventional sugar process systems. This again entails the cost of purchasing equipment to reduce the calcium oxide particles to a suitable size and to mix these particles with water to form calcium hydroxide.

Another problem associated with the use of a base in conventional systems may be related to the removal of clots, flakes and calcium carbonate that are formed during the blackening and saturation step. When the sugar process system uses one or more degrees of saturation 18, 20 in black or juice purification, the amount of calcium carbonate forming or other salts, often referred to as a suspension, consumed lime or saturation lime 13, will be proportional to the amount of sugar. Similarly, the greater the amount of lime 15 added to the liquids for the sugar process, the greater

357, B the amount of lime consumed 13 is formed during the degree of saturation. The spent lime 13 may be allowed to settle at the bottom of the saturation vessel 18, 20 to form something which is sometimes referred to as a saturation slurry. The saturation sludge or spent lime 13 may be separated on a rotary vacuum filter 34 or a plate or frame press. The product formed is referred to as lime cake 35. The lime cake 35 or saturation sludge may generally be a precipitate of calcium carbonate, but may also contain sugars, other organic or inorganic substances, or water. These separated precipitates are almost always treated separately from other waste systems and can, for example, be suspended in water and pumped to a settling pond or to an area surrounded by a dike or transported to a landfill.

Alternatively, saturation lime, saturation sludge or lime cake may be recalcined. The cost of a recalciner kiln and peripheral equipment for recalcinating spent lime 13 may be substantially greater than a kiln for calcination of limestone. In addition, the quality of recalcinated lime for saturation may be different from calcined limestone. For example, the purity of calcined limestone compared to recalcined lime for saturation may be 92% compared to 77%. The amount of recalcinated lime required to neutralize the same amount of hydronium ions in the juice may be correspondingly higher. Also, the carbon dioxide content of the lime consumed may be much higher than that of the limestone. As such, not only recalcined lime can be costly in its production, but may also require the use of a substantially larger gas supply and equipment to transport the resulting carbon dioxide from recalcined spent lime, larger saturation tanks, and the like. When the spent lime 13, 35 is disposed of in a sludge bed, waste dump or recycling, a larger amount of lime 15 is used in a separate process system and generally the cost of removing the spent lime is higher.

Another significant problem with conventional sugar process systems may be an increased decrease in throughput in the process system.

357 / B of sugar production, which corresponds to an increased increase in the amount of lime 15 used in the processing of the sugar production fluid 4. One aspect of this problem may be that there is a limited amount or dose in which the lime 15 can be produced or provided to the steps for the sugar production process. As described above, limestone may be calcined to produce calcium oxide 15 prior to its use as a base in sugar process systems. The amount of lime 15 produced may be limited by limestone availability, furnace capacity, fuel availability, and the like. The dose at which the lime 15 may be available in the sugar process system may vary based on the size, type or size of the lime plant, labor availability and the like. Another aspect of this problem may be that the amount of lime 15 used in the sugar process system may proportionally reduce the volume available for the sugar process liquid in the sugar process system. Increasing use of a base, such as lime 15, may also require the use of larger contaminated surfaces, feeders, and the like to achieve permeability of the same juice volume.

Another significant problem with conventional sugar process systems may be that the calcium salts in the sugar process liquid 4 do not precipitate during the lime pre-blackening steps 123, main blackening 17, and saturation 18, 19, but regardless remove from the sugar production process liquid 4 before evaporating the water from the heavy juice ”to prevent or reduce the formation of evaporation incrustation. For example, oxalate, i.e. the calcium salt of oxalic acid, often constitutes the major component of the incrustation that remains in the liquids 4 of the sugar production process after saturation. However, the light "or heavy" liquids of the sugar process may contain enough calcium to precipitate the oxalate from the solution as the water evaporates. The method of removing incrustations from the surface of the device can be costly and includes costs due to slowing production and loss of efficiency or reducing the life of the device, but not limited to the calculation.

Removal of the calcium salts prior to the evaporation steps 4 will result in a reduction in the scale of incrustation in the evaporators 21 / fluid 4 from the process.

The sugar production 357 / B can be passed through an anion exchanger 34. The calcium ions bind to the anion exchange resin in the transducer to release the two sodium ions that are transferred to the sugar process liquids 4 (certain conventional process systems do not remove calcium salts prior to evaporation). The binding of the calcium ions to the anion exchange resin is released by periodically washing the column 35 with a regenerating agent such as sodium hydroxide solution or sulfuric acid solution, depending on the type of ion exchange resin used. The spent regeneration agent 35 initially formed from the calcium ions and the hydroxide ions in solution (when sodium hydroxide solution is used as the regeneration agent) has a high pH and can be recycled through the lime pre-quenching device 14 to replenish the lime milk 18. This may be beneficial to reduce the amount of calcium milk 18 needed to raise the pH of the sugar process liquid 4 in the lime pre-quenching apparatus 14 to reach a pH in the range of 11.5 to 11.8. However, if calcium salts increase the amount of regenerant 35 used, they may also cause balance problems in the lime pre-quenching plant 14 to operate the plant consistently. The shift in alkalinity and pH in the lime pre-treatment device 14 may result in poor removal of non-sugar materials and a higher calcium salt content, which in turn requires more frequent regeneration of the anion exchanger. All this increases the cost of sugar production.

Another significant problem with conventional sugar process systems may be the amount of other organic compounds in the sugar process fluids 4. These organic compounds may include, but are not limited to, acetaldehydes; ethanol; acetone; dimethyl sulfide; 2propénnitril; methyl; isopropanol; 2-methylpropanal; methacrolein; 2-methyl-2-propanol; propane nitrile; 1-propanol; 2-butanone; 2,3-butanedione; ethyl acetate; 2butanol; methylpropanoate; 2-butanol; 3-methylbutanal; 3-methyl-2-butanone; izopropalacetát; 2-methylbutanal; 1-butanol, 2-butenenitrile; 2-one; 2,3-pentanedione; ethyl propanoate; propyl acetate; 3-methylbutanentrile (literal reference); methyl isobutyl ketone; 2-methyl-2-butene; 3-methyl-1-butanol; izopropylpropanoát; isobutyl acetate; 2-methyl-3-pentanol; 2,3-hexanedione; 2-hexanone; ethylbutanoate;

357 / B butyl acetate; 4-methylpentanenitrile; 2-hexenal; 3-methyl-1-butanolacetát; 3heptanón; 2-heptanone; 5-hepten-2-one, heptanal; 3-octene-2-one; 2-ene; 3oktanón; butylbutanoát; 2-methoxy-3-isopropylpyrazine; 2-methoxy-3- (1-methylpropyl) pyrazine; alcohols; aldehydes; ketones; volatile acids; carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, esters, nitriles, sulfides and pyrazine.

Certain organic compounds may be highly colored or are precursors to the colored compounds that may be formed as the pH and temperature of the liquids 4 of the sugar process increase during lime pre-black 14 and hot main black 17. A sugar process system as described above, processing about 8500 tonnes per day of colored light juice pulp at about 4000 RBU (Reference Base Unit) results in the production of a final white sugar in an amount of about 43 RBU. In order to achieve a standard "white sugar color of at least 40 RBU, the white centrifuge wash 32 product" must be adjusted to achieve a color of refinery grain sugar crystals 33 from 43 RBU to 40 RBU. Treatment of the de-inking centrifuge fluid 32 also reduces the amount of sugar 33 produced at about 0.65 tonnes per hour.

Another significant problem with conventional sugar process systems may be the low purity of the sugar process liquids 4, expressed as a percentage of the sugar to total dry matter contained in the sugar process liquids 4. Usually, the higher total solids concentration contained in the sugar process liquids 4, including any of the materials or other materials described above, with respect to the amount of sucrose in the sugar process liquids 4, is less desirable in the sugar process liquids 4. Of course, any reduction in the total dry matter relative to sucrose in the liquids 4 of the sugar process provides a comparatively better juice for subsequent purification.

Soluble non-sugar materials in the sugar process liquid 4 may interact with subsequent processing or purification steps or may adversely affect the quality or amount of the resulting sugar or other products produced. It was found to average for each

357 / B kilogram of soluble non-sugar substances reduce the amount of sugar produced from one to half a kilogram. As such, it may be desirable to have all or some of the soluble non-sugar substances separated from or removed from the sugar process liquids 4. For example, in the sugar process system described above, a light juice color of about 2,500 RBU with a heavy juice purity of about 92.00 can produce about 57 tons of white sugar per hour at 30 RBU. If the purity of the light juice 'increases to about 92.40, the white sugar produced may increase to 0.54 tonnes per hour.

The present invention provides a system for a sugar production process comprising both devices and methods that in any case address the above-mentioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention in its width may provide a system for a method of producing sugar.

A first aspect of the subject matter in its width may provide an entire sugar process system, including both apparatus and methods, to produce sucrose-containing fluids or sugar process fluids. A second aspect of this object in its width can provide devices and methods for maintaining sugar process liquids that are comparable to conventional sugar process systems. As this second aspect, the invention may provide process steps and apparatus, individually or in combination, which may be further added, replaced or modified by conventional methods, and devices used for sugar process liquids or other sucrose containing liquids.

The second object of the present invention, in its width, can reduce the cost of manufacturing liquid products from a process for producing sugar or other sucrose containing fluids. One aspect of this object of the invention may be to increase the liquid permeability of the sugar process, which may be completely

357 / B or in part, limited by base availability, such as by limiting the availability of limestone or by the loss of ability to convert limestone to calcium oxide or the like. Another aspect of this object of the invention can achieve the cost of reducing the amount of base, such as lime, to be used for liquids or juices from the sugar production process in its production. A third aspect of this object of the invention may reduce the amount of waste generated, as well as reduce the amount of lime consumed.

A third object of the present invention in its width may provide treated fluids for a sugar production process having properties that are more desirable with respect to subsequent process or purification steps or that provide more sugar per tonne of plant material. One aspect of this aspect of the invention may provide a conditioned liquid for a sugar production process having a reduced amount or a reduced concentration of non-sugar materials relative to the sucrose concentration. The treated sugar process fluid may have a reduced concentration of organic or inorganic acids (such as acetic acid, D-lactic acid, lactic acid, propionic acid, citric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid or the like), volatile organic compounds (such as alcohol) ), dissolved gases (such as carbon dioxide or sulfur dioxide), ammonia or the like. A second aspect of this object of the invention may provide a modified sugar process liquid having a higher pH after processing according to the invention (either the base is added to the juice before processing or the addition of the base is omitted). A third aspect of the present invention may provide a treated sugar process liquid having a higher pH, although an amount of base such as lime or a fill from conventional juice processing or the like is added prior to processing according to the present invention. A fourth aspect of this object of the invention may provide a modified liquid for a sugar production process that reduces the hydronium ion generation efficiency. A sixth aspect of the present invention may provide a conditioned liquid for a sugar production process that requires less base to raise the pH to a desired value, isoelectric focusing of the dissolved material, allowing for lime pre-blackening steps, or

357 / B major blackening in modified process systems, degradation of inverse sugars or otherwise forming sucrose-containing fluids or juices. A seventh aspect of the present invention may provide a treated liquid for a process for producing sugar with a higher concentration of oxidized material after processing according to the present invention. An eighth aspect of the present invention may provide a modified sugar process liquid which upon addition of lime and subsequent introduction of carbon dioxide provides a sugar process liquid having a lower dissolved solids concentration relative to sucrose concentration compared to the same untreated juice of the present invention. invention.

A fourth object of the present invention in its width may provide methods and apparatuses that reduce the amount or concentration of non-sugar material in juice obtained from plant material by conventional extraction methods such as pressing, grinding or diffusion. One aspect of this aspect of the invention may provide a method of reducing the amount or concentration of a non-sugar material in a sugar-producing liquid process without adding a base, before or after adding a base. A second aspect of this aspect of the invention may provide a method of treating sugar process fluids that can be used for adding or in association with a base or after adding a base to reduce the amount or concentration of a non-sugar material. A third aspect of the invention may provide a method to assist in reducing the amount or concentration of a non-sugar material in a sucrose-containing liquid or juice. A fourth aspect of this object of the invention may provide a method of reducing non-sugary material in a liquid or juice from a sugar production process compatible with conventional juice blackening or purification methods including lime pre-blackening, main blackening, ion exchange or filtration as described above. is limited.

A fifth object of the present invention in its width may provide various devices which inject, introduce or otherwise mix a certain amount of gas having the desired partial pressure with a sugar process liquid obtained from plant material. One aspect of the subject of this

2 ^year-'B the present invention may provide a device for introducing the gas mixture into liquid sugar process for obtaining a mixed fluid flow of sugar process gas having a desired partial pressures.

The sixth object of the present invention can provide various devices and methods for increasing the interface of sugar process liquids mixed with a gas having a desired partial pressure or a desired gas mixture to efficiently transfer a non-sugar material from a sugar process fluid.

The seventh object of the present invention in its width may provide various devices and methods for separating or removing a mixture of gases that are in partial or complete equilibrium with the vapor pressures of the non-saccharide material or the partial pressures of gases contained or dissolved in liquids from the sugar process

The eighth object of the present invention, in its width, can provide various devices and methods for oxidizing non-sugar materials in juice.

Naturally, other objects of the present invention are set forth in other sections of this description and in the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a diagram that illustrates a conventional process system for diffusion and pulp pulp with pressed sugar beet pulp to obtain diffuse juice.

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a conventional system of a method for purifying the diffusion juice obtained from diffusion and shredding pulp with the pressing of sweet sugar beet pulp as illustrated in Figs. First

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a conventional system for a method of evaporating light juice water obtained by the cleaning system illustrated in FIG. Second

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a conventional system for the process of crystallizing heavy juice obtained from the evaporation system illustrated in FIG. Third

357 / B

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a partial embodiment of the aeration chamber and vacuum chamber components of the sugar process system of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the purification method of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating the evaporation method of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a process for crystallizing a sugar according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As can be understood from the description of the methods and apparatuses of the present invention set forth below, the invention provides a sugar production system that treats fluids from sugar production to achieve changes in the properties of these fluids that affect the quality and quantity of sugar produced. .

In FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art sugar process and apparatus. It is a conventional system for the method of diffusion and processing of shredded pulp, by pressing sweet pulp from sugar beet to obtain a diffuse juice. As shown in FIG. 1, the sugar beet is fed from the container 1 to a cutter 2 where it is cut into sweet cuttings. The sweet shavings are fed into the sweet shredder mixer 3, from where the sweet shredder slurry is fed to the lower half of the diffuser 6 through the duct 6. The wet shredding is discharged from the upper part of the diffuser 6 through the wet shredded line 9 to the resolver 10. The pressurized water prior to entering the diffuser 6 is heated in a pressurized water heater 200 by a fourth steam supplied through a fourth steam line 747-1. The condensate from the pressurized water heater 200 by the fourth steam is withdrawn via line 795-3 of the fourth condensate. In addition to the pressurized water, diffuser water is also introduced into the diffuser through a diffusing water line 8, which is withdrawn from the diffusing water dispenser 7, which is withdrawn from the diffusing water dispenser 7, in which its temperature is adjusted by stirring fresh

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357 / B -23 02 2007 water from the first steam steam 911-1 introduced through the first steam line 717-1. The actual mixing of the fresh water and the first steam and thus the steam heating of the fresh water takes place near the apertured end 210 of the first steam line 717-1 in the diffusion water dispenser 7. The diffusion juice is taken from the diffuser 6 through the fluid line 4, it is discharged to a distributor 172, from which a part of the diffuse juice is discharged via a line 6 directly to the sweet chop mixer 3 and the other part of the diffuse juice is passed through a line 4 to the recirculated juice heater 180. Prior to entering the recirculated juice heater 180, it is mixed in the skimmer combiner 179 via line 4 'from the sweet chopper 3. In the recirculated juice heater 180, the temperature of the juice is adjusted by the third steam introduced through the third steam line 737-2, which condenses in the recirculated juice heater 180 and the condensate is withdrawn through the third condensate line 795-1. The diffuse juice treated in line 4 is removed from the sweet chop mixer 3, which is discharged through the operation vessel 120 through line 1010-0 for further processing. The sweet chop mixer 3 is provided with elements 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 137, 138 which allow a smooth operation. For the same reasons, the diffuser 6 is provided with elements 160, 163, 181, 184, 185, 186, 187. In addition to pressurized water, a compressed pulp is taken from the reskolis 10. Rezkolis 10 is provided with built-in elements 109, 183, 192, 193, 194.

In the embodiment of the device shown in FIG. 1, at a steady state, 335.00 rpm (ton per hour) of 6.0 ° C sweet shavings containing 18.00% sugar and 4.50% ISNS are withdrawn from the cutter 2. 220.48 t / h of frothed juice is removed from the sweet shredder mixer 3 through a 4 'conduit, 468.48 t / h slice through a line 5 of the sweet slurry suspension, and the treated diffuse juice is withdrawn via line 1010-0 at 362.63 b / w containing 16.52% sugar, 18.61% DS, a purity of 88.77% and 4.678 CU. The outlet 109 of the reskolis 10 leaves a compressed pulp containing 0.57% sugar and 22.00% TDM.

The device according to the invention can be used simultaneously with the device shown in FIG. First

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357ÍB- 23.02.2007

Referring to FIG. 5 illustrates a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention which may be used to produce sugar from sugar beet (or other types of plant material) and which may include an aeration chamber 36 into which treated diffusion juice (hereinafter referred to as "fluid") is introduced a fluid inlet 140-5 (downstream of the treated diffusion juice line 4 from the sugar production from the sweet chopper 3 as shown in Fig. 1. The fluid transport device 40 ', such as a pump or gravity arrangement, allows the fluid to be conveyed through line 4. from the sweet chop mixer 3 (see FIG. 1) to the aeration chamber 36 at the desired volume and pressure controlled by the element 1020 cooperating with the fluid transport device 40. The aeration chamber 36 may be configured to provide an insulated zone 37 having an edge defined by the internal configuration. aeration chamber 36. Via the 140-5 t inlet The liquid may be introduced into the insulated zone 37, while introducing a certain amount of at least one gas from the container 38 into the insulated zone 37, into the aeration chamber portion 1030. By guiding a quantity of at least one gas (a mixture of gases or gases of the desired partial pressure) from the reservoir 38 through the insulated zone 37 simultaneously with the amount of the sugar production fluid, equilibrium is established between the materials contained in the fluid and the gas from the reservoir 38 in space 1140. The reservoir 38 led by the insulated zone 37 can be separated therefrom from the fluid in the separator 1150 and can be discharged from the aeration chamber 36 by means of the device 1160. The other part of this gas can be left in the aeration chamber 36. The separator 1030 'is used. and combiners 1025, 1050.

The transferable non-saccharide materials enter all of the gas supplied from the reservoir 38 through the inlet conduit 39 and the sugar production fluid introduced by the fluid inlet 140-5 in the aeration chamber portion 1030. As such, a portion of the portable non-saccharinous materials reaches all of the gas supplied from the reservoir 38 and is transported from the aeration chamber 36 through the device 1080, while some of the non-saccharinous materials remain in the fluid that is guided by the manifold.

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The method of transferring a portion of the non-sugar material from the fluid results in the loss of a portion of the heat from the fluid introduced by the fluid inlet 140-5, and the intermediate removed from the device 1160.

The term "sugar production fluid" or equivalent is intended to broadly encompass any liquid containing sucrose, irrespective of the way in which it is obtained, or a variable portion of sucrose and non-sugar substances or water, which may be present in varying proportions depending on the quality or type of the plant material, the materials associated with the plant material or the methods or steps used to process the plant material. As such, the term "liquid" or "sugar production fluid" may be used as a broader term to refer to sugar process liquids obtained from various plant materials by grinding or pressing steps; sugar production fluids obtained from various plant materials by diffusing the plant material with other fluids; sugar production fluids obtained or resulting from the various steps of the sugar production process, which are blackening or purifying fluids obtained by milling or diffusion; or sugar production fluids defined specifically by the terms used in the sugar industry such as "diffuse juice", diffuse fluid "," red juice "," light juice ", heavy juice", "saturated juice" and the like.

The term "gas" broadly includes, but is not limited to, pure gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, helium, ozone, carbon dioxide, neon, krypton or gas mixtures such as air, atmosphere forming gases, gases atmospheric gases, ozone-containing gas mixtures greater than the atmosphere, oxygen-containing gas mixtures greater than the atmosphere, nitrogen-containing gas mixtures greater than the atmosphere, hydrogen peroxide-containing gas mixtures greater than atmospheres, gas mixtures containing carbon dioxide greater than the atmosphere, gas mixtures containing argon greater than the atmosphere, gas mixtures containing helium greater than the atmosphere, gas mixtures containing crypton greater than the atmosphere , gas mixtures containing ozone in an amount less than that of the atmosphere, gas mixtures containing nitrogen in quantity

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357 / B - 23 02 2007 less than in the atmosphere, gas mixtures containing hydrogen peroxide less than the atmosphere, gas mixtures containing carbon dioxide less than the atmosphere, gas mixtures containing argon less than the atmosphere , gas mixtures containing helium in an amount less than in the atmosphere, gas mixtures containing crypton in an amount less than in the atmosphere or the like, or gases or gas mixtures which are passed through one or more filters to reduce or substantially remove non-biological particles, or biological particles (such as bacteria, viruses, pollen, microbiological flora and fauna or other pathogens), gases or gas mixtures that are conducted by chemical scrubbers or otherwise processed to produce the desired concentration or range of partial gas pressure concentrations or combinations or permutations of the above.

The gas filter or gas filters (not shown) that are responsible for the gas flow may include a Hepa filter or an Ulpa filter or other type of macroparticular or microparticular filter. For example, the ultrafiltered gas or gas mixture may be introduced into the first stage of the prefilter, then through the second stage of the prefilter, if desired, and then passed through the gas generator 40. The pre-filtered gas mixture may flow through a gas filter (Hepa filter, Ulpa filter or other type of filter; not shown). The resulting filtered gas or filtered gas mixture may be free from particles having a size of about 0.3 microns when using a Hepa filter, and up to 99.99% free from particles having a size of about 0.12 micrometer when using an Ulpa filter.

Again, with particular reference to FIG. 5 it is stated that a given amount of gas is supplied from the reservoir 38 to the portion 1130 of the aeration chamber 36 through an inlet conduit 39 terminating in one or more openings (not shown in FIG. 5). The generator 40 may be adapted to adjust sufficient gas pressure to supply the required amount of at least one gas to the reservoir 38 and further to the insulated zone 37 where at least one gas is contacted with the fluid from the fluid supply 140-5.

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357JB - 23 02.2007

The fluid flow from the fluid inlet 140-5, which is guided through the insulated zone 37, may be a continuous sugar flow fluid or a flow dependent fluid flow from the sugar production that is controlled by the fluid transport device 40 ', for example. Throttle or control device (mechanical or electronic). The element 1020 connected to the fluid transport device 40 'can operate in a continuous, periodic, or pulsed mode, thus creating a fluid flow that allows for increasing or decreasing the residence time of the fluid 4 in the insulated zone 37.

In the aeration chamber 36, the fluid distribution element 43 can divide the flow of the fluid and generate a plurality of streams that pass through the insulated zone 37. Regarding the fluid distribution element 41 (a non-limiting example of which is a nozzle manufactured by BEX incorporated, 37709 Schoolcraft). Road, Livonia, Michigan, USA), a plurality of fluid jets may cause the fluid jets to converge and further disperse in the insulated zone 37. The fluid flow may be further divided to form a plurality of droplets that pass through the insulated zone 37. It is understood that the smaller the droplets (either individually or smaller diameter droplets) are formed in the fluid distribution element 44, the greater the cumulative surface area of the fluid surface is present in the amount of at least one gas supplied from the container 38 to the insulated zone 37. that the amount of gas can be adjusted from the reservoir 38, the amount of fluid, the dispersive nature of the fluid, the cumulative surface area, and the heat loss in the device 1160 to achieve a rate at which transferable non-sacrificing materials move and achieve equilibrium in the gas coming from the reservoir 38 in space 1140. obtained at the outlet of the aeration chamber downstream of the combiner 1050 may have various variable properties to achieve certain desirable results in the following process steps as described below.

The temperature of the fluid supplied by the fluid inlet 140-5 is adjusted in the heat exchanger 501 where the steam enters via line 737-7, while condensate is discharged from the heat exchanger 501 via line 737-1.

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The combiner 1025 exits a mixture of air and carbon dioxide.

Referring again to FIG. 5 illustrates a non-limiting embodiment of the invention that may be used to produce sugar from sugar beet and which may include a vacuum chamber 42 independently of the combination with the aeration chamber 36 for treating the fluid supplied by the sugar inlet 140-5. The fluid is supplied to the vacuum chamber 42 via line 99 and can be guided through the reduced pressure zone 43 generated by lowering the partial gas pressures in the vacuum chamber 1090 by the pressure reducing device 44. Reducing the partial gas pressures in the vacuum chamber 42 may increase the vapor pressure of non-sugar materials (some of which are described above as organic and inorganic materials) in apparatus 1170. By increasing the vapor pressure of the transferable non-sugar materials, some of the non-sugar material may be separated from the fluid introduced by 5 of fluid in element 1080 and convey from vacuum chamber 42 via merge 1110 to juice outlet 300-2. A portion of the non-saccharide material returns from the element 1060 to the separator 1070 and the treated fluid is conveyed from the reduced pressure zone 43 to the combiner 1100. The fluid from the combiner 1100 may have various properties that are altered to obtain certain desired effects in the following process steps as described further.

In a similar treatment to that described for the aeration chamber 36, fluid flow in the vacuum chamber 42 may be dispersed or subdivided to increase the surface area of the fluid that may be subjected to reduced partial gas pressures in the reduced pressure zone 43. Vacuum chamber 42, whether single chamber or multiple vacuum chambers in series or parallel connection, may be used independently of aeration chamber 36 or used with aeration chamber 36 or with multiple aeration chambers, whether in series or in parallel, to treatment of sugar production fluid.

A first feature of the fluid introduced by the inlet 140-5 of the sweet chopper mixer (FIG. 1) of a particular sugar production, which can be varied by treating the fluid in various embodiments of the aeration chamber 36

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357 / B - 23 02 2307 or the vacuum chamber 42, or both, in various combinations or permutations, the pH may be. The pH of the sugar production fluid may be increased by about 0.01 pH units, about 0.05 pH units, about 0.1 pH units, about 0.2 pH units, about 0.3 pH units, about 0.4 pH units, about 0.5 pH units, about 0.6 pH units, about 0.7 pH units, about 0.8 pH units, about 0.9 pH units, about 1, 0 pH unit, about 1.1 pH unit, about 1.2 pH unit, about 1.3 pH unit, about 1.4 pH unit, about 1.5 pH unit, about 1.6 unit a pH of about 1.7 pH units, about 1.8 pH units, about 1.9 pH units, or about 2.0 pH units.

In the aeration chamber 36, the juice for the vacuum chamber is discharged through the apparatus 1060 to the vacuum chamber 42. A portion of the juice is introduced from the reduced pressure zone 43 via the combiner 1100 to the pressure reducing device 44. Pressure reduction is achieved by water cooling. For this, condensed water is introduced into the pressure relief device 44 through line 1210, which exits the pressure relief device 44 through heated water line 1220.

In the exemplary embodiment of the device shown in FIG. 5, a treated diffusion juice is introduced at a steady state through an inlet 140-5 of fluid at a rate of 362.63 t / h containing 16.52% sugar, 18.61% DS, a purity of 88.77% and 4.678 CU. By outputting 300-2 juice, juice is taken at 361.05 t / h containing 16.59% sugar, 18.65% DS and a purity of 88.97%.

Referring to FIG. 6, it is noted that raising the pH of a particular sugar production fluid prior to lime pre-blackening using line 13 may cause a base such as lime supplied from a lime reservoir 15 to achieve the necessary or desired pH, hydronium ion concentration or acidity. compared with raw sugar production fluid or usually processed sugar production fluid. The amount of lime added from the lime reservoir 15 of the fluid treatment of the present invention may be substantially less to achieve the desired pH, such as between about 11.00 and about 12.0 or between about 11.5 and about 12.5 or within the range used. for 'pre-lime', 'main-lime', 'lime-lime' or a pH value corresponding to

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357 / B - 23.02 2007 to the isoelectric point of any particulate non-saccharinous material in a special sugar production fluid or as required to adjust acidity or alkalinity to the desired value. As a non-limiting example, a fluid treated as described above may require a reduced amount of lime by up to 30%. In relation to the solution described in FIG. 2 achieves a 30% reduction in lime consumption according to the solution of FIG. 6, this can result in savings of $ 708.00 (US dollars) per day ($ 141,163.00 for a 200-day campaign).

A second property of the fluid that can be altered by treating it in various embodiments of the aeration chamber 36 (FIG. 5) or the vacuum chamber 42 (FIG. 5), or both, in various combinations or permutations, may be color. Importantly, even a slight reduction in the color of the "light juice" can substantially increase the amount of white sugar obtained in the white sugar line 33 (Fig. 8), made from 1 tonne of sugar beet or sugar cane or per unit of liquid.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, materials that give rise to the color of the inherent sugar production fluid or the color of the sugar obtained in the white sugar line 33 (FIG. 8) may be conveyed by a flow of sugar production fluid through the aeration chamber 36 or vacuum chamber 42. The removal of these color-forming materials reduces the range of color produced in the treated sugar-producing fluid correspondingly. This includes a modified sugar production fluid of lesser color in the subsequent steps of the sugar production process and may cause less coloration of the sugar crystals in the white sugar line 33, in the conduit 27 and at the white sugar outlet 30 (all Figure 8). In this regard, and now in connection with Example 4, Table 4, a non-limiting example of color-forming materials is 2,3-butanedione and 2-butanone, which can be removed from the sugar flow fluid flow through the insulated zone 37 of the aeration chamber 36 (FIG. 5). These materials are known to give rise to the color of the juice and by removing it can reduce the color of the juice and thus the color of the sugar in the white sugar line 33.

In another embodiment of the invention, the molecular structure of certain

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357 / B - 23.02.2007 materials contained in sugar production fluids may be oxidized by treating the sugar production fluid of the present invention. Corresponding oxidized forms of certain materials may cause less or no discoloration of the sugar production fluid or may result in less or no discoloration of the resulting sugar in the white sugar line 33. By way of example, primary alcohols may be converted to the corresponding aldehydes or carboxylic acids, but the calculation is not limited thereto.

With respect to certain embodiments of the present invention, generator gas 38 or partial pressure gases may be treated prior to introduction into the process or the amount of oxidant in generator gas 38 supplied to the aeration chamber 37 may be increased.

36. To this end, oxygen, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, carbonization gas with certain partial pressures of gases for which the calculation is not limited, or an amount of an oxidizing agent capable of converting primary alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes or carboxylic acids may serve. A separate oxidizing agent flow generator 45 may be used to disperse the oxidizing agent or oxidizing agents into the fluid flow introduced from the sugar production fluid supply 140-5, which is further guided through the isolated zone.

37th

Referring now to FIG. 2 and 6, that a conventional sugar process system may be comparable to the sugar process system of the present invention. A conventional sugar process system processing about 335 t of sugar beet slices per hour in cutter 2 (see Fig. 1) may have a "light juice" color after the second saturation stage carried out in the second saturator 20 corresponding to about 3,414 RBU ( see Fig. 2). The sugar production system, further comprising an aeration chamber 37 and a vacuum chamber 42 of the present invention, processing the same tonnage of sweet sugar beet slices, can produce "light juice" after the second saturation stage performed in the second saturator 20 with about 2 911 RBU (see Fig. 6). Under these conditions, a conventional sugar process system achieves a final white sugar color of RBU 37 (see Figure 4), while the sugar production system of the present invention achieves a final white sugar color of RBU 34.

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In a conventional sugar process system, as described above, "light juice" having a color greater than RBU 3,000 can cause sugar loss of up to $ 12,000.00 per day, with sugar and energy yields increasing with every 500 to 1 000 RBU, which is reflected in the color of the sugar production fluid.

As another example, a conventional sugar process system operating at about 8,500 tons of beet pulp per day with light juice of about 4,000 RBU is produced to produce a white finished sugar of about 43 RBU. In order to achieve a 'standard' white sugar color of RBU 40, a spin-wash method must be adapted to reduce the recycled sugar in the final sugar. This causes more sugar to be eluted and the molasses decreases to about 0.65 t per hour.

In addition (see Fig. 8), centrifugation washing through the medium through line 32 or additional centrifugation washing of the crystals introduced by the sugar conduit 31 into the "white centrifuge" 25 results in less terminal sugar capacity and reduces sugar throughput. In addition, reducing the coloring of sugar production fluids may result in a decrease in the coloring of molasses and an increase in extract yield.

The third property of the sugar production fluid, which may be varied by treating the sugar production fluid in the aeration chamber 36 or the vacuum chamber 42, or both, in permutations or combinations, may be densified with calcium salt. Since the treatment of the sugar production fluid of the present invention removes certain anions, the "diffuse juice" forms low calcium salts and thus cannot be used as such in the saturation steps performed in the first saturator 18 and the second saturator 20. As indicated above, the calcium salts cannot precipitate during the pre-blackening steps carried out in the lime blackener 14, the main hot blackening performed in the main blackener 17 or in the saturation stages performed in the first saturator 18 and the second saturator 20 because of the solubility of such salts in the sugar production fluid

If the calcium salts are not removed before the evaporators 21, the calcium salt precipitates may incrust on the surface of the evaporators 21 as it is removed.

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357 / B - 23.02.2007 sugar water. Boiling evaporators 21 to remove incrustation can be costly since it involves work and equipment to perform this procedure. Removing incrustation from evaporators and related equipment may also result in additional days of the sugar processing campaign.

Calcium or sodium salts, if not removed, transfer sucrose to molasses. For example, if calcium salts are removed from the sugar production fluid by ion exchange and replaced with the corresponding sodium salts during regeneration (sodium salts are recycled in the blackening steps as described above), each kilogram of sodium salt can transfer between about 0.9 kg and about 1 kg. 5 kg of sucrose per molasses. If the calcium salts are reduced to a range of 25 parts per million, the additional sugar removed by conduction 33 of white sugar produced per day (about 0.56 t for a daily 8,000 t of beet slices per day) is about $ 244.40 at 22 .00 USD per 100 kg. With 200 parts per million in the same process system, savings of about $ 2,000.00 per day can be achieved.

In addition, as the portion of calcium salts, expressed in parts per million, is reduced, the corresponding use of sodium hydroxide to regenerate the ion exchange resin will be reduced. For a sugar production liquid, for an amount of 8,000 t per day, with a reduced content of 25 ppm of calcium salts, in the solution of the present invention, a saving of about $ 142.00 for sodium hydroxide is correspondingly achieved. If a 200 ppm reduction in calcium salts is achieved, about $ 2,000.00 can be saved in the same system.

In addition, more frequent regeneration of the anion exchange resin further retains end sugar from conventional sugar process systems.

A fourth property of the sugar production fluid, which may be altered by treating the fluid in the aeration chamber 36 or the vacuum chamber 42, or both, in different permutations or combinations, may be purity. Purity is defined as the percentage of the amount of sucrose in the sugar production fluid to the amount of soluble non-sugar materials in the sugar production fluid.

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As discussed above, the amount of volatile inorganic materials can be significantly reduced when the "diffuse juice" is treated according to the present invention. Reducing these non-sucrose materials by transferring them to the atmosphere in the reduced pressure zone 43 (element 1060 and merge 1100) can increase the purity of the sugar production fluid introduced into the system by supplying 140-5 fluid from the sweet chop mixer 3 between about 0.2% and about 0.4% and the purity of the light juice may be increased between about 0.15% and about 0.35%. This increase in purity corresponds to an increase in sugar production led by white sugar line 33 of between about 0.45 and 1.35 kg per tonne of sugar beet to be charged. With the sugar production system of the invention using slices of 3,600 kg per day, savings of between about $ 1,500.00 and about $ 5,000.00 per day can be achieved.

In addition, the same purity of the light juice can be achieved by greater enforcement in the sugar production system of the present invention. Colloidal particles or other particles in the sugar production fluid may be contaminated by electrostatic adsorption of ions on the surface. This primary adsorption layer can cause a significant charge on the surface (electrical potential on the surface) to grow. This surface charge can cause repulsion that exists between two particles as they approach each other, and the particle can also be attracted by opposite ions to the adjacent region of the particle.

Thus, the colloidal or other particles may have a charged surface with an attached "ion cloud" that exists in the sugar production fluid at some distance from the particles due to the surface charge balance. The thickness of this ion cloud around the particle determines how close the two particles can get to each other before the repulsive forces begin to act. The size of this ion cloud is dependent on the size of the surface charge, which depends on the concentration of the absorbing ion in solution and the concentration of electrolyte in solution.

The volume defined by the entire ion cloud surrounding the particle and the volume defined by the slip piane for the particles are not the same objects. The layer thickness of the counterion is the layer thickness of the solution surrounding the particle that is needed to contain enough counterions to

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357 / B - 23 02.2007 “to achieve a surface charge equilibrium, while the slip plane refers to the thickness of the solvent / film ion moving with the particle.

The zeta potential (x) is the electrical potential that exists at the "slip plane" of the boundary surface between the hydrated particle and the volume of the solution. This is a measurable surface potential of the solid and is also referred to as the electrokinetic potential. According to electrostatic principles, the zeta potential is calculated from the equation x = 4p with d / D, where d is the thickness of the electric double layer, s is the electrical charge in the Stern layer,

D is a dielectric constant.

The relationship between the zeta potential value and the flocculation or dispersion of the sugar production fluid is similar to the flocculation of colloidal particles or other particles at low zeta potential values and resembles the colloidal particle dispersion at high zeta potential values.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the amount of energy supplied to the sugar production fluid by increasing the speed, distribution and introduction of at least one gas from the reservoir 38 into the fluid flow conveyed into the system by supplying sugar production fluid 140-5 in the insulated zone 37 may be adjusted to overcome the zeta potential. colloidal particles in the sugar production fluid to increase the amount of additional particles encountered. As a non-limiting example, the sugar production fluid can flow through the fluid distribution element 41 (BEX PSW 3FPS140, given as a non-limiting example) at about 757 liters per minute to about 1136 liters per minute (between about 27 cubic feet per minute and 40 cubic feet per minute) at a pressure of about 67 to about 271 kPa (about 10 psi to about 40 psi). Between about 3.9 liters and about 5.7 liters (between about 108 cubic feet and about 160 cubic feet) per minute of the gas supplied from the reservoir 38 (air or environment) can be supplied to a sugar dispersion fluid that is

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357 / B -23.02.2007 leads through the insulated zone 37. The treated sugar production fluid allows the fococular production to be much faster than the pH increases and increases (usually a pH between about 5.5 and 6.5 to a pH range between about 11 , 5 and about 11.8) the purity of the juice with less coloring of the sugar.

Referring now to FIG. 2 and 6 it is stated that a conventional sugar process system can be compared to an embodiment of a sugar process system according to the invention. A conventional sugar process system producing about 355 tonnes of sugar beet slices per hour in cutter 2 (see Fig. 1) can produce "light juice" after a second saturation performed in the second saturator 20 with a purity of about 91.82% (see Fig. 2). A sugar process system further comprising an aeration chamber 37 and a vacuum chamber 42 of the present invention, processing the same tonnage of sweet sugar beet pulp, may allow the formation of a "light juice" with a purity of about 93.02%.

Referring now to FIG. 4 and 8, it is stated that the same conventional sugar process system as described above may produce a sugar production fluid separated from the "refinery grain" sugar crystals 24 at about 93.52%, while the sugar process system which further comprises an aeration chamber 37 and a vacuum chamber 42 of the present invention gives rise to a sugar production fluid which is separated from the "refinery grain" crystals 24 with a content of about 94.17%.

Referring again to FIG. 4 and 8, it is reported that a conventional sugar process system operating as described above produces about 49.92 tons of sugar per hour having a color of 37 RBU, while the sugar process system of the present invention, which further comprising an aeration chamber 37 and a vacuum chamber 42 of the present invention may produce a greater amount of sugar that is conveyed by the white sugar line 33 of about 51.55 tons of sugar per hour of RBU color 34. In addition, 1.63 t of sugar, which is conveyed by line 33, corresponds to an income of about $ 5,700.00 per day.

Although the additional production of sugar that is conveyed by line 33 may vary in the system for the method of production of sugar operated under this

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357 / B - 23.02.2007? 2c of the invention, additional revenue calculated for a 200-day campaign can easily exceed $ 1,000,000.00.

Further, the following non-limiting examples, together with the description above, are sufficient for one of ordinary skill in the art to carry out many and varied embodiments of the invention and to use them.

When the steps and their numerical designations are mentioned in the examples below, it is to be understood that these steps take place in the devices schematically shown in FIG. 1 to 8, in structural elements bearing the same reference numeral.

Example 1

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The juice is obtained by conventional tower diffusion of sweet sugar beet slices. A control group and an experimental group consisting of six substantially identical 500 ml aliquots of diffuse juice are prepared. Each aliquot in the control group and the experimental group is analyzed for pH determination. For each aliquot of diffuse juice in the control group, the pH is about 6.3. Each aliquot in the control group without further processing is titrated to an end point of pH 11.2 with 50% (w / v) sodium hydroxide solution. Each aliquot in the experimental group is treated according to the invention, whereupon the pH of each aliquot is determined and each experimental aliquot is titrated in a substantially identical manner to the control group at the pH 11.2 endpoint using 50% (w / v) sodium hydroxide solution.

The results are shown in Table 1 below. As can be read from the tables, each aliquot of the juice had a pH of about 6.3 prior to any processing. The experimental group after treatment according to the invention had an elevated pH without the addition of any base and required a reduced amount of sodium hydroxide to reach a pH end point of 11.2 as compared to the control group.

Table 1

unprocessed juice, pH solution hydroxide sodium, ml processed juice, pH solution hydroxide sodium, ml % reduction solution consumption hydroxide sodium 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

357 / B

The reduction in the amount of sodium hydroxide solution to reach a final pH of 11.2 for juice aliquots in the experimental group treated according to the invention, compared to untreated juice aliquots of the untreated control group, was between about 15.8% and about 22.2%.

Example 2

The juice is obtained by conventional tower diffusion of sweet sugar beet slices. A control group and an experimental group consisting of five substantially identical 500 ml aliquots of diffuse juice are prepared. Each aliquot in the control group and the experimental group is analyzed for pH determination. For each aliquot of diffuse juice in the control group, the pH is about 6.1. Each aliquot in the control group without further processing is titrated to an end point pH of 11.2 with a 50% (w / v) lime milk solution of 30 brix. Each aliquot in the experimental group is treated according to the invention, whereupon the pH of each aliquot is determined and each experimental aliquot is titrated in substantially the same way as the control group at the pH 11.2 endpoint with a 30 brix lime milk solution.

The results are shown in Table 2 below. As can be read from the tables, each aliquot of the juice had a pH of about 6.1 before any processing. The experimental group after treatment according to the invention had elevated pH values without the addition of any base and required a reduced amount of lime milk to reach the end point 11.2 as compared to the control group.

Table 2

Unprocessed juice, pH Lime milk, ml Processed juice, pH Lime milk, ml % reduction in consumption of lime milk 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

357 / B

The reduction in the amount of lime milk to reach an endpoint pH of 11.2 for the juice aliquots in the experimental group treated according to the invention, compared to the untreated juice aliquots of the untreated control group, was between 28.0% and about 28.3%.

The data presented in Table 1 and Table 2 also show a comparison of two types of diffusion apparatus and diffusion methods. Importantly, the data show that different diffusers or different diffusion methods can lead to diffusion juice having substantially different pH values, although the pH values that are attributed to each type of diffusion technology may be substantially internally consistent. See an example of the initial pH of the untreated diffuse juice in Table 1, which is pH 6.3, compared to the untreated diffuse juice in Table 2, which has a pH of 6.1.

Example 3

The diffusion juice is obtained by conventional tower diffusion of sweet sugar beet slices and the juice is processed according to the invention using the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 and 13, which is located between the mixer and the lime pre-quenching device. The diffusion juice is dispersed at about 2,804 liters (100 cubic feet) into the atmospheric gas flow generated at 11,215 liters (400 cubic feet) per minute (729 x 72 inch) countercurrent path with a countercurrent path of about 3658 mm (144 inches)) causing the displacement of various substances from the dispersion juice as determined by gas chromatography / mass spectrometry analysis in Tables 1 and 2 (literal reference) below.

Table 3

SMDSC # 1

SMUSCK1u_11UJLi Acetic acid Propionic acid 3-Methylbutanoic acid Butanoic acid 4-Methylpentanoic acid Pentanoic acid 5-Methylhexanoic acid 3 Hexanoic acid Heptanoic acid qir-rpTWf '· »'! Μ ^ φίΠΙΙΐΜ, ι> 1 ».ΤΙ | Ι» ΙΙ | Π> · |.> Ηι »ι. y γ Fy # tp ý u uj 1} C 1 ^ 0 ijo

Table 3 shows the gas chromatograph analysis performed on samples of SMBSC 1 and SMBSC 2 (condensates obtained from the countercurrent flow with juice as described herein) with the chromatographs of these samples, compared to gas chromatographs of the samples of the standard mixture of organic acids listed as 1. to 9 above. It can be found that processing the juice of the present invention removes varying amounts of each of the organic acids included in the standard mixture.

Table 4

number

Time

1. acetaldehyde

2. ethanol

3. acetone

4. dimethylsulfide

5. Methyl acetate

6. 2-Methylpropanal

7. 2,3-butanedione

8. 2-Butanone

9. Ethyl acetate 2-methyl-1-propanoic acid

357 / B

Table 4 shows gas chromatography / mass spectrometry analysis of sample SMBSC 5 D (condensates obtained from gas flow after countercurrent exchange with juice as described herein), without using reduced pressure with a juice temperature of between 60 and 70 ° C, with a chromatograph of this sample showing various volatile compounds extending above the baseline having curvature characteristics due to the prevalent variety of alcohols.

The basic concepts of the invention can be practiced and claimed in a variety of ways. The invention includes a juice treatment system suitable for the manufacture of sugar, methods of making and using embodiments of the invention, and products made using the invention.

While particular illustrative examples of the present invention are set forth in the description and figures, it should be understood that these illustrative examples are not intended to be limiting in view of the generic nature of the invention, which includes a number of embodiments and variations thereof, many alternatives being implied or inherent. Each feature or element of the present invention is to be understood as representative of a boundary function or a large variation of alternative or equivalent elements. Although the feature or feature is described by device-specific terminology, each feature of the device is to be understood as performing a function. Neither the description nor the terminology is intended to limit the scope of the claims individually included herein for the device or method.

In particular, it should be understood that, as far as the description relates to elements of the present invention, the verbal expression of each element may be expressed by equivalent terms for the device or equivalent terms for the method, as is the case for a function or result. Such an equivalent, parent term or also genetic terms of broader meaning should be considered to be included in the description of such an element or process. Such terms may be replaced, where an explicit embodiment is desired, by the envisaged broader scope of the invention. By way of example only, it should be taken into account that all procedures can be

357 / D expressed as a device indicating that a process or element is causing an effect. Similarly, each said physical element is to be understood to include a description of a process that aids the physical element. With respect to this latter aspect, by way of example only, the indication "flow of sugar from the sugar production process" is to be understood to include a description of the flow of liquid from the sugar production process "whether or not discussed explicitly or not. and vice versa, when a process for flowing a liquid from a sugar production process is effectively described, such a description is to be understood to include fluid flow data from a sugar production process ”as well as a device for flowing a liquid from the sugar production process. Such changes and alternative terms are understood to be explicitly included in the specification.

It will be appreciated that various variations of the present invention may be made as described without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The disclosure, including both explicitly stated embodiments and large variants of implicitly alternative embodiments, as well as methods or processes are considered to support the claims of this application.

Any patents, publications or other references mentioned in this application are incorporated by reference. Moreover, each term used is understood to be incompatible with another interpretation in addition to its use. General dictionary definitions are understood to include a reference for each term, and all definitions, alternative terms, and synonyms are to be understood as contained in Random House Webster's Unabrigged dictionary, second edition.

It is therefore considered that the applicant (s) claim at least (i) each of the juice conditioning systems as described and described herein, (ii) related methods to those described and described, (iii) similar, equivalent and equally implied variations of each of these devices and methods, iv) alternative forms that include each of the functions depicted as described and described, v) alternative forms and methods that accomplish each of said functions, as implied to achieve what is stated and described, vi) each said character, component and step, which are separate; and

Viii) resulting products produced by such systems or components; ix) methods and apparatus substantially as described hereinabove and with reference to any related examples; x) related to said and; described methods, xi) similar, equivalent and also implicit variations of each of these systems and methods, xii) alternative forms that accompany each of the functions illustrated, as described and described, xiii) alternative devices and methods that accompany each of the functions which are implicit in obtaining said and described data, ivx) each said feature, component and step that are separate and independent inventions, xv) various combinations and permutations of each of the above, and xvi) each potentially dependent claim or concept as dependent on each of the independent pa present claims or concepts.

It should be borne in mind that, for practical reasons, the applicant may initially present only equipment or method-related claims and then only initial dependencies. The applicant does not waive any right to submit other independent or dependent claims, supported by the description, during the examination of this application. In particular, the Applicant reserves all rights of filing continuation, excluded, partial continuation or other types of continuation applications that claim the various inventions described without limiting any claims set forth in the previous application for the generic nature of the invention or the breadth of any of the claims listed in the following application.

Further, as far as the use of intermediate phrases comprising is used herein, it is used to achieve open 'claims, according to the traditional interpretation of the claims. Thus, unless otherwise required in the context, the term "include" means variations such as or consisting of including said element or step or group of elements or steps, but not including any other element or step or group of elements or steps. Such a term should be interpreted in its widest form so as to give the applicant the widest scope of protection achievable by law.

357 / B

The set of claims in this application is hereby incorporated by reference as part of the disclosure of the present invention and the Applicant expressly reserves the right to use all or part of such affiliated claims as further description in support of any or all claims, their element or component and the Applicant further expressly reserves the right to move any or all of the affiliated content of such claims or any element or component thereof from the description to the claim or vice versa, as necessary to define the subject matter for which protection is sought in this application or any subsequent continuation, exclusion or partial continuation application; to achieve any benefit, fee reduction based on or in accordance with patent laws, decrees or regulations in any country or under an international treaty, and such reference content should be and the subsequent continuation, exclusion or partial continuation of this application or any new edition or prolongation thereof.

Claims (18)

What is claimed is: 1. A sugar production system comprising: a. an aeration chamber, wherein the diffuse juice obtained from the plant material flows through the aeration chamber at the same time as the gas flow through the aeration chamber; and b. treated sugar process liquid flowing out of the aeration chamber. 2. A sugar production system comprising: a. a vacuum chamber, wherein the diffusion juice obtained from the plant material flows through said evacuated zone having a reduced pressure in said vacuum chamber; and b. treated sugar process fluid flowing out of the vacuum chamber. 3. A sugar production system comprising: a. an aeration chamber, wherein the sugar process fluid flows through the aeration chamber at the same time as the gas flow through the aeration chamber; and b. treated sugar process liquid that flows out of this aeration chamber and has an increased pH. The sugar production system of claim 3, further comprising a vacuum chamber, wherein the treated sugar process fluid flowing out of the aeration chamber flows through the evacuated zone in the vacuum chamber to increase the pH. 32 357Έ 5. A sugar production system comprising: a. a vacuum chamber, wherein the sugar process fluid flows through the evacuated zone in the vacuum chamber; and b. a treated sugar process liquid that flows from the vacuum chamber and has an increased pH, The sugar production system of claim 5, further comprising an aeration chamber, wherein the treated sugar process fluid flowing out of the vacuum chamber flows through the insulated zone in the aeration chamber to increase the pH. 7. A sugar production system comprising: a. an aeration chamber, wherein the sugar process fluid flows through the aeration chamber at the same time as the gas flow through the aeration chamber; b. a certain amount of lime that is added to the treated sugar process liquid that flows from the aeration chamber; and c. a certain amount of carbon dioxide added to the treated sugar process liquid to which some lime has been added to reduce the degree of coloration of the treated sugar process liquid compared to the sugar process liquid that does not flow through said aeration chamber . The sugar production system of claim 7, further comprising a vacuum chamber, wherein the treated sugar process fluid flowing from the aeration chamber flows through the evacuated zone in the vacuum chamber. 32,357 / B 9. A sugar production system comprising: a. a vacuum chamber, wherein the sugar process fluid flows through the evacuated zone in the vacuum chamber; b. a certain amount of lime that is added to the treated sugar process liquid that flows from the vacuum chamber; and c. a certain amount of carbon dioxide which is added to the sugar process liquid to which some lime has been added, wherein the sugar process liquid has a reduced coloration compared to the sugar process liquid that does not flow through the evacuation zone of this vacuum chamber. The sugar production system of claim 7, further comprising an aeration chamber, wherein the treated sugar process fluid flowing from the vacuum chamber flows through the insulated zone in the aeration chamber. 11. A sugar production system comprising: a. an aeration chamber, wherein the sugar process fluid flows through the aeration chamber at the same time as the gas flow through the aeration chamber; b. a certain amount of lime that is added to the treated sugar process liquid that flows from the aeration chamber; and c. a certain amount of carbon dioxide that is added to the sugar process liquid to which some lime has been added, the sugar process liquid having a reduced content of lime salts, as compared to the sugar process liquid that does not flow through it the aeration chamber simultaneously with the gas flow through the aeration chamber. 32,357 / B The sugar production system of claim 10, further comprising a vacuum chamber, wherein the treated sugar process fluid flowing from the aeration chamber flows through the evacuated zone in the vacuum chamber. 13. A sugar production system comprising: a. a vacuum chamber, wherein the sugar process fluid flows through the evacuated zone in the vacuum chamber; b. a certain amount of lime that is added to the treated sugar process liquid that flows from the vacuum chamber; and c. a certain amount of carbon dioxide that is added to the treated sugar process liquid to which a certain amount of lime has been added, wherein the treated sugar process liquid has a reduced lime salt content as compared to the sugar process liquid that does not flow through the evacuated zone of this vacuum chamber. 14. The sugar production system of claim 7, further comprising an aeration chamber, wherein the treated sugar process fluid flowing out of the vacuum chamber flows through the insulated zone in the aeration chamber. 15. A sugar production system comprising: a. an aeration chamber, wherein the sugar process fluid flows through the aeration chamber at the same time as the gas flow through the aeration chamber, b. a certain amount of lime that is added to the treated sugar process liquid that flows from the aeration chamber; and 32,357 / B c. a certain amount of carbon dioxide added to the treated sugar process fluid to which some lime has been added, wherein the treated sugar process fluid has an increased purity compared to the sugar process fluid that does not flow through the aeration chamber at the same time as the gas flow through the aeration chamber. The sugar production system of claim 10, further comprising a vacuum chamber, wherein the treated sugar process fluid flowing out of the aeration chamber flows through the evacuated zone in the vacuum chamber. 17. A sugar production system comprising: a. a vacuum chamber, wherein the sugar process fluid flows through the evacuated zone in the vacuum chamber; b. a certain amount of lime that is added to the treated sugar process liquid that flows from the vacuum chamber; and c. a certain amount of carbon dioxide that is added to the treated sugar process liquid to which some lime has been added, wherein the treated sugar process liquid has an increased purity compared to the sugar process liquid that does not flow through the evacuation zone vacuum chamber. The sugar production system of claim 7, further comprising an aeration chamber, wherein the treated sugar process fluid flowing out of the vacuum chamber flows through the insulated zone in the aeration chamber.