Abstract: The effectiveness of bagasse as a source of energy is increased by a flexible operation adapted to the power requirements, fuel storage requirements and other variables of a sugar mill operation. Part or all of a primary stream of bagasse from the sugar mill is dried from its initial moisture content, e.g. in the order of 50%, to a lower moisture content, e.g. in the order of 35%, using a portion of the hot flue gases from the boilers which are used to supply power for the sugar mill operation. The resulting drier material is separated to provide an oversize particle stream which may be sent directly to the boiler for burning, to storage in the bagasse house, or to a secondary drying operation, and a secondary stream of fine particle size bagasse components which are most suitable for further process and densification.

Abstract: A process for the purification of evaporated sugar solutions prior to cryllization, utilizing the discovery that most of the suspended non-sugar particles within the evaporated sugar solution are hydrophobic in nature and thus thrown out of solution during the loss of water during the evaporation process, by thoroughly mixing air in large quantities with the evaporated sugar solution containing such particles and repeatedly subjecting the mixture of air, sugar solution and non-sugar particles to high shear forces by a surging flow with flow reversals through an aerator so as to produce a uniform creamy mixture of micron size bubbles to which the non-sugar particles are intimately and mechanically attached, having moved out of the evaporated sugar solution because of the hydrophobic character of the particles. Optionally, this aggregation of the particles with the micron size bubbles may be further increased by a controlled addition of an anionic partially hydrolized polyacrylamide following aeration.

Abstract: Apparatus for the purification of evaporated sugar solution prior to cryslization in which the evaporated sugar solution is mechanically transformed in an in-line continuous process into a homogeneous creamy mixture of sugar solution and hydrophobic particles of non-sugars attached to micron size bubbles from which the sugar solution is separated. The apparatus through which the evaporated sugar solution is passed to so transform it for purification includes, in order, an open-top pump supply tank into which the solution is discharged to revolve about an outlet in the tank so as to form a vortex in the tank outlet drawing large bubbles of air into the solution, a standpipe connecting the tank outlet to the inlet of a centrifugal pump having a high speed impeller with straight radial blades, the standpipe and supply tank having such a relationship to the pump as to provide a pump suction static head only slightly greater than the vapor pressure of the evaporated sugar solution.