Abstract: An extractor suitable for using a solvent to separate a compound from a solid or semisolid substance containing the compound. The extractor includes a conveying assembly having an inclined conveyor for receiving the substance from a substance inlet and moving the substance through the solvent, an inclined upper surface associated with the first conveyor and an inclined lower surface associated with the first conveyor. The conveyor is configured to move the substance downward through the solvent along the upper surface toward a lower end of the conveyor and upward through the solvent along the lower surface toward an upper end of the conveyor.

Abstract: An extractor suitable for using a solvent to separate a compound from a solid or semisolid substance containing the compound. The extractor includes a conveying assembly having an inclined conveyor for receiving the substance from a substance inlet and moving the substance through the solvent, an inclined upper surface associated with the first conveyor and an inclined lower surface associated with the first conveyor. The conveyor is configured to move the substance downward through the solvent along the upper surface toward a lower end of the conveyor and upward through the solvent along the lower surface toward an upper end of the conveyor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for the transfer between a solid matter and a liquid, comprising an outer drum and a perforated inner drum, means for commonly rotating the drums, and means situated inside the inner drum for moving the solid matter. In between the two drums, a number of troughs are formed which, during the rotation of the drums, bring up liquid and pour it out higher up through the inner drum. Along the front rim of each trough, the drum is provided with a drain opening, opposite to which means are provided for preventing, when the drain opening, during the rotation of the drums, is at the bottom, the penetration of solid matter through said opening.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the continuous production of hydrolytically broken down starch or hydrolytically broken down substituted starch products such as hydroxyethyl- or hydroxypropyl starch. The invention essentially consists of carrying out most of the hydrolytic breakdown in a pipe-shaped, temperature-controlled reactor having no mixing elements. The remaining breakdown is carried out in one or more reactors fitted with mixing elements (fine hydrolysis). The product obtained can be used both in the food industry and for medical purposes, especially as plasma diluent.

Abstract: The invention is a process for recrystallizing sugar. The invention involves admixing a first quantity of a powdered sugar and a second quantity of an adjuvant, such as an invert sugar, to provide a sugar blend. The sugar blend has up to about 3 percent moisture. The invention then involves mixing the sugar blend with a high shear extruding means at a temperature between about 220.degree. F. and about 300.degree. F. with a residence time in the extruding means of between about 0.5 second and about 12 seconds. The invention includes the product of a combined phase recrystallized sugar.

Abstract: A diffusion apparatus for use in the extraction of sugar cane juice from "prepared" sugar cane, comprises a lixiviation tank, a diffusion tank containing imbibition water and a conveyor for conveying the sugar cane from the lixiviation tank along a serpentine-like path through the diffusion tank. The diffusion tank has a rear end, a front end, two spaced sides and a base. The diffusion tank includes a plurality of spaced upright partition members which decrease in height in step-fashion from the rear end of the diffusion tank towards the front end thereof. Imbibition water is introduced into the diffusion tank at the rear end thereof and cascades towards the front end of the tank. Sugar cane is conveyed through the diffusion tank on support trays that are carried on chains along the serpentine-like path against the flow of imbibition water in the tank.

Abstract: The invention is a process for recrystallizing sugar. The invention involves admixing a first quantity of a powdered sugar and a second quantity of an adjuvant, such as an invert sugar, to provide a sugar blend. The sugar blend has up to about 3 percent moisture. The invention then involves mixing the sugar blend with a high shear extruding means at a temperature between about 220.degree. F. and about 300.degree. F. with a residence time in the extruding means of between about 0.5 second and about 12 seconds. The invention includes the product of a combined phase recrystallized sugar.

Abstract: A continuous countercurrent process is provided of extracting juice from a bed of fibrous material such as sugar cane, the process comprising a plurality of stages, preferably three, with each stage including the removal of air, displacement of juice by a true plug-flow process, and drainage of the displaced juice and displacing medium.

Abstract: In a process for solid-liquid extraction, in particular of sucrose from beet cossettes, countercurrent extraction in an extraction tower is employed. The tower juice is drawn off together with the small-sized solid constituents obtained in the process, such as sand, essentially exclusively via side screens.

Abstract: The invention is a process for recrystallizing sugar. The invention involves admixing a first quantity of a powdered sugar and a second quantity of an adjuvant, such as an invert sugar, to provide a sugar blend. The sugar blend has up to about 3 percent moisture. The invention then involves mixing the sugar blend with a high shear extruding means at a temperature between about 220.degree. F. and about 300.degree. F. with a residence time in the extruding means of between about 0.5 second and about 12 seconds. The invention includes the product of a combined phase recrystallized sugar.

Abstract: A counterflow single-screw extractor includes a screw conveyor having a helical scroll formed from arcuate flight sections each having a plurality of elongated slots extending away from the direction of screw rotation and permitting the flow of effluent through the product and the flights in a manner controlled by the size, number, and orientation of the slots. The slots permit efficient extraction using relatively little extraction medium and at the same time permit a single-screw extractor to be used without having to periodically reverse the direction of screw rotation to unclog the slots and by the pitch of the screw conveyor. The inventive arrangement permits the use of a multi-section extractor employing different extraction media and/or different extraction media wash rates in different sections of the extractor.

Abstract: An improved system for extracting soluble substances from fibrous material by using a plurality of maceration and compression steps thereby excerting moderate pressure on the fibrous material up to 15 bars.Arrangements are made to saturate the fibrous material to its maximum absortion potential between each pressure application. Moisture content of the agent fibrous material is finally reduced with the combined application of moderate and high pressure. The application of imbibition liquid in this area and the use of the solvent received for the purpose of maceration in the preceeding extraction steps is made in accordance with the respective concentration of the solvent.The extraction system can operate without the application of process heat; therefore, a lixiviator is not required. Two or more maceration and compression steps can be located in a module, thus permitting a very compact arrangement of the extraction system.

Abstract: A system for extracting soluble substances from fiberous material by lixiviation is followed by various steps of compression and maceration exerting moderate compression on the fiberous material up to 14 Bar. Hereby, special arrangements are made to saturate the fiberous material to maximum absorption between each pressure application. Moisture content of the spent fiberous material is reduced with a special roller assembly with the application of low and high pressure. Heat is used to facilitate the extraction process and to suppress biological alterations of matter involved. With heat exchange between raw material and extracted solvent, overall heat economy is improved. Fiberous material is used as filter aid to reduce contamination of extracted solvent with foreign matter. The system is particularly suitable for the extraction of sugar from sugar cane.

Abstract: The liquid content of sugar cane bagasse is reduced by a low pressure process having a substantially longer duration than the duration of prior art high pressure liquid removal processes. For this purpose the liquid containing bagasse, as it emerges from a diffuser, is exposed to a relatively slowly increasing yet low pressure as compared to prior art high pressures, whereby the bagasse travels with a substantially constant speed sequentially through a dewatering zone, wherein a further compaction takes place, a preliminary squeeze-out zone and a final squeeze-out zone. During the preliminary squeeze-out the pressure above an open surface area or section without a sieve or screen is about 0.2 kg/cm.sup.2. During the final squeeze-out the pressure (p) is about p/0.6D>0.003, wherein D is the diameter, in mm, of a squeeze-out roller. The pressing duration t in seconds is also related to the squeeze-out roller diameter D such that D:t is smaller than a constant value K 16.

Abstract: Disclosed is a maceration system of the type generally used in the grinding and juice extraction of sugar cane. The last mill has a roll and feed and discharge bottom rolls with elongated trash plate spanning the space between the bottom rolls. Separate troughs extend below each of the bottom rolls to catch and separate juice therefrom. The top roll has longitudinal flow passageways around it opening into ports in the roll surface and water is introduced through these passgeways to flow into the pulp moving over the trashplate to the discharge roll, and the juice from below the discharge roll is directed to the pulp moving to the feed roll. In the case of multiple mills in tandem, the juice recovered from the feed roll is directed to the top roll passageways of the previous mill and the juice from the discharge roll of that mill is directed to the feed roll thereof.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises inside a rotating drum, two conveying screws nested inside one another and a partition passing through the drum axis to form two series of succeeding cells inside which the solids and the liquid move in counter-current, two liquid channels being so arranged as to start from each cell to end in another cell, the one channel extending along the drum axis while the other channel lies cross-wise thereto. The cross-wise channel increases the liquid portion separated from the solids by recovering liquid which would otherwise flow back into the solids as portions of the partition pass the horizontal. The channel is obtained by extending one wall of a basket provided in each cell beyond the axis of the drum.

Abstract: A sugar cane mill facility for the extraction with imbibition of sugar from sugar cane.This mill is characterized by the fact that it includes a fourth roller placed in front of the upper roller, against which it presses and, above the inlet roller and mounted on a mobile support, means acting upon the said support in order to flexibly push the fourth roller towards the upper roller, adjustable stops hindering these two rollers from coming together, and a trash plate placed between the fourth roller and the inlet roller integral with the said mobile support. The juices extracted by pressure between the upper roller and the fourth roller can be recycled to the bagasse layer feeding the mill, either with the juices which have passed through this layer, or with the juices extracted by pressure between the upper roller and the inlet and outlet rollers.

Abstract: A diffuser, particularly for solvent extraction, and more particularly for the extraction of sugar from sugar cane, the diffuser comprising vertically disposed annular extracting stages, each having means to move the material being processed around each stage, each stage including an orifice for material to fall to a lower extracting stage or to a material removal stage.

Abstract: The feed blanket is conditioned prior to entering the mill to provide more uniformity of thickness and to control maximum thickness. Overfeeding is prevented by self-regulated by-passing of excess feed. Plural mills of a milling tandem can be made to operate in a parallel fashion while the remaining ones continue to operate in their usual series fashion.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for extracting juice from juice-laden material are disclosed. A tank system defines a row of material treating stations. A plurality of perforated baskets are swingably mounted at respective stations, each basket being operable to receive a charge of material. A flow of liquid is conducted through the stations in juice-extracting contact with the material. A basket actuating mechanism swings each basket from its associated station into a generally inverted position above the basket of a successive station to transfer the charge of material. In one preferred embodiment of the invention the basket is articulated intermediate its ends about a floating hinge. The basket actuating mechanism collapses the basket about the floating hinge to squeeze juice from the material before the material is delivered to the basket of a successive station.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for extracting sugar from sugar cane in which a blanket of fiberized cane is passed through a series of compression and maceration operations. The compression is performed at low pressures (for example, 40 to 160 pounds per square inch) between a pair of rollers. During compression, the extracted juice is removed through the perforate surface of the lower roller. The extracted juice removed during compression is supplied as imbibition liquid to a prior operation.