A Process for Separating Impure Sugar Masses in One Operation into Crystallized Sugar and Molasses, Avoiding all After Products. IN OPERATION INTO CRYSTAL- LISED SUGAR AND MOLASSES AVOIDING ALL AFTER PRODUCTS
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1891-Accepted, 11th July, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Process for Separating Impure Sugar Masses in One Operation
into Crystallized Sugar and Molasses, Avoiding all After Products.
I, ERNST RUESCHER, of Helmstedt, in the Empire of Germany, Director of
Sugar Factory, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "A PROCESS
FOR SEPARATING IMPURE SUGAR MASSES IN ONE OPERATION INTO CRYSTAL-
LISED SUGAR AND MOLASSES AVOIDING ALL AFTER PRODUCTS," and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a process for separating impure sugar masses in a single
operation into crystallised sugar and molasses in such manner that all after products
are avoided, the object of the same being to treat the sugar masses to be boiled for
producing grain sugar in the raw sugar factories and refineries in one operation
avoiding all after products so as to separate the same into raw crystallised sugar
and a poor molasses of about 63 quotient of purity.
Many efforts have been made to limit the production of or entirely eliminate the
after products. Attempts have been made to reduce this after product work by
facilitating the crystallising out of the crystallisable sugar in the solution by
keeping the latter in motion or by adding molasses to the masse cuite so as to
entirely avoid the after product work when the mass is treated in appropriate
manner.
According to the present invention the object is attained by specially boiling the
saccharine juices to produce grain and treating the mass so produced in peculiar
manner thus attaining the novel and technically very important action that by the
separating process the grain sugar will be separated from the mother liquor without
any further addition or employing the crystallising during movement process, thus
obtaining the entire crystallisable sugar in one operation and producing a molasses
of such low quotient of purity that a subsequent boiling of the same will not be able
to separate out any further sugar crystals.
The invention is founded on the knowledge of the fact that to attain the afore-
mentioned object in making the mass (masse cuite) such conditions must be
produced that molasses can be formed, that is, that all the crystallisable sugar
molecules have the opportunity of adhering to crystals present in the mass.
If
Spent molasses, that is, molasses containing no crystallisable sugar consists of
about 50 parts sugar 30 parts non saccharine matter and 20 parts water, so that for
each 3 parts non saccharine matter 2 parts water are contained in the molasses.
more water is present than is necessary to form the molasses more sugar will be
dissolved and the mother liquor separated off will contain crystallisable sugar which
must be won as after product in a subsequent operation. If however less water is
present the mass will be viscid and will require an addition of mash syrup which
also causes crystallisable sugar to pass into the mother liquor.
The preparation of the mass must therefore be so carefully observed that the
proportion of 3 parts of non-saccharine matter to 2 parts water is maintained.
The so prepared mass is filled out of the vacuum apparatus in thin layers.
So called Schützenbach boxes, or boxes such as are employed in the manufacture
of sugar cubes or larger flat vessels can be used. These vessels must be of such
height that the layer of sugar mass is not more than 10 to 15 centimeters
(4 to 6 inches) thick otherwise the formation of the molasses will not be
satisfactory.
The contents of a vessel ought, when a subsequent mashing of the mass is to be
spared, to be limited to 12 to 15 kilogrammes (about 24 to 30 lbs.).

page_text: The use of these shallow vessels is calculated to prevent the crystals or grains in
the mass from being deposited at the bottom of the vessel and a viscid syrup layer
being formed in which hardly any crystals are contained.
On the other hand I obtain by employing these shallow vessels that the mother
lyc is uniformly distributed through the entire mass of crystals so that the
crystallisable sugar molecules of the mother liquor will everywhere find grains to
which they can adhere.
The grains of sugar in the sugar mass lay so near each other and the layer
of syrup between the same is so thin that the entire crystallisable sugar which
must otherwise be won in another manner will voluntarily separate out of the
same.
This condition is consequently necessary to attain success for the reason that
syrup which is not fully saturated with sugar crystals cannot give off its crystallisable
sugar thus producing fine grain instead of the crystallisable sugar being deposited
on the crystals in the mass.
The vessels are allowed to gradually cool and must stand in rooms at ordinary
temperature for this purpose about 48 hours. During this time the entire
crystallisable sugar separates out of the mother liquor which then consists of
spent molasses of about 63 quotient of purity. The separation of the crystallisable
sugar is, after the ending of the out-crystallising process, carried out in the
centrifugal machine in which the boxes are either filled with the masse cuite or the
mass alone in the form of packages without being reduced or mashed when smaller
boxes are used whilst the sugar mass produced in larger shallow vessels is preferably
mashed before being treated in the centrifugal machine. In order to facilitate
the separation the employment of rapid operating centrifugal machines is
advantageous.
The process can be employed to like advantage in raw sugar factories and
refineries.
In refineries the raw material is generally covered or refined with steam, water
or syrup in order that the non saccharine matter which only superficially adheres to
the sugar crystals may be removed as rapidly and entirely as possible and especially
so when ground products and granulated sugar are to be produced.
The crystallisable sugar dissolved during this process is won as after product in
reservoirs as III, IV and Vth after product.
According to the present novel process so much sugar is dissolved from the
crystals with the non-sugar of the raw material for instance by means of steam until
a mass of about 85 quotient of purity is attained which is then boiled to produce
crystals whereby the proportion of non-sugar to water, i.e. 3 to 2, must be carefully
observed. By the further aforedescribed treatment of this mass the open boiling
(Bassinsud) in the refining process is saved and only one intermediate product
obtained in the continuous working of the refinery, which is of like quality with the
raw material under treatment and can therefore be mixed with the latter so that all
after products are avoided.
My improved process can be applied to great advantage in refineries which make
a speciality of the manufacture of crystallised and ground sugar.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The process for separating impure sugar masses in one operation into
crystallised sugar and molasses avoiding all after products, characterised by the
boiling process for the sugar mass being so arranged that the water requisite for
forming the molasses remains behind, and the masse cuite so produced being allowed
to gradually crystallise out in thin layers and in order to obtain raw sugar on the
one hand and molasses on the other, treated either mashed or unmashed,i, in
centrifugal machines substantially as described.

page_text: 2. The application of the above described and claimed process in refinery
working for attaining a continuous operation in such manner that the raw materials
are treated with water or steam so as to obtain a syrup which can be boiled to
produce grains, and the subsequent use of the raw sugar so obtained as addition to
the raw sugar to be refined, said sugars being of like quality, substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
Dated din och dan of Tu 1901
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.