At-line purity sensor to enhance the monitoring, control, and performance of pan stage

This project will analyse the performance of a new SRI Robert evaporator installed at one of Australia's largest sugar mills, Victoria Mill in North Queensland. Designed by the Sugar Research Institute, the Robert evaporator removes water and non-condensable gasses from the sugar juice, to yield high quality sugar crystals.

This project seeks to prove the science and economics of a proposed biorefinery in the Burdekin sugarcane region of Australia, that would convert sugarcane juice to glycols and biomass to energy (syngas and hydrogen). Global research into biorefineries has escalated in recent years, as businesses transition to renewable and sustainable feedstocks and reduce reliance on petrochemicals.

Batch centrifugals that operate like a spinning washing machine are used widely to separate raw sugar crystals from the mother molasses. This project will trial a Danish-made sensor to show when and how long to add wash water to the batch centrifugal, to purify the raw sugar crystals - a job that is usually done by a worker at the sugar mill.