Process for softening a sugar containing juice such as molasses and the application thereof to a process for the recovery of the sugars contained in this juice.

摘要

The invention relates to a process for softening an aqueous sugar (sugar cane) juice containing sugars and Ca<2+> and/or Mg<2+> ions, such as a sugar refinery molasses, by means of a cation-exchange resin, in the Na<+> and/or K<+> form, and for regenerating the said resin, which comprises: (a) a softening stage consisting in bringing the said sugar juice into contact with the said cation-exchange resin, in the Na<+> and/or K<+> form, in order to obtain, on the one hand, a softened sugar juice depleted in Ca<2+> and/or Mg<2+> ions and loaded with Na<+> and/or K<+> ions and, on the other hand, a cation-exchange resin loaded with Ca<2+> and/or Mg<2+> ions, and (b) a stage for regeneration of the latter resin, characterised in that the regeneration stage (b) consists in bringing the said resin into contact with a liquid effluent produced during the separation by chromatography of the sugars of a softened aqueous sugar juice containing sugars and Na<+> and/or K<+> ions, this liquid effluent containing the greater part of the Na<+> and/or K<+> ions initially present in the softened sugar juice.