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Refined White Sugar from Raw Cane Sugar
Raw cane sugar is sucrose crystals with a sticky brown coating of molasses. Refining removes that coating and the colour to give white sugar. The crystals are first softened in a concentrated syrup (affination), then dissolved. The syrup is cleaned by carbonatation: milk of lime and carbon dioxide form calcium carbonate, which settles out and carries impurities with it. Colour is taken out with granular activated carbon. The syrup is then boiled down, cooled and seeded so the sugar crystallises, the liquor is spun off in a centrifuge, and the white crystals are dried in hot air. The left-over liquor becomes refiners' molasses. Refined sugar measures below 300 ICUMSA colour units; raw sugar is over 1,500.
Advanced
Factory process
Instructions
1
1
Affination
Affination
Immerse the raw sugar crystals in a concentrated syrup. It softens and removes the sticky brown coating without dissolving the crystals. Separate the crystals from the syrup.
Materials for this step:
Raw Cane Sugar1 as requiredTools needed:
Sugar Centrifuge2
2
Dissolve
Dissolve
Dissolve the washed crystals in water to make a syrup.
Materials for this step:
Water1 as required3
3
Carbonatation
Carbonatation
Add milk of lime (calcium hydroxide in water) and bubble carbon dioxide through the syrup. Ca(OH)₂ + CO₂ → CaCO₃ + H₂O. The calcium carbonate that forms takes impurities with it; filter it out.
Materials for this step:
Calcium Hydroxide (Slaked Lime)1 as required
Carbon Dioxide Gas1 as requiredTools needed:
Carbonatation Tank
Filter Press4
4
Decolourise
Decolourise
Pass the syrup through granular activated carbon to remove the colour.
Materials for this step:
Granular Activated Carbon1 as required5
5
Boil and crystallise
Boil and crystallise
Concentrate the syrup by boiling, then cool it and seed it with sugar crystals so the sugar crystallises out.
Tools needed:
Sugar Boiling Pan6
6
Spin and dry
Spin and dry
Spin the liquor off in a centrifuge and dry the white crystals in hot air. The surplus liquor is made into refiners' molasses.
Tools needed:
Sugar Centrifuge
Hot Air DryerMaterials
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Tools Required
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