Energy saving in sugar manufacturing through the integration of environmental friendly new membrane processes for thin juice pre-concentration

Abstract

In the present work energy savings in clarified thin sugar juice pre-heating and concentration are presented by integrating a new pressure-driven multistage membrane process with multiple-effect evaporator (MEE). The thin sugar juice is concentrated from 15 w% to 50 w% with membrane and from 50 w% to 70 w% in MEE. The new process will not only reduce the energy consumption of thin juice concentration process significantly but will also reduce the requirements of energy and heat transfer area of heat exchangers for pre-heating the thin juice before evaporation by 70%. The existing sugar factories may increase the capacity of their evaporation station through the integration of the new membrane process while new factories to be built will have a smaller sized evaporation station with more energy efficiency and environmentally friendly process performance and with a significantly smaller carbon footprint.