Pulper and countercurrent washer sugar cane extraction

The process of extracting sugar component from sugar cane comprising the steps of cutting the sugar cane into small pieces and applying said small pieces to at least one tank type pulper in which a rotor at the bottom of the pulper tank is positioned to run against a perforated bedplate, adding liquid or filtrate at an elevated temperature to said tank while operating said pulper to achieve a consistency of solid contents to total weight of about 8%-10%, continuing to operate said pulper rotor until at least about 70% of the sugar content of the cane is dissolved in the liquid phase, and draining said pulper through said bedplate and separating the liquid phase from the non-liquid phase.

The process of extracting a liquid sugar component from sugar cane, comprising steps of:

• cutting the cane into small pieces and applying such small pieces to the tank of a first tank type pulper having a rotor at the bottom of the pulper tank positioned to operate against a perforated bedplate, adding liquid as necessary and pulping the contents of said first pulper tank and withdrawing the pulp contents through such bedplate, applying such contents to a second tank type pulp in a generally continuous manner, and extracting the pulp content from said second tank type pulper and diluting such extracted contents as necessary to a consistency of between about 2%-4%, applying said diluted contents to the upper surface of the belt of a moving countercurrent belt type displacement washer to form a mat of pulp on the washer belt and subjecting said mat to successive steps of liquid application to the upper surface of the mat and extraction of liquid through such belt to form a composite sugar rich extraction leaving said mat substantially free of available sugar content.