Filtration of stored thick juice for the syrup campaign

Extraction of sucrose from sugarbeet for sugar production on an industrial scale can be divided into two distinct types of operations: beet processing (operation of the entire factory) and syrup processing (operation of the sugar house only). During the beet harvesting campaign thick juice is stored in large tanks for subsequent processing in the syrup campaign. It is good practice to filter the thick juice prior to storage for removal of microbes and insolubles. More importantly is filtration of the thick juice during the thick juice campaign for food safety and to remove any solids that have precipitated during storage for sugar quality. This is normally done using a filter aid to ensure filtration to below 5 µm is achieved. The use of a filter aid is not ideal due to health concerns and the risk of causing sugar quality issues if filter aid is carried forward with the syrup. A filtration system designed to operate without the use of a filter aid was therefore trialed at one of the Tereos factories in France. Standard liquor from storage tanks were filtered through 14–25 µm filter material during the 2018 thick juice campaign. Operational and sugar quality results are discussed.