INTRODUCTION

Sugar is a collective term to a large number of carbohydrates present in many plants. Sugar

occurs as a mixture not readily separable in plants. Juices of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) and

sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) are rich in pure sucrose, and to which are the main sources of commercial

sucrose or the manufactured sugar.

There are various stages involved in the production of sugar which are as follows: 1)

Procurement of sugarcane, 2) milling of sugarcane, 3) juice preparation, 4) juice concentration, 5)

syrup processing and crystallization, 6) sugar crystal separation, and lastly 7) bagasse utilization.

The sugar industry is seasonal in nature and operates only about 120-200 days a year. In the

Philippines, the sugar industry uses sugar cane as the raw material for production along with various

chemicals to increase the value of the final product. The industry generates a large amount of

wastewater since it uses a huge amount of water during its processes. The sugar industry is one of

the larger water consuming industries. It requires water as a feed in a boiler, as a cooling agent for

condenser, and as a process water for maceration, lime preparation, dilution for control of brix,

dilution in evaporators and massecuite dilution, filter mud, fly ash handling, and cane wastewater. Oil

and grease is the usual contaminant in the wastewater from the mill house. Spillages of oil and

grease on the floor of the mill house during floor washing are washed away. The process and mill

house wastewater is highly contaminated with process chemicals, which are being used at different

processing stages. Sugar cane entering the industry is usually 70-80 % moisture, thus, even with

water reuse the industry needs to dispose of the excess water. For each ton of cane crushed 0.73 m 3

of water which is completely separated from the sugar is produced. Mostly water is required in the

sugar mills as mill floor.

Sugar industry wastewater is produced typically via cleaning operations. Washing of milling

house floor, various division of boiling house like evaporators, clarifiers, vacuum pans, centrifugation,

etc. generates huge volume of wastewater. Also, wash water used for filter cloth of rotary vacuum

filter and periodical cleaning of lime water and SO 2 producing house becomes a part of wastewater.

Periodical cleaning of heat exchangers and evaporators with NaOH and HCl to remove the scales on

the tube surface contributes organic and inorganic pollutant loadings to wastewater. Leakages from

pumps, pipelines, centrifuging house also contribute to wastewater produced.

 Sugar industry wastewater contains wash water with lost cane juice in various operations,

detergents, bagasse particles, oil and grease used for lubrication, and lost sugar solids in process.

The sugar industry waste water is characterized by its color, temperature of water, low pH, ash, and

dissolved organic and inorganic matter of which 50% may present as reducing sugar6. In addition to

sugar mill waste water carry the constituents such as Biochemical Oxygen demand, Chemical

Oxygen demand and oil and grease. The effluents amounts can be seen in the table below.

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Sugar.html

http://www.environmentalpollution.in/waste-management/sugar-industry-process-description-and-wastewater-
treatment/2846?fbclid=IwAR2G1rqP01GEeyR50dcXcavm_kyBKSmHaYvnULAl303-hZWNolhjzsUqV1A