Patent GB-710885-A (GB)
Title: A method of separating sugar juice, pith and fiber from sugar cane and like stalks
IPC: C13B10/04
Filed: 1951-09-05
Abstract: 710,885. Sugar. GAUNT, J. G. (Louisiana State University & Agricultural & Mechanical College. Board of Supervisors of). Sept. 5, 1951, No. 21018/51. Class 127 A method of recovering sugar, fibre and pith from raw material containing sugar, fibre and pith and impurities comprises separating juice from the raw material, breaking up the raw material, separating the pith from the fibres in the presence of water, filtering the separated juice from the separated pith and washing sugar juice from the pith and returning the sugarcontaining wash water to the raw material being broken up. As shown the sugar cane fed by a conveyer 11 and cut into short lengths by knives 12 is delivered to a shredder 13 which breaks up the short lengths and forms a mat which is delivered to a mill having four sets of rollers 14, 14a, 14b, 14c, to extract the juice, that coming from roller 14c being delivered to 14a and that from 14b being delivered to 14 and that from 14 and 14a being delivered through pipe 22 to be filtered as described later. The bargasse, containing some sugar, is delivered from roller 14c to mills 16 in which the fibres and pith are separated in the presence of water, delivered through pipes 19a on to the fibre entering the mill and through pipe 19b on to the material in the mill and which contains some sugar juice free of pith and fibres brought from a later point in the system described later, the pith suspended in water being discharged at 17 and the fibres at 18. The pith is separated and is removed through a pipe 23 to be used for filtering the juice by a screen 20 and the pith free water containing some sugar is returned to the roller 14b. The fibre is discharged into a tank 24, allowed to settle and the supernatant liquid containing some sugar is drawn off via pipe 25 and returned to the mills 16 for wetting the bargasse which is being separated into pith and fibre, and the settled fibre delivered to an additional pith and fibre separating mill 16a whence the pith and sugar containing juice are delivered to a screen 20a, the resulting water containing some sugar then going via pipe 19 to wet the material in mills 16 previously referred to, whilst the pith from the screen 20a is delivered through a pipe 29 to join the pipe 23 carrying the pith from the screen 20 to be used for filtering as later described, and the fibre is delivered to tank 24a, settled and the supernatant water withdrawn and delivered to the mill 16a to wet the material being treated therein and the water containing some juice and the settled fibres being separated on a screen 20b the fibres being washed by water from a pipe 33 before being discharged at 31 whilst the water passing the screen is partly delivered through pipes 32, 47 to wash material on the filter bed described later and partly through a pipe 35 to wet material in the mill 16a. The pith. from the screens 20 and 20a is delivered via a pipe 34 to one end of an annular chamber 40 having portions 42, 43 of its lower wall porous on to an endless moving conveyer 41 and through which the juice from mill 14 is filtered and collected in chamber 45 and discharged at 46. A portion of the wash water which has passed through the screen 20b is discharged via pipes 32, 47 above the rear end of chamber 44, flows through the filter bed washing out residual sugar juice and collects in the chamber 44 from which it is returned to the system through pipe 48. The pith is continuously advanced by the conveyer 41 and after having its residual sugar juice washed out falls into a pocket 49 on the lower side of an uper run of the conveyer and is discharged at 50. Specification 708,660, [Group VIII], and U.S.A. Specifications 2,155,874, 2,465,287 are referred to.