Process for producing granulated refined sugar from sugar cane juice

A process for producing granulated refined sugar from sugar cane juice, characterized in that it comprises the phases of:

• I) treatment, initial clarification and concentration (TC) of the sugar cane juice, presenting a concentration of 13-18° Brix, through the steps of:
• treatment of the juice by sulphitation with sulphur (or phosphatation), dosage with calcium saccharate (or lime milk), heating to temperatures of 105-108° C., initial clarification by decantation, filtration of the juice and concentration by evaporation, for a syrup concentration of 60-65° Brix;
• II) final clarification and decoloration of the syrup obtained in first phase I, with removal of insoluble materials in suspension and of turbidity, through the steps of:
• a) submitting the syrup to a flotation using phosphoric acid, cationic decolorant, calcium saccharate and an anionic flocculant agent, and separating the clarified (flotated) syrup;
• b) filtrating the clarified (flotated) syrup;
• c) demineralizing the clarified (flotated) and filtrated syrup in a first ionic change column (C1), containing a bed of cationic change resin;
• d) decolorating the demineralized syrup in a second ionic change column (C2), containing a bed formed by an anionic resin with high color retaining capacity;
• and
• e) submitting the decolorated syrup to a polish or complementary decoloration in a third ionic change column (C3), also containing a bed formed by a resin with high color retaining capacity;
• III) cooking and crystallization (CC) of the syrup, the cooking of the latter being extended until the point of formation of the sugar crystals, which are submitted to centrifugation, to be separated from the remaining runoff syrup for obtaining the granulated refined sugar;
• and
• IV) drying and storage (DS) of the granulated refined sugar.