AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY INTO THE EXTRACTION PERFORMANCE OF SIEVED PORTIONS OF PREPARED CANE

Prepared cane is a saturated fibrous material possessing considerable mechanical strength at high compactions. The bulk of the energy associated with crushing the prepared cane blanket is consumed in deforming the fibres that contain only a small percentage of the high brix juice. The finer ‘pith’ material, on the other hand, contains the majority of the high brix juice and has relatively little mechanical strength. This paper presents some of the findings of a preliminary study into the extraction performance of two sieved portions of prepared cane, classified as ‘fibres’ and ‘fines’. The investigation was primarily focussed on quantifying the extraction energy of the two materials, and made comparisons of the combined extraction performance of the two sieved portions with that of prepared cane. Preliminary results show that an energy saving may be achieved in processing the materials separately. The concept of producing a value added low-grade paper product in suitably equipped sugar factories is revisited.