FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENS RULES, 2003
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
[See section 10, Rule 13]
PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING SUGAR FROM SUGARCANE;
VISHNUKUMAR MAHADEO KULKARNI, A RESIDENCE OF 1004, SIDDHARTH TOWERS (2), 12/3 B, SANGAM PRESS, KOTHRUD, PUNE-411029 INDIA;
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION DESCRIBES THE INVENTION.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention relates to a process for manufacturing sugar from sugarcanes.
BACKGROUD OF THE INVENTION:
In India, sugar is manufactured by a double sulfitation process from sugarcane. The process includes steps of fibrillation of cane by passing canes through cane leveler, cutter and then chopped and fed along with juice through a series of mills where juice is extracted from the bagasse. Normally, there are four mills in series. Hot water is added in the last mill for maximum extraction of the juice from bagasse.
The juice obtained from mills is then passed through a series of juice heater for better reaction of juice with lime. In the 1st juice heater, juice is heated at about temperature of 70° C. However, heating of juice changes microbiology of the juice, where microbes having capacity to grow at high temperature initiates their growth and microbes growing at normal temperature either die or remain in dormant stage till favorable conditions return. The heated juice is then treated with milk of lime to raise pH above 9 or desired level to facilitate precipitation of inorganic impurities which is immediately followed by treatment with S02 gas released from sulfur burner in a sulfitation tower to reduce to a pH of juice is about 7.0 and decolorization. Phosphoric acid may be added to mixed juice if sugarcane does not have sufficient phosphate content. The sulfited juice is passed through heater
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again to raise temperature to above 105°C. The heated juice is then sent to settling tank / clarifier (herein after referred to as Dorr). Flocculants and allied chemicals are added to promote flocculation and settling of mud and impurities in the Dorr. Juice overflowing from Dorr is clear and free from suspended impurities, which is then send through to series of evaporators to boil off water for further concentration and concentrated juice of about 60% solids (brix) is called as syrup. This syrup is again treated with S02 gas to decolorize the syrup and is sent to further concentration and crystallization in crystallizers and pans. This sulfated syrup has pH about 5.0 - 5.5 and remaining process is thus carried in acidic pH. The liquor containing solid sugar from Pans dropped in centrifuge where sugar is separated from mother liquor by centrifugal force and is washed with steam. Sugar separated is the final product which is bagged after drying on hoppers, dryer and silo. Viscosity reducers of either petrochemical base or polymer base may be used to reduce viscosity as a pan aid agent. The specifications of such plantation white sugar are as follows:
IS: 5982 - 2003 Requirements for Plantation White Sugar

Characteristics Requirement
Moisture, percent by mass, Max. 0.10
Sucrose, percent by weight, Min. 99.5
Reducing sugars, present by weight, Max. 0.10
Colour in ICUMSA units, Max. 150
Conductivity ash %, Max. 0.1
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Sulphur dioxide, mg/kg Max. 70
Lead, ppm, Max. 5.0
The sulfur treatment on juice and syrup is carried out mainly for decolorizing juice and syrup. The sulfur treatments also reduce microbial activity. However, as this process only reduces microbial activity to certain extent, sugar loss due to microorganisms takes place during the process resulting in loss in the final yield of the sugar. Further, in the last stage of the process, syrup has acidic pH which results in further loss of the sugar. Moreover, the sugar produced by this method contains significant amount of SO2 content, significant level of impurities and has acidic pH. Furthermore, sugar produced by above double sulfitation process looses its color in storage as bleaching effect of SO2 reduces with time. Sugar with higher SO2 and lower pH has limited keeping quality or in other words, quality of sugar deteriorates significantly by storage thereby the sugar produced by this process has lower shelf life.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
One of the main objects of the present invention is to provide a sugar manufacturing process to minimize use of sulfur in the above process. Further object of the present invention is to reduce the loss of sugar due to microbial activity.
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Furthermore object of the present invention is to provide a process for manufacturing sugar to overcome shortcomings of the above process. The present invention provides an improved method for manufacturing sugar which includes steps of spraying biocides during for cane sanitation and mill sanitation and then treating sugarcane juice / syrup with two new formulations such as viscosity reducer and amine based polymer for improving crystallization and for removing impurities, including decolorization of the sugar.
According to the present invention, the method for manufacturing sugar from sugarcane comprising steps of: spraying biocide on the sugarcane to kill about 90% microbes in one minute, including those capable of growing at high temperature during cane sanitation, adding another biocide in juice collectors of the mills as mill sanitation to kill remaining microbes including that are capable of growing at high temperature; heating the juice at about 70 deg C and treated with milk of lime to raise pH above 9 or desired level to facilitate precipitation of inorganic impurities; neutralizing the alkaline juice with S02 gas from sulfur burner in a sulfitation tower; heating juice at about 105 deg C; passing the heated juice through Dorr clarifiers and then through series of evaporators to boil off water for further concentration to obtain syrup having about 60% solids; crystallizing the syrup in crystallizers and pans; and separating, washing with steam and drying the sugar.
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According to the present invention, a biocide of formula I is sprayed during cane sanitation. The cane sanitation includes leveling of sugarcane and passing of sugarcane through shredder and chopper for fibrillation. Formula I biocide is aqueous formulation containing 40 + 2% sodium and / or potassium salts of methyl and ethylene dithiocarbamates tital active matter content with penetrating agents and activators manufactured by a process as described in Indian Patent No. 190474 dated. 23.04.1999 so as to achieve killing of about 90% microbes in cane juice in about 1 minute at 10 ppm dose. According to the present invention, the Formula I biocide can be sprayed before leveling of the sugarcane or before passing sugarcane through the shredder and/or chopper. The spray can be done at one place or split into two or more places depending upon cane condition, length of the equipment and cane carrier and the like. The quantity of spraying of Formula I biocide may vary from 1ppm to 10ppm (mg per kg) individually or totally and preferable quantity is 5ppm.
According to the present invention, the biocide added during mill sanitation is of Formula II. The biocide can be added along with water to killing 90% microbes including those that can grow at high temperature in juice collecting tanks of the mills so as to achieve maximum coverage of mills. Formula II biocide is aqueous formulation containing 40 + 2% sodium and / or potassium salts of methyl and ethylene dithiocarbamates tital active matter content with penetrating agents and activators manufactured by a process as
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described in Indian Patent No. 190474 dt. 23.04.1999 so as to achieve killing
of about 90% microbes in cane juice in 10 minute at 10 ppm dose.
The dosing of the Formula II biocide depends upon cane quality and
environmental factor and can be added in one of the mill or may be split into
more places or in juice collecting tanks. The dose may vary from 1ppm to
20ppm and preferable dose is 10ppm of cane.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, Formula I biocide can
be used for cane sanitation mill sanitation.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, Formula II can be
used for cane sanitation.
According to further embodiment of the present invention, amine polymer of
formula III is added continuously, if necessary, to the sulfated juice for
removal of impurities from sugar crystals at the time of crystallization. The
dose of the Formula III varies from 2-20ppm and preferable dose is 10ppm.
Formula III is aqueous solution of polymer active matter of 20 to 60%
preferably 45% made by reacting coco di-methyl amine / alkyl amine with epi
chlorohydrine in a reaction vessel. The process consists steps of adding 10-
40 parts of coco di-methyl or alkyl amine with continuous stirring , cooling and
adding 8 to 42 parts of epi chlorohydrine slowly to carry out reaction between
25-60 deg C, and then transferring the milky white reaction mixture in air tight
containers and allowing reaction mixture to become a translucent viscous
liquid.
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Other agents such as color precipitants and / or flocculants may be added depending on the requirement.
According to another embodiment of the present invention a chemical formulation Formula IV of various glycols, amines, acetates and / or non ionic polymer may be added continuously with suitable dilution if necessary to the syrup as viscosity reducer so as to achieve reduced viscosity of syrup which would favor better and faster crystallization. Dose may vary from 1 ppm to 20 ppm depending on the viscosity of the syrup and recommended dose is 5 ppm.
Formula IV Viscosity reducer contains atleast:
Glycol fatty acid ester 5 to 20 parts
Polyglycerol fatty acid ester 5 to 20 parts
Sorbitin monoester 5 to 20 parts
Ammonium acetate 0.5 to 5 parts
Non ionic surfactant 2.5 to 12.5 parts
Quaternery ammonium compound 0.1 to 5 parts
Water qs to make 100 parts
The sugar produced using this process has microbial count less than 200 cfu per 10 gm of sugar and lower impurities such as dextran, calcium, conductivity ash. Further, sugar also has acceptable lower color and lower moisture. Since second, SO2 treatment of syrup is avoided, pH of sugar is around neutral and has significantly reduced S02 content; thus keeping
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quality of sugar improves along with increase in the shelf life. Sugar obtained by the present invention is beneficial for health-conscious people because of its unique features, namely, the extremely low microbial count and low sulfur dioxide content and is also as per pharmaceutical grade. Pol or sucrose content of sugar increases as impurities in the sugar are less. Example 1
The above process is carried out on commercial scale at Kisanveer Satara Sahaksri Sakhar Karkhana Ltd., Bhuinj. The quatity of raw material used are as follows:

Raw Material Quantity
Sugar cane 4500 MT
Biocide Of Formula I 22.5 kg
Biocide of Formula II 45 kg
Amine polymer of formula III 45 kg
Viscosity Reducer formula IV 45 kg
As against the specifications results achieved by this process, the sugar was
sent for analysis to Maarc Labs, Pune (an ISO 17025 lab accredited by
NABL). The results are as follows:
Color: > 100 IU typical 87 IU by method 8 and 60 IU by method 10
Calcium: 18 ppm (mg / kg)
Conductivity ash: 0.0145%
Dextran: > 40 ppm
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Microbial count: 120 cfu per 10 g
S02 content: > 2 ppm
Moisture: 0.0156%
pH : 6.6
Dated this 18th day of April, 2007
(VISHNUKUMAR MAHADEO KULKARNI)
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