A sugar refinery is a factory which refines raw sugar.

Many cane sugar mills produce raw sugar, which is sugar with more color (and any associated nutrients) than the white sugar which is normally consumed in households and used as an ingredient in soft drinks, cookies and so forth. Raw sugar is either processed into white refined sugar in local refineries and sold to the local industry and consumers or it is exported and further processed into white refined sugar in the country of destination. While cane sugar does not strictly need refining, beet sugar is almost always refined to remove the strong, almost always unwanted, taste of beets from it thus also removing nutrients that are found in beets. The worlds largest sugar refinery company is American Sugar Refining with facilities in North America and Europe.

How Sugar is Refined It helps to think of refining as a series of steps from left to right where color and non-sugars are concentrating to the left and pure sugar is concentrating to the right. However the raw sugar comes into the process to the left of centre, not at one end. In the description that follows the flow of sugar is followed first and then the remainder of the process is reviewed. Affination The first stage of processing the raw sugar is to soften and then remove the layer of mother liquor surrounding the crystals with a process called "affination". The raw sugar is mixed with a warm, concentrated syrup of slightly higher purity than the syrup layer so that it will not dissolve the crystals. The resulting magma is centrifuged to separate the crystals from the syrup thus removing the greater part of the impurities from the input sugar and leaving the crystals ready for dissolving before further treatment. The liquor which results from dissolving the washed crystals still contains some colour, fine particles, gums and resins and other non-sugars. Affination is the key to good refining because one gets the best improvement in quality for the least capital and running cost. The mixture of syrup and raw sugar crystals is called the "magma", and rightly so because it is an extremely viscous dark brown liquid mixture not unlike the magma flowing from some volcanoes. Careful control of its temperature and liquid content are critical:

too much liquid leads to excessive dissolution of the relatively pure sugar crystals; too little liquid and the coating will not be washed off, nor will the liquid phase spin off the crystals; too low a temperature and the coating will not soften and wash off, nor will the liquid phase spin off the crystals; too high a temperature and extra color will form as sugar degrades;

Typical operating conditions would be to have the magma at about 10% water content at 70 C. Once the crystals are recovered they are dissolved up to make a sugar liquor of about 50% solids content for passing forward to the next stage of refining.

Carbonatation The first stage of processing the liquor is aimed at removing the solids which make the liquor turbid. Coincidentally some of the colour is removed too. One of the two common processing techniques is known as carbonatation where small clumps of chalk are grown in the juice. The clumps, as they form, collect a lot of the non-sugars so that by filtering out the chalk one also takes out the non-sugars. Once this is done, the sugar liquor is now ready for decolourisation. The other technique, phosphatation, is chemically similar but uses phosphate rather than carbonate formation. Carbonatation is achieved by adding milk of lime [calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2] to the liquor and bubbling carbon dioxide through the mixture. The gas, which is obtained by cleaning up the flue gas from the boiler, reacts with the lime to form fine crystalline particles of calcium carbonate which occlude the solids. To obtain a stable floc, the pH and temperature of the reaction are carefully controlled. The filtration is usually undertaken with rotary leaf filters where the liquor is pumped from the outside of the leaf to the middle where the clear liquor is collected. As the layer of floc builds up on the leaf it increases the pressure drop across the system until the filter is effectively choked and taken off line for cleaning. The lime mud that is collected when cleaning the filters is still wet with sugar liquor so it is desweetened by slurrying with water - the resultant sweet water is used elsewhere in the process - and re-filtering it to a 50% moisture mud. The mud is then dumped or used as lime on fields.

Phosphatation is a slightly more complex process that is achieved by adding phosphoric acid to the liquor after it has been limed in the same way as above. In the presence of a small amount of lime sucrate a calcium phosphate precipitate is formed which is removed by a flotation process. The clean liquor is usually filtered to remove any remaining fine particles of precipitate. The flotation scum is desweetened by re-slurrying it and floating it again. Char Filtration The relatively pure honey colored liquor from the filtration stage, raw liquor, is then subjected to final decolourisation by contact with bone charcoal. The bone char consist of active carbon on a calcium phosphate skeleton. It has a high surface area and the unique ability to absorb color and inorganic ash impurities from the sugar. Following the docolourisation cycle the bone char is revivified first by water washing, to remove inorganic impurities and then heating in the absence of air to 650 oC to volatilize organic impurities. The decolorized fine liquor is now ready for the final refining and recovery step, which is achieved by crystallization in vacuum pans. Crystallization Crystallization is not only a means to convert the sucrose to a more usable form, but also an important refining step, since pure sucrose tends to crystallize out the solution, leaving most of the impurities in the associated syrup. The process is carried out under a reduced pressure of 75-90 kPa to allow a reduced boiling temperature (60-70oC), so avoiding the further formation of color compounds. Vacuum is achieved by the use of an air pump and vapor contact condenser. These condensers utilize salt water

for cooling. Fine liquor is concentrated until it is super-saturated then stage is shocked-seeded by the addition of a small quantity of sucrose to give spontaneous nucleation of fine sucrose crystals. The crystals thus formed are grown under automatically controlled conditions until the desired final grain size is achieved. The pan contents, known as massecuite, are then discharged to receivers prior to separation on automatic centrifugal machines. The sugar thus recovered is then dried and graded prior to packing, the syrup being recycled for three further recovery boiling. The final syrup is used as the starting material for other sugar products, such as soft brown sugar, coffee crystals, golden syrup and treacle.

ARTICLE Why Refined Sugar Is The Most Dangerous Food You Can Eat

If you only make one improvement to your diet this year, I hope it is to replace refined sugar with raw food sweeteners. If you do, I can guarantee you that smoother digestion, more relaxed muscles, more peaceful emotions and increased mental clarity are soon to follow. Before looking at the negative health consequences of eating refined sugar, lets have a quick look at how its made. This will give you some insight into why it affects the body the way it does. The majority of sugar comes from sugar cane (Saccharum spp.) which is a dense tall grass that grows in tropical regions. The juice from sugar cane is traditionally used as a sweetener from India to the Caribbean. And, interestingly, raw sugar cane juice is pretty good for you, being alkalizing and relatively low on the glycemic index. But in the 1500s manufacturers began refining sugar cane so that it could be more easily transported overseas, especially back to Europe. Over the years, the process has become increasingly complex and dependent on chemicals. Here is what happens between cutting sugar cane in the fields and delivering refined sugar to your local store. After harvest, machines at a sugar mill wash, cut, shred and press the juice out of the cane stalks. This liquid is then heated to boiling and treated with chemical solvents to remove impurities. Then it is moved to huge tanks and heated again to evaporate the water content. This leaves a thick syrup that is placed in a centrifuge machine to form the syrup into crystals. These crystals are then transported to a sugar refinery where they are heated to boiling again, treated with bleach and other chemicals and then filtered through bone char, which is a powder made from cow or pig bones. After filtering, the syrup is then centrifuged again to produce refined white sugar. Brown sugar is created by adding molasses before putting it in the centrifuge. Given the fact that its heated to boiling at least three times, treated with chemicals, filtered through bone powder and forced to crystallize, its no wonder that refined sugar has literally had the life force beaten out of it. Refined sugar, white or brown, literally has zero nutritional value no minerals, no vitamins, no fiber, no enzymes, no fats - nothing of value for the body. Instead its toxic to the body. You can live longer on pure water alone, than on water mixed with sugar. Here is what refined sugar does in the body:

It produces an acidic condition in the digestive system. This drains the body of vitamins and minerals and the consequences can be life threatening. For example the metabolism of sugar requires leaches calcium from the bones and teeth which can lead to tooth decay or osteoporosis. Sugar also depletes the body of potassium and magnesium, which are required for proper cardiac function, and is therefore a major factor in heart disease. It compromises the bodys immunes system and stresses the pancreas by forcing it to produce

a rush of digestive enzymes. This can lead to the formation gallstones and diabetes. It depletes stores of vitamin B, which is our brain food, and can interfere with memory, concentration and other mental functions. It makes the blood very thick and sticky, inhibiting much of the blood flow into the minute capillaries that supply our skin gums and teeth with vital nutrients. Refined sugar has been shown to increase wrinkles and dry aged skin. When excess sugar is eaten, it is first stored in the liver. With continued consumption the liver expands like a balloon and begins to function poorly. An improperly functioning liver can quickly lead to high blood pressure, skin disorders and acne to name a few. In addition, most people consume far more sugar than their bodies can possibly use for energy. When this happens, the liver converts the extra sugar into molecules called triglycerides and stores it as fat, or else produces cholesterol from the by-products of sugar and deposits it in veins and arteries. Sugar is thus a major factor in obesity and arteriosclerosis. It also negatively effects behavior. Refined sugar consumption has been linked to violent behavior, hypertension, and learning impediments. In one study violence in prisons was remarkably reduced simply by eliminating refined sugar and starch from prison diets. And Singapore in 1991 banned sugary soft drink sales from all schools and youth center's, citing the danger that sugar poses to the mental and physical health of children Finally refined sugar is an addictive substance. Abruptly giving up sugar often brings on the sort of withdrawal symptoms associated with narcotic drugs- fatigue, lassitude, depression, moodiness, headaches, aching limbs. This happens as the body eliminates the left over toxins from the sugar and begins to bring itself back into balance.

As you can see, putting processed sugar into your body makes no sense at all. It is something like pouring sugar into the gas tank of a million dollar racing car. Only do it if you want to screw up your car/body for some reason. Fortunately for all of us with a sweet tooth, there are many natural raw sweeteners that are not only harmless to the body, but actually support it. The highest choice is to use 100% unrefined and untreated sweeteners. These are what I use exclusively: Fruits Dried fruits like dates or raisins Pure cane juice Raw, unprocessed cane sugar Agave syrup Stevia and Stevia extract Yacon syrup Raw honey Mezquite powder Most of these are available at any health food store. Just make sure to ask if they are minimally processed and raw (meaning unheated).

Whatever you choose, you can be sure of this: eliminating refined sugar from your diet is one of the kindest and most loving things you could ever do for your body. Please pass this information on to anyone in your life who you care about.

Some interesting sugar facts:

Sir Frederick Banting, the co discoverer of insulin, noted in 1929 that among sugar plantation owners who ate large amounts of refined sugar, diabetes was common. Among native canecutters, who only chewed the raw cane, he saw no diabetes. In 1915, the average of sugar consumption was around 7-10 Kg per person per year. Today the average person consumes about 70 kg In 2002, almost 132 million tons of sugar were consumed worldwide. Sugar is used in leather tanning, printers' inks and dyes and even in textile sizing and finishing Film stuntmen use bottles and plate glass windows made of sugar Chemical manufacturers use sugar to grow penicillin Sugar hardens asphalt. It slows the setting of ready-mixed concrete and glue. About 30% of refined sugar comes from sugar beets. The rest comes from sugar cane One 12 oz. Cola contains 11 teaspoons of sugar. Sugar was one of the first pharmaceutical ingredients used, as it still is today, to mask the bitter taste of medicines

By Mark Ament

Last Updated: Tue, 31 Jul 2012, 13:47 GMTAuthor: Mark Ament the author of several books and programs on natural health.