Case Study of Water
Case Study of Water
Case Study of Water
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International Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering, ISSN:1701-8285, Vol.36, Issue.2 1261
another. Secondly, it requires substantial investment and foul smell in the vicinity of sugar mills, and unpleasant
budget to meet the operating cost. look inside the mill are commonly experienced. Variation
in volume of the effluent, its pollution load is due to
In contrast modern approach to waste management aims at
various causes like poor housekeeping, condition of plant
optimizing production process and at minimizing
and machines, mode of their operation and maintenance,
generation of waste then managing the unavoidable waste
and inefficient use of water.
in an environmentally acceptable and economical manner.
In most of the environmental problems, the cheapest and 3.1 Sequence of Steps in Sugar Production
most effective way is to reduce the pollution and if
possible avoid the production of the waste. Industries can Cane sugar production involve processes like reception of
modify the production processes so that lesser quantities cane, weighing, extraction, sulphitation, juice clarification,
of wastes are generated or the waste generation can be evaporation, crystallization, centrifugation, drying,
totally eliminated. weighing and packing of sugar, storing etc. as illustrated in
Figure-1. Cane sugar manufacturing is typically located
Sugarcane is the raw material used for the production of adjacent to the sources of raw materials to reduce costs
white sugar. While producing sugar it is mandatory to and transportation time, and to ensure fresh raw material.
keep our environment clean. The sugar industry generates
waste which could be very valuable by-products i.e. 3.1.1 Reception of Cane
molasses, bagasses and press mud cake, which have Cane are unloaded from the transportation vehicles. The
provided an attractive source of revenue to sugar factories. sugarcane production line is a continuous process which
The press mud is used on agriculture land as manure and has to run round the clock. Earlier factories use to stop
bagasse is used as a fuel for generation of power or can be their production once in a month for evaporator cleaning.
used as a raw material in paper industry. It is advantageous But now a days by putting additional spare equipment
to have sugar and distillery units in the same premises as (bodies) factories completes their season without any
the raw material would be easily available for rectified cleaning. Cane processing, typically have substantial areas
spirit production. From rectified spirit, ethanol, liquors, to stock enough raw materials to facilitate continuous
absolute alcohol, acetic acid, oxalic acid etc. can be production.
manufactured. These products are obtained by bio- 3.1.2 Extraction of Cane Juice
chemical processes of fermentation of molasses (a
carbohydrate raw material) resulting in liquid waste Cane is mainly transported through Truck, Tractors &
known as spent wash characterized by low pH and high bullock carts .After receipt of this cane is weighed at
organic and inorganic contents. It is highly polluting and factory premises & moved to extraction process.
causing depletion of oxygen if discharged in to water Extraction of the sugar juice is achieved with roller mills
courses and may cause the salinity problems if used on which press out the juice. The remains of the cane stalk
land without proper treatment. are called bagasse, which contains cellulose fiber. This is
Recycling and reclaiming materials that otherwise might mostly used in the process facility as fuel for energy
be discarded in the waste stream also reduces the supply & to generate steam for process heating. If fuel is
environmental pollution. Both these approaches usually available from another source; the bagasse may be used
have economic as well as environmental benefits. for further processing in the cellulose industry. Cane juice
extraction may also be achieved by a diffusion leaching
2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES process, which can result in higher rates of extraction with
50% lesser energy consumption than a mechanical mill.
a. To reduce the water consumption,
But this diffusion leaching process requires more steam
b. To achieve the substantial reduction in the water
than mechanical mills. This Diffusion process is very
and power bills,
popular worldwide & due to above advantages in India
c. To reduce the wastewater generation,
also as some entrepreneurs installed such plants & getting
d. To reduce the expenditure on waste water disposal.
good results than mechanical milling.
3. PROCESSES INVOLVED IN SUGAR 3.1.3 Clarification
INDUSTRY
The juice resulting from the extraction process is acidic
The sugar industry is of a seasonal nature and operates for and turbid called raw juice or mixed juice. This raw juice
120 to 200 days in a year, beginning from early November is clarified by mixing it with milk of lime & SO 2 gas. The
and ending on May or June. Large volumes of effluents juice on boiling fed to continuous flow clarifier from
and wastes are produced during manufacture of sugar and which clear juice is decanted while settled impurities
effluents contain a high pollution load. Because of the known as mud is sent to rotary drum vacuum filter for
sugar mills being located mostly in rural areas where there removal of impurities called press mud.
are no suitable options like large flowing water courses for
effective disposal of the effluents by dilution and because The sulphur dioxide (SO2) gas generated by burning of
of the rainfall during the major part of the crushing season sulphur granules in burners. This process is called as
being practically nil, extreme pollution of small rivers, sulphitation & is quite popular in India.
Then clear juice also called as „thin juice‟ goes to the accompanying with sugar crystals and this mascuitte then
evaporator for further process. centrifuged to separate. The final separated mascuitte,
which contains about 50% sugar, is called molasses or
3.1.4 Evaporation Crystallization and Centrifuge
mother liquor.
After clarification, the clear juice has a sugar content of
Sugar crystals are then dried, graded, weighed and stored
approximately 15%. Concentrations more than 60% are
in godowns. Molasses is the most important by-product of
needed to allow sugar crystallization, and this is achieved
the sugar production. Molasses can be used as cattle
through evaporation. Water is removed from the clear
fodder or as raw material in the fermentation industry. To
juice in a series of evaporating vessels until syrup with a
facilitate the use of the molasses, which is generated in
dry matter content of 55-65% is obtained. This thick juice
relatively high volumes, sugar factories may be combined
is further evaporated until sugar crystals to form at pan
with distillation plants. The basis for the distillery can be
floor, now this thick syrup is called as mascuitte,
sugar juice, molasses, or a combination of these products.
Cold water- for sulphur station (11m3/hr), air 5.2 Boiler feed water
compressor (20 m3/hr) and pump gland cooling (8
m3/hr). First body evaporator condensate only used as boiler feed
water as other bodies does not give the condensate of the
Hot water- for milk of lime preparation (10.4 m3/hr) boiler quality. This first body condensate is also called as
i.e.4 % on cane and oliver filter washing i.e.5% on exhaust condensate of temperature @ 110 degrees.
cane (13 m3/hr).
5.3 Clarification House Compressors
4.3 Evaporation
Recirculated the cooling waters.
Hot water- for molasses conditioning (5.2 m3/hr),
melter (13 m3/hr), water movement for pan (5.2 5.4 Sulphur Burner
m3/hr), magma and seed preparation (5.2 m3/hr) Water used is recirculated and connected to spray pond.
i.e.2% on cane, makeup for C- mascuite reheating (4.5
m3/hr) i.e.@ 1.5 -2 % on cane. 5.5 Oliver Filter
Cold water- injection water for vacuum pan (4640 Instead of using fresh water, spray pond water is used to
m3/hr). create vacuum at vacuum pump and barometric
condensers. Hot water condensate is used for filter cake
4.4 Boiler water washing.
Hot water as a boiler feed water(170 m3/hr) ,
5.6 Boiling and Centrifuge section
Cold water- boiler makeup water(13.9 m3/hr), RO
Here also cooled hot water condensate is used for cooling.
plant reject (4.17 m3/hr)
Water required to wash sugar mascuitte in centrifugal
4.5 Washing & Miscellaneous use machine is condensate from evaporator bodies.
Water required for washing of centrifugal (2.6 5.7 Preparation of seed and mixture
m3/hr), floor, laboratories, etc. Hot water is used instead of fresh water.
5. WATER CONSERVATION 5.8 Cooling water
TECHNIQUES ADOPTED
Mill drive, mill bearing, power house turbines, fiberisers,
It is generally observed that whenever for industry water is compressor, cooling and vertical crystallizers is also
available in plenty, such as from the river, the entire water cooled condensate instead of fresh cold water & is
is replaced every day. Instead of to save the chemical cost recirculated water.
on the neutralization of water, restricted use of water
should be practiced. Avoiding neutralization for saving
5.9 Excess Condensate
chemicals is not desirable because if such water goes to Sent to cooling tower for cooling.
irrigation fields, it will adversely affect the crops.
6. WATER BALANCE
Along with the factory production manager, we studied the
possible water conservation options, the implementation of The water balance in sugar industry is given in Figure-2
same techniques, achieved considerable reduction in water and 3. Based on the water balance, it may be possible to
requirement in the industry compared to the average completely eliminate the process water requirement and in
requirement of other sugar industries, or to the previous fact, it can generate some excess water which can be
requirement of same industry. stored and reused in the process. However, some water
may be required as makeup water for spray pond and for
Water Conservation Techniques adopted in industries are drinking at the colonies, laboratories, hospitals, etc., which
as follows: may be around 10.0% of the cane crushed. It is also
possible to reuse the treated effluent water as makeup
5.1 Milling Plant
water in spray pond, sulphur burner cooling water, wet-
Hot condensate after cooling in two stage cooling towers scrubber, etc., and in which case the effluent quantity can
is fully used instead of fresh water supplement. be further reduced to 9.0% of the cane crushed.
MILL MILK OF LIME OLIVER PAN CENTRIFUGA LAB & FLOOR BOILER
IMBIBITION PREPARATION FILTER MOVEMENT L WASHING WASHING BLOW DOWN
(33%) (4%) (5%) (2%) (1%) (1%) (5%)
RECYCLING
ETP
RAW WATER
TCH 260
A Hot water Required T/hr Hot water available T/hr
Clean Condensate Clean Condensate
Boiler (170 t/hr) 170 Condensate from Evaporator - I 110
Blow down & Emergencies (3% of boiler
cap.) 5.1 Cl J 2 0
For Desuperheating (2%) 5.20 Surface condenser (TG) 32
HP heater 15.00
Dearator 9
Ejector (TG) 0.4
Total hot water required 147.5 Total hot water available 188.0
Net
balance hot
water 40.5
Make
B Cold water required up Cold water available
water to be recirculated
Hot water cooled(Surplus) 40.5
For Shredder bearing cooling 20 0.2
For Mill bearing cooling 30 0.3
For mill gear cooling (5 mil l+ 1 GRPF) 76 0.76
Injection water at pans+Evp (42000+10%
more) 4640.0 0
Sulphur Station 11 1.1
B & C Massecuite cooling , 0.8 m3/m3 25.5 0.255
Air compressors 20 0.2
Pump gland cooling 8 8
For Lab. & washings & unaccounted, losses
1% 2.6 2.6
DM water regeneration 0 0
Total raw water requirement (m3/hr) 13.415
(-) surplus vapour condensate (cooled) 40.5 -40.5
-
(-) surplus vapour condensate available 27.085
Boiler Make up water 13.9 13.9
8. PROCESS MODIFICATIONS
Now-a-days it is a necessary to establish co-generation throughout the world, so the conservation of water is
unit along with sugar industry from economic essential at every junction. Conservation of water is
sustainability point of view and also raw material required significant aspect of environmental and economical
for this is available in the form of bagasse, which is by- sustainability.
product of sugar industry. In this co-generation plant either Sugar industry demands large quantity of water. In this
condensing or back pressure turbines can be used. From process of making sugar from the cane juice, water comes
the water minimization point of view, back pressure out as by-product, in the form of excess condensate. There
turbine shall be preferred instead of condensing turbine as is a considerable amount of water generated which has
a process modification. large potential of being reused back in the industry for
Also cooling towers in condensing turbines requires huge various process, which reduces the demand of raw water.
amount of fresh cooling water which can be minimised to The processes like mill imbibition, milk of lime
zero by installing air cooled condensers for these turbines. preparation, washing, etc. requires considerable amount of
Condensate polishing unit will lead to achieve “water” as a water. This requirement of water can be fulfilled from the
by-product of sugar industry. The Excess condensate is get excess condensate, thus making the industry a zero water
contaminated to certain extent after repetitive recycling as intake industry. This reduction in raw water intake also
it catches some of the sugar traces. This condensate water reduced the water bill. It also helps to reduce the quantity
shall be treated by installing condensate polishing unit so of waste water generated. Thus size of different units of
that instead of taking the fresh water from the nature this ETP turns to reduce.
treated water can become a by-product of sugar industry. Thus process modification like use of back pressure
Due to this process modification, the wastewater load on turbine instead of condensing type, installation of
ETP is reduced tremendously. condensate polishing unit with good housekeeping,
efficient operation & maintenance of industry with
9. CONCLUSION optimum use of water will lead to achieve water
Water is the most costly and instantly affecting natural minimization in sugar industry.
resource. Scarcity of water is the major problem
REFERENCES
[1] Sapkal “Water and Wastewater Conservation”
[2] Sushilkumar Bhandare, “Water Consumption -
Optimisation and Its Reuse Case Study Implemented
at Shri Datta SSK Ltd, Shirol.”
Book Reference:
[3] E. Hugot, “Handbook of Cane Sugar Engineering”