SAT Process: Sugar from sugar cane is extracted today much the same as it was 70 years ago. Sugar extracted from sugar cane is processed to become raw sugar at sugar mills and then further purified to refined sugar by energy intensive sugar refining processes. However, sugar from beet is processed to refined white sugar directly in a beet factory. Volumes of research have been conducted on nature of colorants, polysaccharide and inorganic profile of sugar process streams over the past thirty (30) years. However very few research priorities have been directed to develop a sugar process that will produce the same quality sugar at cane sugar factories that is currently provided at sugar refineries. Significant energy can be saved if white sugar can be produced directly from cane sugar mills. Cti Process: The Cti process, a patent pending technology, consists of two special resin systems in series for production of the following three grades of sugar products depending on the feed materials to the process, and valued added antioxidants:

White sugar (80/150 ICUMSA color) via decolorization of sugar mill cane juice and recovery of value added sugarcane extracts (Antioxidant etc.,)via regeneration of resin. The process can be used in conjunction with the SAT process (UF membrane systems) to produce refined sugar.

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Refined sugar via decolorization of VLC raw sugar or sulfitated plantation white sugar from a maximum color of 750 to 150/200 ICUMSA. The decolorized sugar liquor is then crystallized to give a refined sugar with color of 20 to 35 ICUMSA. Value added sugarcane extracts can also be recovered via regeneration of resin. Refined sugar liquor via further decolorization of above 150/200 color sugar liquor by resin to 50/100 color which then can be decolorized by powdered activated carbon to 20/30 color sugar liquor for the beverages industry. Valued added sugarcane extracts can also be recovered via regeneration of resin.

The Cti Process can be adapted to fit many other applications for decolorization and recovery of antioxidants. One of the major advantages of the Cti process is that it is environmentally friendly. There is no dark brine waste stream to be

isposed of as in the case of conventional ion exchange resin decolorization systems. d Best Processes for Refined Sugar Production The best way, economically, technically, and environmentally, to produce refined sugar in the 21st century is to attach simplified refinery to a sugar mill with matching capacity. This sugar mill should be designed to produce sparkling (turbidity free and suspended matter of less than 2 ppm) sugar color of 200 ICU Max. with baggasse as the only fuel for the mill. No other source of energy, such as coal, gas, or oil should be needed. The sugar mill should be highly automated (to take the human factor out of the operation) in order to maintain highest process efficiency, consistent product quality and lowest manning (e.g. seven to nine operators per shift.). In the attached simplified refinery, the above 200 ICU sparkling sugar is dissolved to 68 brix and, if desired, evaporated to 75.5 brix for sugar boiling. The refined sugar produced should have a color of 10 to 15 ICU. from the first strike and 25 to 30 ICU from the second strike. The attached simplified refinery will have no conventional affination, carbonation, floatation, and granular activated carbon/ ion exchange resin processes. The refinery should be highly automated with three operators/shift (excluding packaging workers) and energy consumption of not more than 45 tons steam / ton of sugar. Reference: http://www.esugartech.com/index.htm