Before processing begins, sugar beets and other root crops must be thoroughly cleaned. This process generates large volumes of washing water containing soil, sand, and organic matter. To enable the water to be reused, it first passes through sand separators and then through a cleaner. Depending on the composition of the washing water, polymers may also be added to aid in the separation of solids.

The sludge produced in the clarifier is then fed into the Flottweg decanter, where the solids are efficiently dewatered. While the solids discharge can reach dry matter contents of up to 45 to 60%, the centrate is discharged with a residual solids concentration of only 0.1 to 0.8%. The recovered water can then be returned to the washing process or sent for further processing.

The combination of water recycling and sludge reduction significantly reduces both fresh water consumption and transportation and disposal costs. At the same time, operators benefit from a stable and cost-effective washing process.

During sugarcane processing, a filter sludge—or lime sludge—is produced during juice clarification, which is often designated as cachaza. In addition to fiber, minerals, waxes, sand, and soil particles, this sludge often contains significant amounts of valuable sugar compounds.

Traditionally, vacuum filters are often used for dewatering. Flottweg decanters offer a cost-effective alternative here while also enabling the recovery of sugar from the sludge.

Through efficient solid-liquid separation, the solids are dewatered while dissolved sugar compounds can be recovered during the process. This improves the overall yield of sugar production while simultaneously reducing the amount of waste material to be disposed of.

In addition, operators benefit from a closed-loop process system, a smaller space requirement, and a high degree of automation.

In the production of glucose, fructose, and other sugar syrups from corn or wheat starch, the raw syrup must be purified before further processing. This is often done in ultrafiltration systems or vacuum filters using diatomaceous earth.

A particular challenge is that the fibers, proteins, fats, and partially converted starch components in the syrup increasingly clog membranes and filters. Especially in the final concentration stages, this often leads to capacity losses, increased cleaning requirements, and lower yields.

Flottweg decanters and separators perform the pre-purification of the raw syrup and remove these disruptive components even before filtration. This significantly reduces the load on downstream equipment. Filtration operates more reliably, cleaning intervals are extended, and product losses are minimized.

The result is a more efficient overall process with higher product quality and more economical use of the filtration systems.

Molasses is a byproduct of sugar production from sugarcane and sugar beets. Despite its status as a byproduct, it is a valuable raw material with a wide range of applications. For example, it is used in yeast and alcohol production, as well as in the manufacture of citric acid and antibiotics. In addition, molasses is used as an animal feed additive and in numerous applications in the food industry.

Since molasses often comes from different suppliers, its properties and quality can vary significantly. For many industrial and biological processes, targeted processing is therefore necessary to ensure consistent product quality and to remove unwanted impurities. These impurities include, in particular, sand, sulfate salts such as calcium or potassium sulfate, and proteins.

Flottweg decanters and separators reliably and efficiently remove these undesirable components. The result is a significantly improved raw material quality, which creates optimal conditions for downstream production processes and sustainably enhances the quality of the end product.

Depending on the requirements, molasses is processed in a multi-stage procedure. In this process, decanters separate coarse solids, while separators perform fine purification. The purified molasses is then either stored or fed directly into further processing.

Decanters and separators are suitable for a variety of separation tasks throughout the entire sugar production process. These include the processing of sugar beet washing water, the dewatering of sludge, the clarification of raw syrup, the pre-treatment of starch-based sugar syrups, the treatment of ultrafiltration retentates, and the clarification of molasses. This helps reduce wastewater, remove solids, and recover valuable sugar compounds from byproducts.

Yes. The solutions described are used in the processing of both sugarcane and sugar beets. In addition, they are suitable for the production of glucose, dextrose, fructose, and other sugar syrups from corn or wheat starch.

Decanters and separators operate as closed systems that are fully CIP-capable. This offers advantages in terms of:

• Hygiene
• Continuous operation
• Reduced space requirements
• No vacuum required
• No filter auxiliary material required
• Reduced product contact with the environment due to closed systems

In addition, there is relief for downstream filtration and membrane systems, which can increase their service life.

Decanters enable the recovery of valuable sugar compounds from side streams and process residues. Raw syrups, ultrafiltration retentates, and sugarcane slurries, in particular, may still contain significant amounts of sugar. Through separation, these sugar components are retained in the process. This reduces product losses and improves the overall yield.

Operating costs can be reduced by several factors:

• lower fresh water consumption
• reduced sludge volume
• lower disposal costs
• less stress on filters and membranes
• longer operating times between cleanings
• lower consumption of filter aids

Actual savings depend on the specific process conditions.

The Z6EF is a specially designed 3-phase decanter for the preclarification of raw syrup and the treatment of retentates from ultrafiltration systems. It is used to separate solids and floating components prior to subsequent filtration or purification processes.

The Z6EF decanter centrifuge supports sugar producers by:

• Reduction of sugar losses
• Relief from load on ultrafiltration systems
• Stabilization of filtration
• Extension of CIP intervals
• Reduced load on vacuum drum filters
• Improved process stability

This reduces operating costs and increases yields.

The machine is particularly suitable for applications with throughputs of up to approximately 20 m³/h in raw syrup processing. For higher capacities, a custom design is required.

The solids discharge can reach dry matter contents of approximately 45 to 60 percent. The centrate, meanwhile, has residual solid contents of only about 0.1 to 0.8 percent. This ensures that water and solids are efficiently separated from one another.

In many applications, decanters offer a cost-effective alternative to vacuum filters. They operate continuously as a closed system, require less space, and do not require a vacuum. At the same time, they enable the recovery of valuable product components.