A TECHNICAL REPORT

ON

STUDENT INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME

BUA SUGAR REFINERY, APAPA, LAGOS STATE

SOLOMON OLUWATEMISOLA ANNE

MATRIC NO:
1909005214

SUBMITTED TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY
EKITI STATE UNIVERSITY, ADO – EKITI, EKITI STATE

IN PARTIAL FUFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF

JUNE- SEPTEMBER, 2023

i
 CERTIFICATION
This is to certify that this report of the Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES)
programme was carried out by Solomon Oluwatemisola Anne, Student of Ekiti State University,
Ado – Ekiti, Ekiti state with the Matric number 1909005214 at BUA Sugar Refinery, Apapa,
Lagos, Lagos State.

……………………………. …………………………

SIWES SUPERVISOR Date and Signature

…………………………….. ………………………….

Head of Department Date and Signature

PROF. F.J. FALEYE

ii
 DEDICATION

This technical report is dedicated to Almighty God, for His unconditional love and mercy granted
to me throughout the period of my Industrial Training.

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All praise is to God Almighty, the beginning and the end, who made it possible for me to witness
the start and the end of my industrial training scheme. I wish to express my deep and sincere
gratitude to my beloved parents, my sisters and brothers, and all my friends for their love, care and
support, both morally and financially. Also, I am grateful to the entire staff of Production
department at BUA Sugar Refinery, Apapa, Lagos State for their endless support and love shown
to me during the training period. The knowledge impacted on me has been enormous. May God
bless them and their families.

iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS

CERTIFICATION ............................................................................................................................i

DEDICATION.................................................................................................................................ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT..............................................................................................................iii

CHAPTER ONE..............................................................................................................................1

1.0 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................1

1.1 Background and History of SIWES ..........................................................................................1

1.2 Objectives of SIWES ................................................................................................................2

1.3 Description of BUA Sugar Refinery .........................................................................................3

1.4 Location and Brief History of BUA Sugar Refinery………………………………….……….3

1.4.1 Quality Control and Assurance Unit………………………………………………….……..4

1.4.2 Production Unit…………………………………………………………………………..….4

1.4.3. Sales and Distribution Unit…………………………………………………………………4

1.5. Vision And Mission of Bua Group…………………………………………………………...4

1.6. Services and Activities of BUA Sugar Refinery……………………………………………..5

1.7. Organogram Of the Refinery……………………………………………………………..….6

CHAPTER TWO…………………………………………………………………………..……..7

2.0. Sugar Refining Processes………………………………………………………………..…..7

2.1 VHP Receiver and The Saur Weigh Bridge……………………………………………….….7

2.2 VHP Station and Premelting……………………………………………………………..…..7

2.3 Melting Process…………………………………………………………………………..…..8

2.4 Clarification Process……………………………………………………………………….....8

2.4.1. Colour Precipitation…………………………………………………………………….….9

v
2.4.2 Primary Flocculation…………………………………………………………………..……9

2.4.3 Aeration…………………………………………………………………………………….10

2.4.4 Secondary Flocculation………………………………………………………………….…11

2.5 The Chemicals Used in Clarification And Their Preparations…………………………….....12

2.5.1 Decolourising Agent (Talofloc) –Diazoamino benzene………………………...………….12

2.5.2 Phosphoric Acid (H3PO4)…………………………………………………………………12

2.5.3 Lime Sucrate…………………………………………………………………………….....12

2.5.4 Flocculant Solution (Taloflote)- Polyacrylamide-1,2-ethanediamine with

chloromethyloxirane and N-methylmetamine……………………………………………...……12

2.6 Chemical Dosages………………………………………………………………..………….13

2.6.1 Phosphoric Acid……………………………………………………………………………13

2.6.2 Taloflote Flocculant…………………………………………………………………..……14

2.6.3 Lime Sucrate……………………………………………………………………………....14

2.6.4 Decolourising Agent (Talofloc)………………………………………………………..….15

2.7 Scum De-Sweetening………………………………………………………………………..15

2.8 Clarification Parameters……………………………………………………………………..16

2.9 Filtration Process………………………………………………………………………..…..17

2.10 Crystallisation Process (Pan Boiling)……………………………………………………..17

2.11 Centrifugation Process…………………………………………………………………….19

2.12 Drying Process…………………………………………………………………………….20

2.13 Rotex Section……………………………………………………………………………...21

2.14 Vitamin A Fortification…………………………………………………………………….21

2.15 Reasons for Premix Preparation……………………………………………………..…….21

vi
2.16 Composition of Premix…………………………………………………..……………….22

2.17 Equipment/Materials Used for Sugar Fortification……………………………..………..23

2.18 Procedures for Premix Preparation………………………………………….……………23

2.19 Bagging……………………………………………………………….……………..……24

2.20 Parameters for Refined White Sugar………………………………….………………….24

CHAPTER THREE…………………………………………………………..………………..27

3.0 Challenges Encountered During Training Period………………………………………….27

3.1 Suggestions on How To Improve Scheme………………………………………………...27

3.2 Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………28

3.3 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………..28
REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………………..29

vii
 CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

The Students' Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is a skills training programme that is
coordinated by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) in conjunction with National University
Commission (NUC).

This is a programme engaged by students in various degree programme in order to provide the
student with practice experience on various field of studies and to expose them to actual working

experience.

This is a programme involving the ITF, the students and the industries. It is meant to bridge the
gap between the theory and practical work in order to sharpen students' skills and understanding
of physical planning and practices on the various fields.

1.1 Background and History of SIWES

The Industrial Training Fund National Conference held in Jos in the year 1988 mandated all
collaborating agencies which include NCCE, NBTE and NUC to draw up job specifications for all
degree programmes including the Students' Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES). As at
that time, the specification of the job was to guide the industrialist and institutional supervisors in
the industrial placement of students in order to meet the expected requirement of minimum
industrial exposure preparatory for employment. The National University Commission (NUC)
recognized the importance of job specification in SIWES and decided to set the ball rolling soon
after the resolution was taken in 1988. Thus, from the year 1989-1993, the drawing up to the
minimum academic document by the National University Commission secretariat, Abuja did not
make known the actualization of the set goal. In January 1996, at a 3-day national workshop in
Jos, the job specifications were drawn or all programmes that have the components of the industrial
attachment in their minimum academic standard documents. Nine panels each headed by a senior
academic were constituted for all the forty-six programmes. The panel drew up the job
specification during a 2-day meeting. Due to the job specification that was drawn, a one-day
meeting was held in which five papers were presented and the procedure, content and format for

1
presentation of the job specifications, documents were decided. The first 2 draft of the document
was sent to all universities, ITF industries and all professional bodies involved in the running of
the scheme for their comment and input. Their comments were then considered by the panel
comprised of the nine chairmen of the discipline groups and those found relevant were
incorporated to produce the final job specification documents. The final job specification for each
programme was organised into the following four parts; the Introduction, Objectives, Physiology
and Job schedule.

1.2 Objectives of SIWES

The main objectives of SIWES include the following:

i) To provide an avenue for students in industries to acquire industrial skills and experience

in their various field of study.

ii) To provide students the chance to apply knowledge in real work situation thereby bridging

the gap between theory and practical.

iii) To make the process of exchange from schools to world of work and enhance students

contact for later job placement.

iv) To expose students to work, methods and techniques in handling equipment and machines

that may not be available in their institutions.

v) To make transition of students from university to industries upon graduation easy.

vi) To enlist and strengthen industries involvement in university education.

vii) To satisfy accreditation requirement set by National University Commission.

viii) To enable university educators, access the effectiveness of their curriculum and make

modification where necessary.

2
1.3 Description of BUA Sugar Refinery

The Company is a leading producer of sugar in West Africa, through the processing and refining
of raw sugar.

1.4 Location and Brief History of BUA Sugar Refinery

Established in 2005, the Sugar Division of BUA Foods Plc has two ultramodern and automated
sugar refineries in Apapa, Lagos and Port Harcourt that utilize state-of-the-art equipment to refine
high-quality products for industrial uses. The Sugar Division comprises the plantation and refinery
segments operating across the value chain of the sugar industry, including the production, milling,
processing, and refining of sugar and its by-products such as bagasse, molasses, and mud cakes.
The Company has two plantations in Lafiagi, Kwara State, and Bassa, Kogi State as well as two
sugar refineries in Apapa, Lagos State, and Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The sugar refineries have
a total combined installed refining capacity of 1.5 million MT, making the Company the second-
largest refiner in West Africa. In 2019, BUA Sugar completed the installation of the Eastern Sugar
Refinery in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The Port Harcourt refinery in Rivers State is the only sugar
refinery in Nigeria located outside of Lagos State and is uniquely positioned to cater to the West
African coastal market. The sugar refineries transform raw sugar into crystalline white granulated
sugar, which is utilized by manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, bakeries and confectionaries, food,
beverages, and dairy products etc.

BUA Foods is committed to providing high-quality sugar to the West African market, with a
consistent track of between 45 – 60 ICUMSA (International Commission for Uniform Method of
Sugar Analysis), indicating a high efficiency of colour removal techniques. This makes the final
product as close to natural as possible. In BUA Sugar Refinery, there are numerous departments
like Instrumentation, Quality Control and Assurance, production, Engineering, Procurement, ICT,
Sales and Distribution, Administrative, Human Resources, Safety to list a few. But all activities
done in BUA sugar refinery are controlled by 3 major units:

i. Quality control and assurance unit

3
1.4.1 Quality Control and Assurance Unit

BUA Sugar Refinery is an organization committed to excellence in every aspect of its UNIT
operations. Their chemical and microbiological laboratories are fully equipped. The cooperate
policy of the company is to produce the best and not to compromise standards in areas of product
development and quality assurance certifications. This policy draws its origin from the facts that
the founder is a pharmacist of high ethical value.

1.4.2 Production Unit

The production unit in BUA Sugar Refinery is responsible for processing the raw sugar into refined
sugar. The unit typically consists of several machines, including evaporators, steam boilers,
vacuum pans, and centrifuge. Sugar refineries are complex facilities that process raw sugar into
refined sugar. The production process involves several stages, including harvesting, milling, and
refining.

1.4.3. Sales and Distribution Unit

This department overwatch the business orientation of the refinery. The quantity of sales made on
the products and the documentation are the major function of this unit. the company is in a unique
position of servicing the whole country with ease because of the advantage of reaching most state
capitals. The country's distribution network covers all major supermarkets, eateries with the private
sector market.

1.5. VISION AND MISSION OF BUA GROUP

The vision and mission of the company can be vividly seen in their vision and mission statements.
Their vision is to be a world-class conglomerate, spreading across Africa and beyond. Their
mission includes the provision of high-quality products and services with a focus on total quality
management. The company is committed to providing a wide range of Fast-Moving Consumer
Goods (FMCG) as part of their contribution to the Nigerian economy. They

4
also make customer satisfaction their fundamental aim, and they measure their value by the quality
of their products and the efficiency of their system.

1.6. Services and Activities of BUA Sugar Refinery

BUA Sugar Refinery’s primary business is the refining of imported Very High Pol (VHP) raw
sugar or locally sourced raw sugar. The company produces BUA Fortified Refined Sugar in 50kg
bags, this is sugar fortified with Vitamin A and it comes in a brown polypropylene bag. The
company also produces BUA refined sugar, this one comes in a white polypropylene bag though
it is not fortified with vitamin A like its brown-bagged counterpart. This one is sold to other
companies who are into food processing and they use this sugar in their processing

5
1.7. ORGANOGRAM OF THE REFINERY

6
 CHAPTER TWO

2.0. SUGAR REFINING PROCESSES

As we enter the twenty-first century, the demand for high-quality white sugar around the world
has continued to increase. Consumers demand a high-quality product every bit as much as does
the industrial user, for beverage, bakery, confectionery, and other applications. At the same time,
the competitive pressures on the sugar industry have also increased, leading the industry to seek
innovative ways to produce refined sugar. Refineries like BUA sugar Refinery are set up to help
meet this high demand for refined sugar. BUA Sugar refinery due to the unavailability of enough
sugar cane plantations to cater to the need of Nigerians for refined sugar, VHP Raw Sugar is
imported from Brazil. VHP sugar which stands for Very High Pol sugar is sucrose (99.4% pure)
extracted from sugar cane or beet which has undergone preliminary clarification, evaporation and
crystallization procedures in raw sugar factories before being sent to sugar refineries. This raw
sugar, a golden-yellowish crystal is brought and stored in the raw sugar silo before it undergoes
refining processes. Below are the processes that VHP raw sugar undergoes to get refined to white
sugar that we eat in our homes and use for other applications.

2.1 VHP RECEIVER AND THE SAUR WEIGH BRIDGE

This is the station where the raw sugar from the ship is received, the raw sugar is loaded into trucks
from the ship and brought to the SAUR, where the sugar is weighed and poured into the receiver
via the chartered plate bridge. The valve of the conveyor belt is open and the raw sugar is conveyed
via the conveyor belt to the bucket elevator which transports the raw sugar into the storage site
called dome silo.

2.2 VHP STATION AND PREMELTING

This section is where the initial stage of sugar refining processing takes place. VHP (very high pol)
raw sugar needs to be premelted into slurry and then liquor at a particular brix and temperature
before moving on to other processing stages. For low grade sugars (97 – 98% pure), the sugar is
first affined before melting. The affination is achieved using machine known as ‘Affination
Mingler’. The affination mingler is a basin-like container, fitted with a shaft which is used for
mixing the contents inside it. In the mingler the VHP sugar from the dome silo (raw sugar storage
silo) is mixed with hot water of about 600C and Sweet water (water containing 10% sucrose) and

7
then mixed with the shaft in the mingler. There are 2 minglers, minglers 1 and 2, in each mingler
the mixing is done in three (3) stages with different degrees of dissolution in each stage. The
ensuing mixture is a mixture known as Affined Magma. The affined magma is then run through
the vibro-sieve (vibrating sieve) to remove impurities. The magma then moves to the melter.
NOTE: Before the VHP raw sugar enters the mingler, it is moves through another conveyor belt
which has strong magnetic compartment to remove any ferromagnetic material available in it also
incomplete dissolution of raw sugar is achieved.

2.3 MELTING PROCESS

In this section, the premelted magma from the VHP station is exposed to direct streams of steam
in two separate 20m stirrer tanks to melt totally all traces of sugar crystals from the magma and
filter out any trace of debris to yield a homogenous liquor known as Melt Liquor of brix (66-67°),
color (variable) and Ph (6.3-6.4) before forwarding it to the clarification stage. To achieve the
homogenous mixture, the temperature of the affined magma is raised to 700C and subjected to
rigorous agitation. The temperature in the melter is controlled so that it is not much more than that
temperature to prevent caramelization of sugar (sugar burn), because this will add more color
(browning) to the sugar thus making color removal at the clarification section difficult. The melt
liquor is then forwarded to the clarification section.

2.4 CLARIFICATION PROCESS

Clarification is the process of removing impurities from sugar juice. The purpose of the
clarification process is to remove color and turbidity from melt liquor by means of a
flocculation/floatation technique so that there will be sedimentation of the suspended solids. Melt
liquor from the melter tanks is fed into the reaction tank 1 (there are 2 reaction tanks), where
decolorizing agent is dosed into it, then the liquor (with the decolorizing agent) moves through the
heat exchanger (where the temperature of the mixture is raised to 82-84⁰C) to the second reaction
tank where phosphoric acid and lime sucrate is added. The mixture then moves through the aerator
to the clarifier where the clarification process is completed. The processes involved in melt liquor
clarification can be divided into four (4) stages, they are:

1. Color precipitation (which takes place in reaction tank1).

8
 2. Primary flocculation (Addition of phosphoric acid and lime sucrate).
3. Aeration (takes place in the aerator).
4. Secondary flocculation (takes place in clarifiers 1, 2 and 3).

2.4.1. COLOUR PRECIPITATION

The first stage of the clarification process is colour precipitation and this takes place in the reaction
tank 1. Melt liquor from the melt liquor storage tank is forwarded to the reaction tank where
decolourising agent, Diazoamino benzene solution or poly di-ethyl di-amine Chloride.
(Professionally called Talofloc) is dosed into the melt liquor stream. The speed of the decolourising
agent dosing pump is automatically controlled proportional to the liquor flow rate

and dosage setting. The decolourising agent though is primarily used to remove colour, it also
helps in spontaneous aeration of the floc (as we will still see below) and therefore eliminates the
necessity for complicated devices to assist aeration. After the dosing of decolourising agent
(Talofloc) into the liquor, the mixture moves to the reaction tank 2 through the heat exchanger
which raises the temperature of the mixture. This is done to increase the rate of the chemical
reaction that will be take place in the second reaction tank as we know that molecules have higher
kinetic energy at higher temperatures.

2.4.2 PRIMARY FLOCCULATION

In the reaction tank 2, phosphoric acid and Lime Sucrate (a solution of milk of lime slurry, water
and unclarified liquor) are dosed into the mixture of melt liquor and decolourising agent coming
from the reaction tank 1. The dosage of the phosphoric acid and lime sucrate are both automatically
controlled proportional to the flow rate and dosage ratio setting. The Ph of the liquor is controlled
to be in the range of 7.0 to 7.5, because if sucrose (a disaccharide formed by the combination of
glucose and fructose) is brought into contact with Hydrogen ion from a strongly acidic cat ion
exchange resin at high temperature and low Ph. Liquid inversion will occur. Thus, sugar is
hydrolyzed into glucose and fructose

9
Sucrose low pH Glucose Fructose

C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ + H20 -------------→ C₆H₁₂O₆ + C₆H₁₂O₆

The phosphoric acid and hydrated lime of lime sucrate undergo a neutralization reaction producing
a calcium phosphate precipitate (primary floc). The calcium phosphate particles entrap some
impurities and absorb others to the surface.

EQUATION

2H3PO4 + 3Ca (OH) 2 --------→ Ca3 (PO4)3 + 6H2O

Phosphoric Hydrated Calcium

The liquor then flows to the aeration compartment for continuation of the clarification process.

2.4.3 AERATION

The liquor from the tank 2 flows over a wire plate into the aeration compartment where air from
the aerator machine is blown into it. The air being blown helps push the primary flocs upward and
as the liquor flows into the clarifier machine by gravity, flocculant solution is dosed into the
mixture in between the aerator and the clarifier. The polyacrylamide flocculant solution though the
action will not be visible to the naked eyes causes the coagulation of the primary flocs formed by
the reaction of phosphoric acid and the hydrated lime explained above. This is achieved by the
attachment of the single impurity particles to the active sites on the polymer hereby forming bigger
flocs. Thus makes the solution going into the clarifier very turbid.

10
2.4.4 SECONDARY FLOCCULATION

From the aerator compartment, the liquor along with the secondary flocs in it flow into the Clarifier
by gravity. The Clarifier is an apparatus for the separation by sedimentation of suspended solids
from turbid sugar solution. BUA Sugar refinery utilizes a 3-Stage Clarifier system. The secondary
flocs obtained here are formed as a result of the aggregation of the primary flocs formed earlier
caused by the introduction of the polyacrylamide solution. The development of the secondary flocs
makes the solution very turbid but the air blown into the liquor in the aerator compartment causes
the flocs to float to the surface of the clarifier forming a layer of scum. The clarifier is fitted with
a Scum rake which removes the scum from the surface discharging it into the Clarifier Scum
Trough. Clarified liquor from the clarifier flows from the clarifier via the Ring Main to the Weir
Box. The weir box setting controls the liquid level in the clarifier, while the scum rake speed
controls the removal of scum. These controls enable the depth of the scum layer (4 inches
thickness) and consistency of the scum to be controlled. The liquor passes through the 3 clarifiers
(clarifiers 1, 2 and 3) and from the weir box of the third clarifier the clarified liquor flows into the
Clarified Liquor Tank.

The success of the clarification process depends upon the following:

(1) The adsorption of the colloidal and suspended materials by the calcium phosphate formed

in the reaction between phosphoric acid and lime sucrate.

(2) Good aeration of the primary calcium phosphate flocs and formation of larger aerated

flocs by the addition of flocculant solution.

(3) Sufficient time in the clarifier to allow the aerated flocs to be separated from the liquor

(This time is referred to as the Retention Time and it is estimated as the ratio of the

volume of the three clarifiers and flow rate of liquor) and controlled removal of the scum.

11
2.5 THE CHEMICALS USED IN CLARIFICATION AND THEIR PREPARATIONS

2.5.1 Decolourising Agent (Talofloc) –Diazoamino benzene

This additive is normally supplied in plastic 200 litre drums and it is a liquid at ambient
temperatures. It is transferred from the drum to the service tank and then pumped directly into the
clarification process at a rate proportional to the flow rate of the liquor.

NOTE: Wax (Magna wax) has been used in times past as decolourising agent but due to the
solidifying of wax after a short period of production shut down which leads to blockage of dosing
channels, the decision to change to di amino benzene was taken

2.5.2 Phosphoric Acid (H3PO4)

The acid used is 85% chemically pure food-grade phosphoric acid and it is stored in 316 stainless
steel or suitable plastic holding tank. Note that any other type of stainless steel (apart from the 316)
may lead to serious corrosion and the corrosion caused by this action may lead to serious corrosion
of all other associated equipment.

2.5.3 Lime Sucrate

This is a solution of Milk of lime slurry (hydrated lime plus water) mixed with unclarified liquor
and cold water. The lime sucrate solution at brix 41-47 degree is stored in the lime preparation
tank. 28 bags (25 kg/bag) of hydrated CaO are added into about 3m 3 of water representing about
25% of the total volume of the mixture to be prepared. The lime sucrate solution is prepared in the
proportion, 50% unclarified liquor, 25% milk of lime and 25% cold water. It is ensured that the
lime prepared is free from lumps, stones, straw etc so as to give good Ph control.

2.5.4 Flocculant Solution (Taloflote)- Polyacrylamide-1,2-ethanediamine with

chloromethyloxirane and N-methylmetamine

The flocculant (Taloflote) is prepared as 0.1% of solution; this means that 1 kg of flocculant is
required for 1m3. It is prepared with cold condensate at a temperature not greater than 400C or
12
filtered, softened water. It should be noted that after preparation, the solution is left to mature for
1 hour and if the solution is prepared and not used, it becomes ineffective after 18 hours.

Empirical formula of polyacrylamide

2.6 CHEMICAL DOSAGES

This process enables the refinery chemists and engineers to calculate the required chemical

dosages for respective chemicals in use. However, to demonstrate the chemical dose rate

calculations, a number of assumptions have been made:

1. Clarification rate = 90 tonnes sugar per hour

2.6.1 Phosphoric Acid

If 85% Phosphoric acid which has 61.6% P2O5 content and specific gravity of 1.689 is used;

90 tonnes/hr × 1000 kg/1 ton × 300 ppm/106 = 27kg of P2O5/hr

To calculate the weight of acid required;

13
27kg/hr × 100/61.6 = 43.8 kg/hr (85% H3PO4)

To calculate the volume of 85% acid required;

RECALL: Specific Gravity of acid is 1.689, so

43.8 kg/hr × 1/1.689 kg/litre = 30 litres/hr = 432 ml/min

2.6.2 Taloflote Flocculant

To calculate weight of flocculant required;

90 tons/hr × 1000 kg/1 ton × 10 ppm/106 = 0.90 kg/hr

As flocculant is prepared as a 0.1% solution (i.e 1g dissolved in 1 litre of water) thus to calculate

flocculant volume;

0.90 kg/hr × 10000 g/1 kg × 1g/litre = 900 litres/hr = 15 litres/min

2.6.3 Lime Sucrate

RECALL: Lime sucrate is prepared volumetrically as follows, 25% milk of lime, 25% water, and

50% unclarified liquor @ 650 Brix

From stoichiometric calculations 1kg of P2O5 requires 1.2 kg of P2O5 requires 1.14kg of CaO to

maintain reaction Ph balance.

Assumed dose rate of 300 ppm of P2O5 is used

From previous calculations, P2O5 = 27 kg/hr

Therefore, CaO required = 27 × 1.2 = 32.4 kg/hr

100 Be MOL required = 32.4/94 × 1000 = 345 litres/hr

As MOL is only 25% by volume of lime sucrate solution then the total to be pumped is:

4 ×× 345 = 1379 litres/hr = 23 litres/min

14
2.6.4 Decolourising Agent (Talofloc)

The solution specific gravity = 1.16

Therefore, to calculate the weight of Talofloc required

90 tons/hr × 1000g/1 ton × 200 (ppm)/106 = 18 kg/hr

To calculate the volume based on ex drum Talofloc required

18 kg/hr × 1/1.16 = 15.5 litres/hr = 259 ml/min

2.7 SCUM DE-SWEETENING

The scum de-sweetening process recovers sugar from the scum raked off the top of the clarifier
into the clarifier scum trough in the 3-stage clarification process. The process employs a process
similar to that of the clarification process, it is a 3-stage process which employs apparatuses similar
to the clarifier although smaller in size but they function by the same mode of operation. The scum
collected from the clarifier is diluted with midbrix sweet water and mixed until a homogenous
mixture is obtained. The mixture is aerated and taloflote flocculant is added to aid the floating of
the scum to the surface. The scum is removed from the surface of the sweet water by a rotating
scraper and discharged into the scum trough where it is washed away with low-brix sweet water.
The same cycle runs for the 2nd and 3rd stages, lime sucrate can also be introduced for Ph control
in the 3clarifiers or a uniform Ph can be maintained throughout the process. The clarified sweet
water is flows by gravity to the sweet water tank at the VHP station for pre-melting and the final
scum is discharged to where it can be used as manure by farmers.

NOTE: Scum contains about 10% sucrose content but after de-sweetening this is reduced to

about 0.05%

15
 A Clarifier with scum on top of it

2.8 Clarification Parameters

16
2.9 FILTRATION PROCESS

The filtration process uses a Deep Bed Filter (DBF) system. The DBF is a fully automatic filter
designed to remove suspended solids from liquor and syrup streams in the food industry. It uses a
sand-carbon-gravel filter media to remove larger flocculated particles which can cause fouling of
downstream processes. This filter also acts as safety system after clarification during times of poor
or no clarification allowing remedial action to be taken. The objective of the filtration process is
to remove carry-over traces of floc from the clarifier, thereby reducing the turbidity of the liquor
by passing the clarified liquor through the DBF. There are nine (9) DBF filters each of 78” diameter
and operating at 76-86 0C and 0.3 bar pressure. The clarified liquor enters the device t the top from
where it passes down through the body of the filter. I is pumped at an average flow rate of 123m3/hr
to the filter. The filter media, sand-carbon-gravel is arranged by placing the coarser materials at
the bottom, followed by the finer ones at the center and then the larger media with large interstitial
spaces at the topmost. This ensures that residual floc of any size is collected and can be removed.
The filtrate known as filtered liquor flows to the backwash tank which overflows into the filtered
liquor tank before being transferred to the next process. When there is accumulation of dirt in the
filter, pressure will build up and at value of 0.7 bar, the system automatically REGENERATES.
Regeneration process is a cycle involving an upward backwashing which reverses the flow through
the filter such that the bed is lifted and expanded (laicized) to an extent where the accumulated dirt
is discharged from the top of the filter without losing any media. After backwashing, the bed is
allowed to resettle and down-flow filtration can commence.

2.10 CRYSTALLISATION PROCESS (Pan Boiling)

This is the section where controlled crystallization is carried out on filtered liquor. Crystallization
is the process of separation/extracting sucrose out of a liquid state into a pure crystallization state
using the Vacuum Pans, hence the name Pan Boiling. The vacuum pan is designed to condense
water vapour and remove air. Pan boiling involves the controlled boiling of filtered liquor in the
vacuum pan until the crystals start to develop and grow in size. The sugar boiler in-charge observes
the boiling operation through the sight glass on the vacuum pan. When the crystals grow to the
desired size, the crystallized product is discharged and reloaded with a fresh batch of liquor to
continue the refinery operations. The crystalline product is virtually free of impurities and low in

17
colorants, this crystalline product is a mixture of sugar crystals and syrup known as Massecuite.
There are two (2) grades of crystallization; this grading is done based on the purity of the
massecuite;

1. High Grade Crystallisation: This grade of crystallization involves filtered liquor and
high-grade run-off syrups that are of high purity (over 92%) and low in colour (less than
2500 IU) and it yields white granulated sugar fit for human consumption. The typical high
grade massecuite content is as follows;
Water 10%
Crystals 55%
Syrup 35%
2. Low Grade Crystallisation: Low grade crystallization process involves the extraction or
exhaustion through crystallization of low grade run off molasses (Molasses is the low
purity run off obtained after crystals have been extracted from massecuite through
centrifugation). The re-crystallisation of this low-purity run off is a recovery process, it
is done to recover as much sucrose from run offs as possible and to reduce wastage (or
better still maximize profit). The product of low-grade crystallization is composed of;
Water 10%
Crystals 45%
Syrup 45%

Notice how the crystal content has reduced and the syrup increased compared to the content of
high-grade crystallization? After crystallization, the massecuites obtained are discharged to the
centrifugation section for further separation

18
2.11 CENTRIFUGATION PROCESS

In this centrifugation section the massecuites are separated into its constituents, wet sugar crystals
and mother liquor under the action of centrifugal force. This separation involves the spinning and
washing off of the syrup in massecuite to obtain white wet sugar crystals which are later dried in
the rotary drier. This separation is achieved with the aid of Centrifuge machine. Centrifuges are
separation machines used to separate sugar massecuite into its constituents, wet crystals and
mother liquor under the action of centrifugal force. The product (massecuite) is processed in a
cylindrical perforated basket fitted with filtering screens. The hot massecuite climbs up the basket
under centrifugal force and flows out through the filtering screens and basket perforations, and is
collected in the outer casing and discharged down through pipe work under the machine. In the
operation of the centrifuge, some spin speeds are of note. At 0 rpm, the operation mode of the
machine can be changed to either manual or automatic. Centrifuges that can function in the
automatic mode are referred to as Continuous Centrifuges. It loads itself, runs and discharges the
wet sugar crystals after the completion of separation. At 160 rpm, the centrifuge’s feed valve opens
to allow the fresh massecuite to be fed into the machine and after completion of the feeding, the
feeding valve closes and the spin speed increases gradually to 1000 rpm. The spin speed stays at
1000 rpm for some second then decelerates gradually to 90 rpm. When the speed drops down to
90 rpm, this means that the centrifugation process has been completed, so the discharge valve at
the bottom of the basket opens up and discharges the separated wet sugar crystals onto a conveyor
belt which conveys it to the rotary dryer. After separation of the wet sugar crystals and the mother
liquor (molasses), the white wet sugar crystals are conveyed to the rotary dryers for drying while
the molasses are transported to the recovery house as run-off. The run-off is categorized as Jet, A,
B, C and Final molasses based on their purities, with Jet molasses the purest and final molasses
with the lowest purity. Jet molasses is pan-boiled and centrifuged to obtain A molasses, A molasses
to get B molasses and so on until the final molasses is obtained. The final molasses however is not
boiled because the purity is very low and no more white sugar crystals can be obtained from it,
rather it is sold out to people who extract ethanol from it and those who use it for other purposes.

19
 Centrifuge Machines in BUA Sugar Refinery, Apapa

2.12 DRYING PROCESS

The objective of the drying process is to reduce the moisture content of wet sugar crystals
discharged from the centrifuges to about 0.03 – 0.04% (max) before the sugar is bagged. The
drying process is carried out with aid of large Rotary Dryers. The sugar remains in the dryer for a
given resident time (6-7 mins), and thus get dried with the help of cold and hot air blown from
exhaust fans at a temperature of 75oC. The exhaust fan also helps in the rotation of the sugar for
uniform drying while the cold air helps to reduce the temperature of the dried sugar to 40oC.
Extractors in the dryers help in the removal if sugar dust. The sugar dusts are collected over water
and transported to the sweet water tank where it is used for pre-melting operations in the VHP
station.

20
2.13 ROTEX SECTION

The dried and cooled sugar is conveyed by conveyor belts to the Rotex where the sugar will be
sieved to get uniform grains. The sugar crystals are screened to obtain uniform grains of about 0.5
– 0.6mm through a designated screen. Hence lumps or large sugar crystals are removed for lump
crushing while dusts are collected over water in a dust collector. The water and sugar dusts mixture
are forwarded to sweet water tank for melting VHP sugar at the pre-melter.

2.14 VITAMIN A FORTIFICATION

Sugar fortification is the enrichment of white refined sugar with an active ingredient known as
vitamin A (Dry Retinyl Palmitate) so as to add value to sugar and to help in preventing vitamin A
deficiency especially in growing children. Nursing mothers and pregnant women are also at risk.
White refined sugar, Retinyl palmitate, coconut oil and antioxidant powder are mixed in a V-
blender machine to produce premix which is dosed into refined sugar via dossiers. Premix can be
defined as a light-yellowish substance which comprises of white refined sugar, retinyl palmitate,
antioxidant (anti-caking powder) and coconut oil in the right proportion.

2.15 REASONS FOR PREMIX PREPARATION

1. To achieve a homogenous mixture of vitamin A bead lets with white refined crystalline

sugar.

2. To avoid segregation of white refined sugar from the retinyl palmitate.

3. To determine high loss of retinol concentration during processing.

4. To achieve the objective of sugar fortification.

21
2.16 COMPOSITION OF PREMIX

Vitamin A premix is composed of the following ingredients;

1. Refined Sugar: The same type of sugar that is to be fortified.

2. Retinyl Palmitate: The retinyl palmitate comes as a bead let, it is yellowish in colour and it
contains about 250,000 IU (ICUMSA Unit) of retinol per gram (75 mg/g). It comes in a well-
packaged box and it is stored in a polythene-like bag which prevents penetration of light because
light causes reduction in retinol concentration.

3. Antioxidant (Anti-caking Powder): The antioxidant is added to prevent the caking of premix, as
it might have to be stored for some days before it is taken to the dosifier.

4. Vegetable Oil: Vegetable oil serves as a binding agent for the refined sugar and retinyl palmitate
bead lets. Coconut oil is used in BUA Sugar Refinery because it is economical and it has low
viscosity.

Premix contains its constituents in the following proportion:

2.17 EQUIPMENT/MATERIALS USED FOR SUGAR FORTIFICATION

1. V-Blender Machine: A stainless steel machine used for the mixing of premix

2. Dosifier Machine: Also called micro-feeder, is used for dosing the prepared premix into the
refined sugar being conveyed to the refined sugar silo.

22
3. Agitator Machine: Attached to the V-blender machine, it is used for stirring, holding and
dispersing coconut oil into the V-blender machine.

4. Weighing Scale: Used for the weighing sugar and prepared premix.

5. Nitrogen Cylinder and Bubbling System: For blowing nitrogen into the oil [Oxygen gas can also
be used].

6. Black Polythene Bags: For lining the inside of bags used for storing premix. Black polythene
bags are used because they prevent the penetration of light which could lead to loss of retinol
concentration.

Schematic diagram of a premix blender

2.18 PROCEDURES FOR PREMIX PREPARATION

1. Weigh the specified sugar weight into the V-Blender machine.

2. Weigh the appropriate quantity of coconut oil and pour into the agitator machine

3. Tighten the two (2) lids (inlets) of the V-blender machine properly to avoid splashing of

23
the contents within it during mixing.

4. Mix for five (5) minutes

5. After mixing for 5 minutes, switch on the agitator, open the air valve to enable flow of oil

into the V-blender.

6. After discharging the oil which could have taken 1-2 minutes, switch off the agitator

machine and mix for another 5 minutes.

7. After the mixing, empty the pre-weighed 20 kg bag of retinyl palmitate into the Vblender.

8. Cover again and mix for another 5 minutes.

9. After mixing, switch machine off, open the lid, and pour the appropriately weighed

antioxidant powder into blender and mix for 5 minutes.

10. After this mixing, premix is ready and discharged through the base of the blender into

black polythene bags.

11. The prepared premix is weighed and transported to the dosifier machine which controls

the dosing of premix into refined sugar crystals being conveyed to the refined sugar silo

for bagging.

NOTE: After fortification, each 50 kg bag of fortified sugar must contain 25,000 IU of retinol per
kg and the ratio of premix to white refined sugar is 1 kg of premix to 1,000 kg of white refined
sugar.

24
2.19 BAGGING

Refined and fortified sugar from the storage silo is bagged in the bagging section into 50 kg
polypropylene bags and sewn. The bags are from here transported to the warehouses or to retailers
who sell it directly to the consumers. Below are the parameters that every bags of sugar that are
produced by the refinery are expected to possess.

2.20 PARAMETERS FOR REFINED WHITE SUGAR

These specifications are those stipulated by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and

they are as follows;

25
PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM OF SUGAR REFINING AT BUA SUGAR REFINERY

26
 CHAPTER THREE

3.0 CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED DURING TRAINING PERIOD

I would not say I encountered any challenges per say during this period, at least not one which this
institution or Industrial Training Fund (ITF) can do anything about. The major challenge I faced
was transportation in the city of Lagos. Considering that I reside in one part of the city and I have
to virtually travel to get to work every day, coupled with the infamous hectic traffic situation of
Lagos. It should be said however that I still consider it part of the training and that too made the
whole experience worthwhile. On the part of the organisation also, I would not say much has to be
done because they provided staff bus for the members of staff which I also benefitted from due to
my running shift. Although some of the other trainees do not have access to that benefit.

3.1 SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE SCHEME

Based on the complaints gathered from some of my colleagues and which I experienced myself, I
will like to make the following suggestions on how to ensure that the Student Industrial Work
Experience Scheme is much more successful and it is able to meet set goals and objectives;

A. Securing Placement

Securing a place of attachment is a very hectic task for so many students, as some organizations
turn students down and some will have them undergo rigorous examinations/tests and yet will not
take them even after they have done well in the tests. It will improve the scheme if more
organizations can be encouraged to embrace this scheme and give students the opportunity to
undergo training with them.

B. Payment of Stipend

In the organization where I underwent my training, they did well with the pay (although more
would be welcomed), same cannot be said about some organizations where their trainees are either
not paid at all or are paid next to nothing. Sometimes the pay cannot even cater for the

27
transportation and feeding of these trainees. If we will not be asking for too much, it will serve the
scheme well to encourage such organizations to improve the stipend being paid to their trainees.

3.2 RECOMMENDATIONS

My recommendations go to the following groups of people;

To The Students

1. Students are advised to fully cooperate with their lecturers in order to acquire basic
knowledge in their course of study which will help them prepare for the tasks ahead during
their SIWES.
2. Also, I recommend BUA Sugar Refinery Limited to future IT students in this department.

To the University

1. The university should form a strong link with industries through the departments to solve
the problem of students’ placement faced by many students.

3.3 CONCLUSION

Like I said above, the period of my industrial training at the BUA Sugar Refinery was an entirely

rewarding one. During those 6 months, I learnt a lot academically, practically, socially, about the

sugar industry and about life generally. So, I can indeed say that it was a very good memorable

experience for me.

28
REFERENCES

O’JESI MC’s Report on work at Dangote Sugar Refinery.

BUA Sugar Refinery Laboratory Standard Operation Procedure manual, 2008.

Sugar Refinery – Wikipedia the free encyclopediaen.wikipedia.org/sugar refinery

TALO Flocculants in Sugar manufacture, September, 1975

Handbook of Sugar Refining: A manual for the design and operation of sugar refining facilities,
Ed. Chung Chi Chou, 2000.

O. Dary and G. Arroyave, Manual for Sugar Fortofocation with Vitamin A, Part Two

29