Process Improvements

for Cane Sugar Mills and Refineries

using Novasep separation technologies
Antoine CHARBONNEAU
Process Engineer, Shanghai

What we do
We deliver services for
the Life Science industries
with specialized & differentiating technologies
2 services
Development and
contract manufacturing
of active ingredients

Process engineering and

supply of construction of
purification equipment

Back to Basics

Industrial Biotech Business Unit

Industrial Biotech BU Map

Boothwyn PA USA

S.-M.-de-Beynost, FR

Process Development
Pilot
Sales office

Process development
Pilot, Engineering

Bangalore - IN

Shanghai, CN

Sales office
Bangkok - TH

Sales office
Process development
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Process Development
Pilot, Engineering

Industrial Biotech End-Use Product

Markets
Functional Ingredients

Food Ingredients

Food additives with

Sugar (beet, cane,
specific action
liquid)
Prebiotics: FOS /
Starch derivatives:
GOS
glucose/fructose
High intensity natural
syrups for soda,
sweeteners (Stevia)
beverages, food
Antioxidants (Poly Milk and whey
phenols, Anthocyanin)
ingredients (infant
milk powder, etc.)

Over 400 systems installed

~30 new projects p.a.
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Fermentation &
Chemical Commodities

Additives to Animal
feed (Amino-acids,
Bulk Antibiotics)
Organic, lactic and
citric acids (food)

organic chemical
commodities
Bio-based chemical
building blocks to
replace oil-based
chemicals

Differenciating Technologies in Bio-production

applied in sugar, starch derivatives and milk derivatives
industries.
Numerical
simulation

Membrane
Filtration

Electrodialysis

Ion exchange

Continuous
chromatography
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Evaporation/
crystallization

Traditional Production of Sugar

from Cane

Traditional cane sugar mill:

Yield: 75-80%
Production of cane raw sugar
Production of VHP Very High Pol
raw sugar using juice sulfitation
More cost-effective if joint production
of sugar and bioethanol

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Novasep does not supply traditional

process line for cane sugar mills,
but improvement using specialized
process technologies

Novasep Offering
Novasep has developed cross-flow membrane filtration
and ion-exchange technologies for improving
sugar production from cane:

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Cane juice ultrafiltration for production of higher quality sugar at the

cane mill, without sulfitation

Optimized integration for production of refined sugar at the

cane sugar mill

Ion-exchange decolorization for cane raw sugar refineries

Direct production of high grade liquid sugar for local industrial

markets

Improvement of cane juice technological quality

Production of higher quality sugar at the Cane Mill

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Cane juice ultrafiltration

using Kerasep tubular ceramic membranes
Novasep has developed NAP microfiltration
processes
Juice screening 100-50
Juice ultrafiltration 0,1
Improvement of clarified juice technological
quality:

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95% Dextran retention

80% PolySaccharides retention
60% Starch retention
98% turbidity reduction
10-15% color reduction

99% reduction of clarified juice biological activity

Production of VHP Cane Raw Sugar

Production of NAP sugar or VHP
(Very High Polarization) cane raw sugar,
without sulfitation:
40% less color
55% less ash
20% higher crystallization speed

VHP cane raw sugar:

Simplified processing into refined sugar
directly at the mill
Sale to refineries at a premium

Concentration of microfiltered and soft

cane juice in most efficient evaporators:
Reduced steam usage
More bagasse available for
co-generation
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Cane Sugar Refineries

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Cane Sugar Stand-Alone Refineries

Decolorization is one of the most critical steps and
consists of removing color from:
Polyphenols, initially present in cane and caramel
Melanoidins
Products from hexose degradation

Optimized ion-exchange decolorization system by

Novasep

Innovative regeneration process options

Optimization of CAPEX vs. OPEX strategy
Low consumption of regenerant
Reduction of the quantity of effluents

50 reference plants worldwide 500 to 6500 tpd

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Nanofiltration Brine Recovery System

30 reference plants worldwide 500 to 6500 tpd

With NF brine recycle,

the resin regeneration
cost in chemicals is
reduced by 1/3

DAI Coruche Portugal, 2006

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Nanofiltration Brine Recovery Systems

30 reference plants worldwide 500 to 6500 tpd

Ebro Guadalete Spain, 2008

Illovo Noodsberg, SA 2010

Cevital Bejaia Algeria, 2000&2004

Silk Road India, 2008

Cosumar Morocco, 2008
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Iansa Nuble Chile, 2010

Atmospheric Pre-Concentration System

5 reference plants worldwide 1000 to 6500 tpd

The atmospheric preconcentration system uses

low calories hot water:
resin regeneration cost in
chemicals is reduced
by up to 50%
Cevital Bejaia Algeria, 2000&2004
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Brine Evaporator System

1 reference plant 2000 tpd in Indonesia, projects in Middle-East area

With the steam plate

& frame evaporators,
NaCl consumption is
drastically reduced,
further optimizing
regeneration costs
EVAP1 and EVAP2 are two different evaporators

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High Grade Liquid Sugar for Local Markets

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High Grade Liquid Sugar for

Local Markets
Production of crystalline refined sugar at the refinery, with shipping and
dissolution to produce liquid sugar at the end-user factory
At the refinery
Crystallization

Crystalline
refined
sugar
21-33 $/t

Dissolution
Direct
Production
Shipping cost
Dissolution

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20 $/t
2.5-7.5 $/t

Average
prod. cost

52 $/t

Relative
prod. cost

100%

High Grade Liquid Sugar for

Local Markets
Production of liquid sugar at the refinery, using crystalline refined sugar
as raw material
At the refinery
Crystallization

Crystalline
refined
sugar

Liquid
Sugar

21-33 $/t

21-33 $/t

Dissolution

1.5-3 $/t

Direct
Production
Shipping cost
Dissolution

25

20 $/t

27$/t

2.5-7.5 $/t

Average prod.
cost

52 $/t

56$/t

Relative prod.
cost

100%

110%

High Grade Liquid Sugar for Local

Markets
Novaseps optimized solution!
Direct production of liquid sugar from decolorized fine liquor as raw
material at the refinery, concurrently with crystalline refined sugar

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High Grade Liquid Sugar for

Local Markets
Novaseps optimized solution!
Direct production of liquid sugar from decolorized fine liquor as raw
material at the refinery, concurrently with crystalline refined sugar
At the refinery
Crystallization

Crystalline
refined
sugar

Liquid
Sugar

21-33 $/t

21-33 $/t

Dissolution

1.5-3 $/t

Direct
Production
Shipping cost
Dissolution

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Novaseps
solution

5.6-10 $/t
20 $/t

27$/t

27$/t

2.5-7.5 $/t

Average prod.
cost

52 $/t

56$/t

35 $/t

Relative prod.
cost

100%

110%

70%

High Grade Liquid Sugar for

Local Markets

Flexibility in crystalline refined sugar/liquid sugar production,

depending on the season

Higher value product for specific local market

Potential expansion of the total production capacity of an

existing refinery:
Without any modification of the sugar house
Without generating additional refinery molasses
Parallel processing of fine liquor for producing refined sugar
and liquid sugar

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Large-scale production of liquid sugar offers renewed

opportunities for complete integration of the liquid sugar
process within the main refinery process

Benefits from Novasep technologies

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Improvement of the performance of your mill and refinery

Our NAP processes produce higher technological quality for

cane juice and higher quality sugar directly at the mill

Optimized ion-exchange decolorization systems for cane

refinery liquors

Integration of a line producing specific liquid sugar from fine

liquors in the main refinery process to serve local market

Thank you, any questions?

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