306 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Septembki: 2(i, 1914. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



UTILIZATION OF BY-PRODUCTS. 



Tlie following extract.s have beun taken froin an 

 interesting article entitled The Utilization of Bagasse 

 and Molasses, appearing in the International Sugar 

 Journal (August 1!I14): — 



3IOL.\SSES AS A SOURCE OF ALCOHOL. 



As i)reliiiiinary data it is assumed that the molasses 

 amount to 2 "5 tons per 100 tons of cane. Experiments made 

 l)y one of this connnittee* in conjunction with Mr. S. 8. Peck 

 indicated that 31 "2 lb. of molasses afford 6"6 Ih. of absolute 

 alcohol. From 2'5 tons, or 5,000 It), of molasses, 1,058 Bb. 

 of absolute alcohol are obtainable. 



Fi'om the experience of a member of the cimmittcc. 

 this quantity of alcohol can Ije easily jjroduced when using 

 a regenerative still with the consumption of 500 lb. of coal, or, 

 saj', 2,000 It), of l)agasse, adopting in this statement a stand- 

 ard of no great efficiency. Previously, a surplus of 19.300 D). 

 of bagasse has been found over and abo\-e the wants of a heat- 

 efficient sugar factory so that a surplus of 17,300 lb. of bagasse 

 still remains. The residue obtained from the distillation of 

 the wash, which has a ^^•ell-known manuiial value, will reijuire 

 for its reduction to commercial dryness the removal of about 

 12 tons of water per 100 tons of cane; in this case there is no 

 question of the effect of high temperature evaporation, and 

 a sextuple eft'ect working with the last cell at atmosjjheric 

 pressure and high pressure steam could be used. The con- 

 sumption of steam may then be taken per 100 tons of cane as 



12x2 000 



■ jr^ = 4,000 ft. of steam or 1,538 ft. of bagasse 



■which may be increased to 2,000 lb. of bagasse to be on the 

 safe side. The bagasse still remaining unutilized is then 

 15,300 It). 



COST OF PEODUCTIOX OF ALCOHOL. 



The cost of producing alcohol in connexion with a sugar 

 house will be very small; it has been shown above that the 

 fuel can be supplied by the liagasse, and the molasses in 

 many cases here is of no value; even when sold to mainland 

 operators the net profit is only 0'30 cent per ft., from which 

 should really be deducted the value of the fertilizing agents 

 in molasses which, according to Feck and another, amount to 

 0'32 cent per ft., so that it is in a. sense always legitimate to 

 disregard the value of the molasses. 



A member of this committee has had no .small experience 

 of distilleries operated as annexes to cane sugar factories, and 

 he is al)le to state that the cost of operating is very low. 



USES OF ALCOHOL. 



The uses to which alcohol is put are too numerous to 

 mention, but one obstacle to our production of alcohol for 

 sale in the world's markets is our decentralized position and 

 remoteness from industrial centres. There ai-e two uses to 

 which alcohol can be put locally: lighting and jjower. As 

 regards lighting, it is only necessary to mention that the 

 whole of the Prussian State Hallways are lighted by alcoh<:)l. 

 It may ahso be mentioned that as long ago as 1901 a nut 

 inconsiderable business had ilevcloped in Mauritius in con- 

 nexion with public lighting anil iloniestii' lighting and cookiuf 

 ■nith the Use of alcohol For a number of years it has been 



*(Jn the Manufacture of S)ii,'Hr and Utilization i.f By-pro- 

 ducts. 



felt that a local outlet tor locally i)roduced alc(.)hol could he 

 found in connexion with the locomotives and i)ower-operated 

 i-ultivation implements used on plantations. It may not also 

 be amiss to mention that, estimating the automobiles in these 

 islands as 1,500, and allowing lit It), alcohol per day per 

 machine an annual consumption of 1,800 tons is indicated. 



UTILIZ.VTION OF B.'^GA.SSE FOK I'APEE MANUFACTURE. 



Before this .subject can lie looked into it is necessary to 

 estimate the cost of running the sugar factoi-y proper with 

 substituted fuel. .Vs iti all pre^■ious deductions liased upon 

 experimental determinations, a maximum efficiency is adopted. 

 The data adopted are: 1 barrel of oil weighs 335 ft., and costs 

 at the furnace mouth 61-10, or 0-33 cent per ft.; the thermal 

 value of this oil is taken as 18,800 B.T.U., and it is taken as 

 burnt with an efficiency of 75 pci- cent., whence it will affonl 

 l-l-"5 ft. of steam per ft. of oil. 



Per 100 tons of cane adojited as a standard from 

 previous calculations the steam required is: (a) Economical 

 factory, no treatment of molas.ses or re-melting 81,929 ft. = 

 5,050 ft. oil; (b) Economical factory, molas.ses worked uj) 

 no remelting 91,129. ft. = 6-280 ft. oil; (c) Economical 

 factory, molasses worked up and sugar re-melted 104,413 ft. = 

 7,210 ft. oil 



Oil costs delivered to factory 0-33 cent per ft., so that 

 the cost of oil to substitute for baga.sse is per 100 tons of 

 cane, (a) 618-65; (b) $20-72; (c) 623-79. Hence, since the 

 work done at present in a factory by the bagasse can be done 

 for 618-65, the valtie of bagasse as fuel is 0-75 cent per ton. 

 This estimate may seem very haw, but it must again be 

 insi.sted that it is l)ased on the highest degree of efficiency. 



BAGASSE AND PAPER. 



The connnittee has no knowledge -whatever of pajier 

 technology, and as a substitute therefor gives the following 

 conclusions of Mr. William Kaitt: — 



100 tons of cane give 25 tons of bagasse or lUl tons of 

 coarse unbleached paper, which costs 645 per ton to make, 

 and .sells for 664-20, leaving 619-20 per ton profit, or $213 

 per 100 tons of cane. Deducting the cost of oil to substitute 

 for bagasse, say 620, there remains 6193 profit at the factory. 



On other hand, we are severely handicapped by remote- 

 ness from the worlds industrial centres and we have no 

 opportunity to find a local mrket. Suppose it costs, however, 

 over all, $15 a ton to cover marketing exjjense.s, or 6170 

 per 11-1 tonsofcoar.se unbleached paper, there still remains 

 a profit of -623 per 100 tons of cane. 



An interesting article appeai-s in the Inttrnational 

 Siu/ar Journal entitled A ilicrophotogra])hic Study of the 

 Boiling Process. By means of microjjhotographs it is shown 

 in what way crystallization progresses in the course of boiling. 

 It is the ai't of the pan-man to avoid the formation of new 

 graiu during the jn-ocess, and to promote the growth of the 

 crystals first formed. 



It apjjears from the lleport on the Progress of Agri- 

 culture in India for 1912-13, that the potential value of 

 West Indian sugar-canes in India is >till increasing. It will 

 be remembered that Dr. Barber, who was formerly in the 

 West Inilios. i-; in charge of the principal sugar-cane varietj- 

 work in India. A recent decision has been to take up an 

 area of 10,000 acres for the exi)eiimental cultivation of 

 sugar-cane by steam-ploughing. 



