1. Sugar refining wastewater mainly originates from sugar production and the comprehensive utilization of its by-products. It includes various wastewaters generated during the sugar refining process using sugar beets or sugarcane as raw materials, such as chute wastewater, sugar pressing wastewater, distillation wastewater, and surface washing water.
2. Main characteristics of sugar refining wastewater
2.1 Sugar refining wastewater has a high content of suspended solids. During the processing and pressing of sugarcane, sugar beets, and other sugar raw materials, some solid residues are mixed into the wastewater, mainly including sugarcane bagasse, sugar beet pulp, and other solid particles. Excessive suspended solids will affect the transparency of the wastewater and may also clog treatment equipment and pipelines.
2.2 Sugar refining wastewater contains a certain amount of pectin. Pectin comes from the cell walls of sugar raw materials and increases the viscosity of the wastewater. Pectin’s viscosity reduces the flowability of the wastewater, easily causing blockages in pipelines and equipment during treatment, and affecting the effectiveness of subsequent sedimentation, filtration, and other treatment processes.
2.3 The pH value of sugar refining wastewater fluctuates significantly. It may be acidic or alkaline, depending on the acid and alkali reagents used in the sugar refining process. These pH fluctuations affect microbial growth and metabolism, impacting the wastewater biological treatment system. Different treatment processes have specific pH range requirements; exceeding these ranges will reduce treatment efficiency.
2.4 The temperature of sugar refining wastewater is relatively high. The sugar refining process involves heating and evaporation, resulting in wastewater containing a certain amount of heat. Higher temperatures can affect the activity of microorganisms during wastewater treatment, potentially leading to abnormal microbial metabolism and increasing the rate of dissolved oxygen consumption.
