Untitled Document 6

These machines harvest the cane by cutting it at the base.
The heavier lengths of cane drop

into the base of a conveyor, which feeds them into the transport bin that follows alongside. At
the mill, trucks empty their load onto a receiving table. It feeds a belt conveyor that takes the
cane through two separate washes. The cane must be as clean as possible for extracting the
juice. But first, the cane's hard structure is broken down inside this crusher, where rotating
hammers break the cane into small pieces. A conveyor loads it into a milling tandem designed
to extract the sweet juice from the crushed cane. In this milling tandem, the cane passes
through a series of five or more consecutive mills. Large cylinders compress the cane fibre. The
juice pours out of the milling tandem and diverts into a channel away from the bagasse, the dry
pulp that remains after extracting the juice. A worker supervises the operation at each of the
mills. A vat collects the juice that flows from the top and bottom of the mills. Now that the juice is
extracted from the sugar cane, it's time to process it. However, before it's turned into sugar
crystals, a sample goes through a series of tests at the sugar mill's laboratory. They add a
thickener that binds to impurities in the juice, and then filter it to make it clear and clean. Then
it's poured into a polarimeter, a machine that measures the concentration of sugar. The juice
from the mills now falls through this 10-metre-high tower, as sulphur dioxide vapours rise
through it. This process, known as sulphurtation, bleaches the juice. Then it flows through a
device that measures its pH level. While at a separate vat, workers add powdered lime to water,
preparing a solution to which they will then add the juice. An agitator mixes the cane juice and
lime solution for about six hours to complete a process called alkalisation. It regulates the juice's
pH level and helps clarify it. In reaction to the lime, the juice's colour changes from brown to
yellow. Next, the juice goes into these clarifier tanks. It takes over two hours for the juice to
settle and for the impurities to fall to the bottom of the tank. A sample taken from the tank shows
how the sludge collects at the bottom, while the clarified juice collects at the top. There's still
quite a way to go before it's transformed into the stuff that goes into your tea. Workers filter the
residue, known as mud, from the clarifier tanks to extract any remaining sugar. There's no waste
here. The mud will fertilise the cane fields and the bagasse left over will be burned as fuel. The
clarified juice collected from the clarifier tanks now boils in a series of evaporators. This brings
the concentration of the sugar in the juice up from 15% to 60%. Then the juice collects in 15-ton
tanks, Then the juice collects in 15-ton tanks to clarify even more. Any sediment left in the juice
floats to the top. A rotating paddle skims this residue off to the sides of the tank. These tanks
produce a type of syrup that goes on for still more processing. Workers now pour sucrose
crystals, suspended in alcohol, into the syrup. This milky solution binds to the sugar present in
the syrup and helps draw it out. Next, it all boils in large vacuum pans, forming sugar crystals.
As the water in the syrup boils away, workers regularly check to see how the sugar is
crystallising. The goal? To produce a thick crystallised paste known as a syrup. It then goes into
a high-speed centrifugal machine to remove the sugar crystals from the uncrystallized syrup.
Inside, the sugar spins at 1,200 revolutions per minute. This action draws the molasses to the
outer shell of the machine, while the crystals remain in the inner basket. Sprays of water wash
the crystals, then the water is drawn out so only the crystals remain. This centrifuge draws out
moisture from the sugar, just like a washing machine on spin cycle dries it clothes. Next, a
conveyor belt carries the sugar crystals out of the centrifuge. This mill produces raw sugar,
which has more molasses and is unbleached, and plantation white sugar, which has less
molasses and is bleached a brilliant white. The sugar on the conveyor now goes into a large
dryer. Hot air blows into this dryer to bring the sugar's humidity level down to 0.02 percent.
That's standard for table sugar. The dried sugar pours out from the dryer into a bag on a scale.
It's full when it weighs in at 1,000 kilos. A hoist then carries the bags to a platform at the far end
of the packing facility. At 3,000 kilos, that is a heavy load. It lowers each bag over a chute that
leads to the factory's main floor. Workers carefully open each bag in turn and pour out the sugar
directly into the chute. It feeds an automated packaging machine, which fills a series of two kilo
plastic bags, seals them, and separates them. This packing facility produces 200,000 bags
every day. That means processing 400 tons of white sugar daily.

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These machines harvest the cane by cutting it at the base.

The heavier lengths of cane drop

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