Frequently asked questions

SUSEP technology is an eco-friendly production, which does not use any chemicals and their compounds.

Chromaticity is one of the main indicators of sugar or raw sugar, characterizing the degree of color and expressed in conventional units or units of optical density. The measurement scale is ICUMSA. The ICUMSA color scale is a measurement of the degree of purification and the color of sugar or raw sugar. The main instrument for carrying out measurements is a spectrophotometer.

Coloring substances of sugar production are organic compounds of various degrees of condensation and polymerization, the so–called pigments that give color from light yellow to dark brown to semi-finished products and finished products of sugar production.

This process is designed to reduce the amount of water in a sugary solution, also called diffusion juice. The process takes place by evaporation on equipment, the so-called evaporators. The process usually consists of two stages. In the first, the amount of water decreases until the diffusion juice completely turns into syrup, and in the second, water is removed from the syrup, while the density increases to such a level that sugar crystals begin to form.

Unreal - it's from the realm of fiction. Only the estimate work usually requires 1-3 months, after which it needs 2-6 months to carry out technical design and only after that the manufacture and staffing of equipment begins. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that the delivery of such a volume and quantity of equipment is not carried out at once, since it is physically impossible to implement it. Delivery is carried out in stages as well as installation work. It is also a fact that the sugar factory is not consumer goods and no manufacturer keeps it "in stock", and even more so will not be able to send it to the customer "tomorrow".

Usually, the construction of a sugar factory takes 18-24 months, and sometimes more. The construction includes not only construction work, but also the development of a technical project, its approval, as well as the timing of commissioning.

The turnkey package includes estimated works, technical design, manufacturing of technological equipment, supply and complete installation of technological equipment in full by the manufacturer - contractor, physical supervision or execution of construction works themselves, commissioning and training of personnel. The manufacturer - contractor provides warranty service, and in agreement with the customer - post-warranty service too.It is equally important that the turnkey package includes not only the main equipment, but also absolutely all mounting materials, including cables, pipes, bolts, etc.

Conveyor wash water is a mixture of contaminated water after the hydraulic conveyor and the beet washing machine, containing sand, clay, etc. This water enters the treatment and is later fed back into the process line.

Definitely not cheap. Firstly, it is not consumer goods. Secondly, it is a complex individual technical solution. Thirdly, it is a complex of very complex technological equipment. The price of a sugar factory mainly depends on two variables - the required daily productivity by raw materials and equipment configuration. The cost is also affected by market prices for raw materials - metals and so on. The cost is determined and specified by conducting complex calculations, individually for each individual project. In simple words, in an online store for a monthly salary, a sugar factory certainly cannot be purchased.

These are thin strips into which sugar beets are cut during the sugar production process. Sugar beet, cut into cossettes, is easier to wash, as the area in contact with water increases, and therefore sugar is extracted from it better.

Crystallization is the process of crystallization of sucrose, during which sucrose is released in the form of crystals from sugar-containing solutions. The main condition for the formation of sugar crystals is a high concentration of sucrose in a sugar-containing solution. In the industrial production of sugar, such a solution is called massecuite, who consists of sugar crystals and an intercrystal solution, which is later separated from sugar crystals during centrifugation.

Sucrose crystals are really white. In fact, the only dye of sugar crystals is a thin film of molasses with which they are covered. In the refining process, sugar crystals are physically separated from this film, that is, from impurities. According to the SUSEP technology, diffusive beet juice or sugar-containing solution during the processing of raw sugar or molasses is discolored by micro- and ultrafiltration. Thus, the resulting juice or solution has only minor traces of pigments - coloring substances and is finally removed by centrifugation of the massecuite.

Beet pulp of deep pressing is a pulp dehydrated by mechanical pressing to a dry matter content of at least 40-55%. This type of beet pulp is transportable and suitable for drying in drum dryers.

Diffusion - sucrose extraction. Sugar beet cossettes are placed in a large tank, called a hot water diffusor, where they are soaked to break down the cellular structure and extract the sucrose. This is because sugar beet cossettes have a higher sucrose content than the surrounding water, which causes the sucrose to diffuse into the water.

Diffusion juice is a sugar–containing solution or simply juice extracted from beet cossettes during the extraction of sucrose in a diffusion plant.

Fresh sugar beet pulp first enters the presses to increase the concentration of dry substances. WESTTEX company supplies only roller-belt presses, as they are more reliable, easier to maintain and require less energy. The pressed beet pulp enters the drum drying unit to remove the remaining water. Dried beet pulp is easier to transport. With the help of granulator presses from dried beet pulp can be produced feed pellets.

Sugar crystals obtained from centrifuges contain moisture, which affects the adhesion of sugar crystals and deterioration of the quality of the product. Such sugar is dried. First, sugar crystals from centrifuges enter the drum refrigeration unit to cool them and thereby reduce humidity. Later, the cooled crystals are dried. Drying is carried out in drum dryers.

Dry substances are all solids, soluble and insoluble in water, contained in raw materials and sugar products.

Electricity is one of the main energy resources needed for a sugar factory. Electricity is necessary to power all technological equipment, as well as to ensure the safety of the technological process. Large sugar factories have not only power from a backup power line, but even their own power centers. Plants that have their own thermal power plants are able not only to provide themselves, but also to realize excess electricity.

To answer this question, it is necessary to carry out complex calculations. The electricity consumption at each sugar factory is large and depends on the daily productivity by raw materials and the configuration of the processing line. The most electric power at the plant uses centrifuges, of which there are usually 4 at the plant, and in some cases only 3. The power of each centrifuge can be from 15 kW to 110 kW, depending on the productivity of the plant. The consumption of other equipment is significantly less, but in general the electricity consumption is quite large. Because of this, sugar factories are not designed with a capacity of less than 50 tons per day for raw materials. Solutions with a productivity of less than 50 tons are either not economical or a marketing trap.

All equipment consists of several types. There are three main types: reception, production and additional. Receiving equipment is allocated separately, as it may differ depending on the processed raw materials. The main equipment includes a diffusion plant, SUSEP technological equipment for purification and primary concentration of diffusion juice, evaporators, evaporators-crystallizers, centrifuges, sugar drying plants, boiler house, wastewater treatment equipment. Additional equipment includes equipment for processing beet pulp, as well as equipment for product packaging.

Evaporation is the thickening of purified juice, i.e. the removal of water from the purified sugar-containing juice by evaporation until a predetermined value of dry substances is reached in it.

First of all, the productivity of the sugar factory should correspond to the demand for products. It is possible to increase the economic effect by choosing technologies, equipment and optimizing personnel management. Automation of the production process gives a great economic effect, as it allows you to reduce production costs and avoid human errors.

Flushing liquid is a technological solution formed when a filtered precipitate or adsorbent is desaccharified by washing it with clear water.

Sugar beet pulp - crushed sugar beet, from which sugar was extracted by diffusion, is called wet beet pulp or fresh beet pulp and contains 92-95% (average 90%) moisture. Passing through the belt-roll press, it turns into dehydrated beet pulp with a humidity of 45-60%. Such beet pulp is suitable for drying in a drum dryers, in which, with the help of a stream of hot air with a temperature of 120-135 ° C, the mass heats up and when exposed to passing air, humidity decreases to 17-20%. This dried, but not agglomerated sugar beet pulp is then fed to granulation presses to produce granules with a diameter of 8, 10 or 12 mm.

See chapter "yield of sugar beet".

Invert sugar or so-called reducing substances is a mixture of almost equal molar fractions of glucose and fructose, with conventional sugar production technology obtained by boiling a solution of beet or cane sugar with a small amount of water and mineral or organic acid. According to the SUSEP technology, it can be isolated by filtering both a sugar-containing solution and molasses using biceramic filters, but the isolation of invert sugar is impractical, since its amount is very small, only 0.2-2.5% by mass of molasses, and even less by mass of beet.

SUSEP technology is an eco-friendly production, which does not use such equipment, does not use any chemicals and their compounds.

SUSEP technology is an eco-friendly production, which does not use any chemicals and their compounds.

Centrifugation is the separation of massecuite into sucrose crystals and an intercrystalline solution under the action of centrifugal forces. To separate the crystals from the intercrystalline solution, batch and continuous centrifuges are used, depending on the purity and viscosity of the massecuite. In the case of continuous centrifuges, the highly viscous mass is sent from the collecting mixer to the centrifuge with the addition of water and steam. Depending on the consistency of the massecuite, the crystals are separated from the intercrystalline solution when the centrifuge rotates at a speed of 1500 - 2000 rpm. The addition of water and steam reduces the viscosity and facilitates the separation of the sugar crystals from the intercrystalline solution.

This is a massecuite of the first crystallization of sucrose, designed to produce white sugar.

This is a massecuite of the second or third stage of sequential crystallization, designed to produce sugar II or III crystallization, the so-called refined sugar.

Microfiltration is a process of purification of sugar-containing juice with the help of microfiltration membrane filters, during which part of the non-sugars and surface-active high polymers are removed.

Molasses is a syrupy by-product of sugar production, which is an intercrystalline solution separated during the centrifugation of the last crystallization of the massecuite. Molasses is the most valuable by-product of sugar production and has a very wide range of uses. Molasses is also an excellent source of sugar (36-52% by weight), since old technologies are not able to isolate sugar, known as "direct polarization sugar".

MOSEP technology is an additional technological equipment to the main technological equipment of SUSEP and is intended for the primary processing of molasses. This additional technological equipment covers equipment for receiving and storing molasses, as well as its supply to the dosing equipment and preparation of a sugar-containing solution.

Nanofiltration is the concentration of sugar juice with water extraction using nanofiltration or reverse osmosis membrane filters. This is the last phase of purification of sugar-containing juice, corresponding and partially replacing the evaporation process, since at this stage the sugar-containing juice partially thickens.

Non-sugars are all dry substances, except sucrose.

The sugar yield mainly depends on three variables - the sugar content in the raw materials, the technology used and the human factor. The main indicator that most affects the output of products is the sugar content in raw materials. Sugar factories operating on the basis of traditional technology are able to extract 74-86% of sugar from sugar-containing raw materials, when this indicator reaches 99-99.8% according to SUSEP technology. According to WESTTEX's SUSEP technology, the sugar yield is 18-25% higher than in conventional production. These indicators are justified by clear calculations of the costs and losses of sucrose in the production of sugar.

The pellets vary in diameter from 8 to 12mm, but most popular sizes are 10 mm and 12 mm. The pectin, hemicellulose and cellulose contained in them are well absorbed by ruminants. Due to their taste qualities and high energy content, pellets are a popular component of compound feeds or as compound feed for ruminants, pigs and horses. The uniform size of beet pulp granules guarantees excellent flowability, which facilitates accurate dosing with automatic dispensers in farms.

Sugar beet pulp is a mass of sugar beet slices, desaccharified in a diffusion apparatus. Beet pulp is rich in fiber and has a unique content.

Pressing of pulp – mechanical dehydration of raw pulp before drying in drum dryers.

Purified diffusion juice is a diffusion juice that has passed all stages of purification according to the technological scheme, including defecation and saturation. SUSEP technology uses a different principle of purification of diffusion juice and covers such technological stages of the process as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration. The purpose of beet juice purification is to free it from suspended particles, neutralize acids and remove as many non-sugars from the solution as possible, as well as surface-active high-polymers.

RAWSEP technology is an additional technological equipment to the main technological equipment of SUSEP and is intended for the primary processing of raw sugar. This additional technological equipment covers the equipment for feeding raw sugar into the dosing equipment, dissolving and preparing a sugar-containing solution.

The type and technical solutions of the reception workshop of the plant depends on the processed raw materials. Reception of sugar beet, special equipment is required to remove leaf residues and roots, stone catchers, metal detectors and catchers, root washers, slicing machines, sewage treatment plant, diffusion station etc. Most of this equipment is missing when processing raw sugar and molasses. Specific equipment is required for the reception and primary processing of raw sugar and molasses.

Reducing substances of sugar production are monosaccharides that have a carbonyl group in their composition and exhibit the properties of a reducing agent in redox reactions. Simply put, reducing substances are sugars that enter into a reduction reaction. See chapter "иnvert sugar".

Scale – solid deposits formed on the inner surface of the heat exchange equipment during boiling of sugar-containing solutions. The appearance of scale worsens the thermal characteristics of the equipment and complicates operation. To combat the appearance of scale, various technical solutions are used.

The resulting sugar crystals are mixed fractions. In order to separate sugar crystals by different granulometry and get a monotonous product, all products are sifted. In this way, the so-called "small" and "large" sugar is obtained. The excess of the sifting process as too large and small crystals, as well as sugar dust, is dissolved and fed back to evaporation - crystallization.

The main sub-products of sugar production from sugar beet are cellulose, pectin and betaine. According to economic calculations, the production of sub-products, such as betaine, at plants with a capacity of less than 7,000-1,000 tons of raw materials per day is impractical, since it requires large investments, and the price of the products produced is quite low.

Sugar is a common name for sweet-tasting soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Sugar (sucrose) is a disaccharide natural sweetener with the molecular formula C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose and galactose. Complex sugars, also called disaccharides or double sugars, are molecules consisting of two linked monosaccharides; common examples are sucrose (glucose + fructose), lactose (glucose + galactose) and maltose (two glucose molecules). White sugar is a refined form of sucrose. In the industrial process, sugar is mainly produced by processing sugar cane and sugar beet. In rare cases, sugar is obtained by processing other crops.

Slicing of sugar beet is required for faster and more complete extraction of sugar by diffusion. The washed roots are sliced into thin cossettes on special beet—slicing machines. Cossettes can be of two types: grooved and lamellar. The width of the strip of grooved cossettes of good quality is 4-6 mm, and the thickness of its side face is 0.6—1 mm. Plate cossettes have the form of flat strips of rectangular cross—section with a width of 2.5—3.0 mm and a thickness of 1.1- 1.5 mm. The shape and quality of sugar beet grinding strongly affects the quality of diffusion, and because of this, modern beet cutters are equipped with automatic sharpening of blades

Sugar beet washing is necessary to clean the surface of root crops from earth, sand, etc., which spoil the beet cutter and affect the quality of beet juice. Sugar beet is washed with water and then dried with compressed air.

The sugar content is the main parameter of any sugar-containing raw materials. The more sugar is contained in the raw material, the more it can be isolated. Different raw materials contain different amounts of sugar.

Each raw material contains a different amount of sugar. Sugar beet contains 14-21% sucrose, depending on the variety, region, soil and crop care. In most Western countries, sugar content of less than 16% is called low. The sugar content of raw sugar is in the range of 98-99.4%, and fluctuations in the sugar content in tenths of a percent have practically no natural effect on the total sugar yield. Molasses usually contains 36-52% sucrose. The amount of sucrose in molasses directly depends on the type of technology, the condition of the equipment and the human factor.

Washing of sucrose crystals is a washing of crystals, i.e. removing a film of intercrystalline solution from the surface of sucrose crystals with hot water, a sugar-containing solution or steam. Removing this film improves the quality of the sugar, as the sugar becomes white after washing and contains fewer non-sugars.

Sugar I crystallization – sugar obtained as a result of centrifugation of the I crystallization massecuite. Sugar of this crystallization is called direct crystallization sugar or simply white sugar.

It is sugar obtained as a result of centrifugation of the massecuite of the II crystallization and the massecuite of the III crystallization. Sugar II crystallization and III crystallization is mixed and subjected to clearing, i.e. dissolution crystals to remove the molasses film, which contains dyes and non-sugar particles. Further, such a sugar solution enters the crystallizer of crystallization II, from where it enters the centrifuge. Thus, the so-called refined sugar is obtained.

SUSEP technology is an eco-friendly production, which does not use this process, does not use any chemicals and their compounds.

SUSEP technology is an eco-friendly production, which does not use any chemicals and their compounds.

SUSEP technology is an eco-friendly production, which does not use any chemicals and their compounds.

SUSEP technology is an advanced technology of filtration, purification and concentration of sugar-containing juices. The technology is the core of the technological line for the production of organic, as well as ecological sugar. The technological process consists of three successive stages: microfiltration, ultrafiltration and nanofiltration.

The three-stage crystallization of sucrose covers three stages of crystallization with intermediate flows known as massecuite A, B and C. These streams are separated to produce sugar crystals and molasses A, B and C containing removed impurities.

Sugar production is impossible without water. Water is necessary for washing sugar beet fruits, is used in the extraction process and even for steam production. When processing raw sugar or molasses, water is used to dissolve/dilute and prepare a sugar-containing solution, i.e. juice.

The water consumption depends on the installed design capacity of the sugar factory, as well as on the processed raw materials. Some technologists and engineers claim that 1-2 tons of water is enough for a ton of sugar beet fruits, but one can disagree with this, since the actual water consumption per ton of raw materials is not only washing, but also the water needed to make a diffusion solution, steam, even sugar cleaning. When processing raw sugar and molasses, most of the water is spent on the production of a sugar-containing solution. In modern sugar factories, the water consumption is less than in the old ones, since most of the water circulates in a closed circle and is only replenished in small quantities. In order to find out the water consumption, it is necessary to make calculations taking into account the capacity and equipment configuration of factory.

The yield of sugar beet depends on its variety, climatic conditions and care of crops. A good commercial yield of sugar beet is from 50 to 70 tons per hectare of fresh beet with 16-18% sugar content. Under certain conditions, yields of up to 70-85 t/ha are obtained.