THE CONCENTRATION OF THE SYRUP TO MASSECUITE. 



regarded as crystals and exhausted saturated molasses will occur; the two portions 

 of molasses will mix and the magma will be sufficiently fluid to separate into 

 crystals and molasses. On paper this scheme could be worked indefinitely, the 

 exhausted molasses passing continually unchanged through the process and 

 being regarded merely as a menstruum for obtaining a massecuite capable of 

 manipulation. Actually, however, the continued action of elevated temperatures 

 brings about obscure changes in the molasses which become ' gummy ' and 

 troublesome in the centrifugals. 



Use Of Unexhausted Molasses. Chiefly in Java and hence 

 known as the ' Java process,' a system of working has been developed which 

 admits of the obtaining of all the available sugar in a merchantable form ; this 

 can best be described by following through the details of the process. Initially 

 let there be syrup of 80 purity ; per 100 massecuite obtained from this syrup 

 there may be obtained 60 parts of crystals and 40 parts of molasses of 55 

 apparent purity ; let the next 100 parts of syrup massecuite be mixed with 

 these 40 parts of molasses ; then a mixed strike of about 72 purity will result. 

 From this strike molasses of about 45 apparent purity will accrue, there being 

 probably equal quantities of molasses and crystals obtained, so that the factory 

 now contains about 70 parts of molasses of about 45 purity. If to the next 

 100 parts of syrup masse cuite these 70 parts of molasses be added, a mixed 

 strike of purity about 66 purity will result; this strike on curing should 

 afford merchantable sugar and waste molasses of about 30 apparent or 45 true 

 purity. 



It is easy to see how the control of this process can be based entirely on 

 the use of the algebraical theory developed above, that is to say, on the 

 principle that for every purity of massecuite there is a corresponding water 

 content at which exhausted molasses are obtainable. 



The example detailed above suggests three operations as necessary to 

 obtain exhausted molasses, at the end of which the cycle starts again ; in a 

 number of factories the writer has seen the cycle reduced to two and even 

 when the initial purity was nearly 90; in these cases no syrup massecuite 

 was made but two strikes were boiled, one at a purity of about 75 and the other 

 at about 60, the molasses from the latter being removed in part and in part 

 used as a diluent for subsequent strikes. The writer prefers the first detailed 

 scheme, but much depends on the factory arrangements, the nature of the 

 juices, the kind of sugar desired, and the personel of the staff. 



In all these schemes grain is formed from syrup and the molasses 

 are added subsequently ; different ways of obtaining the mixture can 

 be used. 



1 . All the syrup intended to be used may be taken into the pan at once, 

 grain formed and the pan gradually filled up with the molasses 



357 



