Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-11-17
FIND METHODS
FOR UTILIZING
SUGAR WASTES
Tons of Sweetness Saved and
Stock Food Made of
Beet Roots.
TEST AT DECATUR PLANT

The recovery of ten tons of sugar
each operating day, the reclamation OIL
from twenty-five t, thirty wagon LOADS
Of beet rootlets anu broken beets which
If is believed can lie converted into an
excellent stock food, together with pur-
iication of st. Marys river as result
Of the installation of machinery IN tne
Holland-St Louis Sugar Refining pIant'
at Decatur to care for wastes and prevent
stream poIlution. have been accomplished
duriuR a twenty-one days experimental
test. a report of John c. Digs, sanitary
engineer for the State conservation oe-
partmeut. lust filed with Richard Lleoer'
director, shows.
should this plant process for waste
elimination continue as successful as the
test to date leads officials to believe, theh
it means the revolution OF methods ueal-
ing with sugar beet factory wastes III
this state and in States throughout 1Le
entire country now confronted WITH prop
lens similar to conditions existing IN
Indiana, Mr.. Lieber predicts. ..
For years wastes from the Hoiianu-S''
T.oufs plant were not only great factor
contributing to contamination cL 'aIs
nubIic water course for miles down
stream. and a menace TO health, but aiso
q nsuseous nuisance to residents Oh mus
municipalities contiguous TO the river
The Holland-St Louis people trled sew.
eraI ineffective methods of treatment OF
1-sS+es before they, cooperating with the
state conservation department, arrived a.
an s4feciant and economical solution OF
the problem. ,oa,..,
In response to demands for immediate
oction nv the State department follow
ing a survey OF the situation oy MI
Dirgs. the sugar company installed ma
cbinerv costing $500, 900, designed to not
only reduce the volume OF waste matter
but to also reclaim former waste ma
terials in the forms Of valuable oy-prod-
nets. In his report Of the success OF
the new system and its clarihcauon Oh .
tanele that did much to pollute the
waters OF St Mary's River, Engineer
Diggs IN part says:
cat present the only waste dlschSrgeu
into the river by the Holland-St. Louis
niant is the beet carrying iume water
which previous to discharge Is treated
nv passing through Dorrco screens Al
though this water is considerably solled
nv earthly material, fine beet rootiets
and a small quantity Of beet extraetives'
Il apparently produces no Objectionable
condition in the stream. The material
removed by the Dorrco screens is aston
ishingly large I'm volume, tOtaling twchty-
five to thirty wagon loads per day. lVs
removal and disposal at the present time
presents a considerable problem to the
sugar plant, but it is probable that since
II consists almost entirely OF particles
Of beets. it can be utilized for animal
feeding.
1T is believed that the other wastes
of the plant have been satisfactorily elm
mated from the stream through changes
of plant processes which utilize these
wastes as by-products. The sludge OBJ
tanned in the treatment Of the pulp press
and extraction OF cell water By lining
and carbonating is collected by Dorr
kitchener and used as n dilutent for the
lime press cake, which is deposited in
the present pond. The volume OF the
total waste going into the pond IS ex-
ceedingIy small and, apparently this
reservoir viii hold the waste for many
wears without overflow.
Through the installation Of continu-
Gus filters the sugar content OF me hme
cake is reduced from about Ii per cent
of the total wet matter to about 40 per
cent. This process alone RECEIVERS more
than one and one-haf tons Of sugar per
dsv. The officials Of the company state
that it is difficult to estimate prior to
the close of the campaign the increased
WELD Of sugar through the new installa-
lions. but that the recovery Of total sugar
will increase at least 10 per cent or APP
proximateIy ten tons per day for this
plant"
According to 2fr. Lieber, whose depart
ment is giving exhaustive attention to
stream publication, this is one Of the
most important installations for the pre-
vention Of contamination of streams made
by any industrial plant in the country.
The operation of the plant and the con-
dition of the stream is being followed
very closely, not only by officials Of
other States, but by the officials Of sugar
beet plants located throughout the en-
tire country, he says. In the opinion
of conservation officials and officials Of
the Holland st. Louis Company, the sue
cessful operation Of this plant means the
installation Of similar devices at many
other points as money making projects,
as well as for waste treatment process.