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Gula Java - Clarifying the Juices |
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The raw juice contains significant amounts of suspended solids which must be removed before the juice is concentrated. Lime is added to the juice in a process called defecation. The resultant alkaline juice is then neutralised using either sulphur dioxide (sulphitation) or carbon dioxide (carbonatation), the former being by far the more common nowadays. After excess gas is removed in a flash tank, a flocculant is added and the solids coagulate and separate. The clear juice (variously 'nira jernih' and 'nira encer') is passed to the evaporators. The dirty juice ('nira kotor') is then separated into mud ('blotong') and juice ('nira tapis') which is recycled. Traditionally the mud was removed in skips by the trainload, now most of it is trucked out. |
