Current considerations on thin juice softening

Thin juice softening has been widely applied in sugar production to minimize calcium salts in downstream processes through ion exchange. Two principal approaches are established: the use of weak-acid-cation (WAC) or strong-acid-cation (SAC) resins. The state-of-the-art and key challenges of both methods were presented at the VDZ conference in 2014. This article focuses on recent developments in ion exchange softening using WAC resins, combined with fractal liquid distribution. It addresses process engineering aspects as well as investigations of a newly developed WAC resin from Lanxess, tested during the 2024 campaign in a pilot-scale plant at the Cosun Beet Company factory in Anklam, in collaboration with Technische Universität Berlin. Results show that the new resin represents a competitive alternative, but does not surpass the strengths of the established resin already in use. The very high usable capacity, combined with flow rates of 200 BV/h, as well as stoichiometric consumption of regeneration agents (sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide), underline both the potential and the technical demands of this wastewater-free technology. Finally, the successful scale-up of the process to very high thin juice flows of 800 m3/h or more is demonstrated, with fractal distribution playing a key role.