Centrifugal Separators A Sweet Solution In Sugar Production
Posted by William Vander Plaats on Tue, Nov 24, 2009 @ 12:05 PM
Sugar cane and sugar beets are the world’s two primary sources of sugar. Sugar cane is grown in over 100 countries around the world, with the top producers being Brazil and India. Sugar beets are primarily grown in the European Union, United States, and Russia. Both go through a multi-step production process of cutting, cleaning, screening and separating which is becoming increasingly more sophisticated in some countries. The Sugar Association has an informative Consumer Fact Sheet on the basic processes. Some of the same production processes are used in the production of ethanol and other biofuels as well. And the importance of effective filtration cannot be overstated, especially as these mills and refineries continue to search for ways to become more friendly to the environment and more sustainable.
And increasingly, centrifugal separators like LAKOS Separators are the perfect solution to handle some of these tasks. The main reasons include:
- Little or no water loss
- No moving parts to wear out or replace, keeping them virtually maintenance-free
- Low and steady system pressure drop
At the the Pujiltic Sugar Mill in Chiapas, Mexico, plant engineers worked with LAKOS to design a solid handling system that limits the eventual liquid loss to .08% in the pre-filtration process. 
Similar results have been experienced by many other sugar mills. With proper filtration, the main by-product of the milling process -- a fibrous material known as bagasse -- may be used for livestock feed, burned to provide heat, and is sometimes used in sugar mills to provide energy in such large amounts it can be sold to others. Bagasse may also serve as raw material for paper, cardboard, and other biodegradeable products.
By using centrifugal separators instead of some other forms of filtration, the sustainability and environmentally-friendliness of sugar mills is increased to its fullest potential. And isn’t that a goal we all want them to achieve?
Read more about recent LAKOS Filtration installations in sugar mills around the world in a NEW Application Bulletin. Download it today and see the many ways effective filtration can lead to "greener" sugar production.