The Western Sugar Company

Eric P Ekern

Michael Donovan

Marc Hlavacek

Bimal Goculdas

An efficient method for manufacturing a purified juice product from sugar beets. Untreated beet juice is initially prelimed using lime and CaCO.sub.3 to produce a prelimed juice product. Instead of subjecting the prelimed product to main liming and dual carbonation stages, the product is delivered to a porous filtration membrane which allows sugar molecules to pass therethrough which preventing the passage of solid matter and dissolved impurities. Optimum results are achieved if the prelimed product flows across the membrane from end to end. The membrane permeate is thereafter combined with CO.sub.2(g) in a single carbonation stage to remove dissolved lime. This step generates a purified juice product which can be processed to manufacture pure crystalline sugar. The membrane retentate can be combined with water and refiltered to collect residual sugar materials. The foregoing process uses less energy and raw materials (e.g. lime) compared with conventional methods.

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Greeley, CO, United States of America

Eric P Ekern