20 



EXPERIMENTS IN FILTRATION. 



When in New Orleans in November I received an invitation to visit 

 the experiment station and witness a test of the Kleemann process for 

 the filtration of the juice. This test on a small scale was very success- 

 ful, and demonstrated clearly that all the jnice could easily be filtered 

 through presses. 



This process was invented by Fritz Kleemann, of Schoeniugen, 

 Brunswick, Germany. It has been patented in all sugar-producing 

 countries. 



The first tests on a large scale with cane were made in Demerara at 

 the following estates: Nonpareil, Lusignan, Enmore, and others. The 

 Nonpareil sugar-houses filtered the juice from 400 long tons of cane per 

 day, through eight presses of eighteen chambers each. These tests 

 were made in May, 1886, since when the process has been introduced 

 into Porto Eico and Cuba. 



The following description of the process was given me by Mr. Ernst 

 Schulze, representing the owners of the process : 



The raw juice is treated in the defecators or clarifiers with lime, as 

 usual, except that smaller quantity is required. The juice is then heated 

 to a temperature between 160 and 180 Fahr., and finely ground lignite 

 or brown coal is added. The lignite must be reduced to as fine a state 

 of division as is practicable. The quantity of lignite to be added varies 

 with the amount of sugar contained in the juice, and ranges from 5 to 

 10 per cent, of the weight of the sugar. The temperature of the mixture 

 is maintained at from 150 to 170 Fahr. fifteen or twenty minutes, and 

 is then pumped to the filter-presses. The filtered juice passes directly 

 to the evaporating pans, and the sirup without further clarification or 

 settling can be immediately boiled in the vacuum-pan. 



The juice left in the press-cake in the presses is obtained by displace- 

 ment with cold water. 



One thirty-chamber Kroog press will filter 20,000 gallons of juice 

 treated by theKleemann process in twenty -four hours, ample time being 

 allowed for displacement of the juice left in the press -cake and for 

 cleaning the presses, changing cloths, &c. An ordinary laborer can 

 manipulate the presses. 



The amount of precipitate retained by a thirty-chamber press will 

 average 770 pounds. This precipitate contains 50 per cent, of its 

 weight of juice, nearly all of which can be obtained by displacement. 



The amount of press-cake per ton of cane is approximately 46 pounds, 

 half of which is juice containing an average of about 13 per cent, su- 

 crose. Were this juice thrown away with the press-cake it would entail 

 a loss of 46 x .50 x .13 = 3 pounds sucrose per ton of cane worked. 



Even at a low valuation per pound for sucrose, this loss, amounting 

 to nearly 30,000 pounds of sugar for an average crop at Magnolia, is a 



