Sugar has been a valued ingredient in food processing and beverages since Alexander the Great discovered the sugar cane or ‘cane that makes honey without bees “in India 2500 years ago.
In the U.S., the average consumption of sugar is now twice the maximum of 10% of daily calories recommended by the World Health Organization. However, since sugar cane is grown in 102 countries and a dozen of them representing 25% of its arable land, its cultivation and processing provides a livelihood for millions of people and export keeps many national economies.
Approximately 70% of all sugar from sugar cane, the rest of the sugar beet. These crops are grown in tropical to sub-tropical and temperate regions, respectively.
Significant environmental issues surrounding the sugar cane. On the one hand, cane sugar is the feedstock for the biofuel that provides the best net gain of energy and has the lowest carbon footprint. In Brazil, where ethanol is produced from sugar cane on a large scale since the oil crisis of the early ’70s, 55% of the crop is now used for this purpose. On the other hand, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF for its acronym in English) considers that the main environmental problems in the production of sugar cane are the effluents, the loss of habitats as land is cleared for cultivation and all the consequences of various agronomic practices, in particular:
- Soil erosion
- Water pollution by runoff and leaching of agrochemicals
- Resistance of weeds, pests and diseases
Paraquat is a nonselective herbicide when used to control weeds in conjunction with other practices can help mitigate these threats.
Paraquat is an essential tool for producers of sugar cane
Paraquat photosynthesis stops and quickly destroys all green tissue. weed control is not affected even if it rains within 15-30 minutes after spraying. As such, it has been essential to the development of farming systems such as zero tillage is not based on plowing to control weeds. The less you disturb the soil, the more it prevents erosion.
Paraquat is immediately deactivated when in contact with the ground. Not produce runoff, leaching, persistence or recruitment problems from the root to restrict its use. Unlike many other herbicides that have properties ‘waste’ it can be sprayed to burn the weeds before planting without risking damage to the crop. Paraquat is not systemic and non-selective herbicide glyphosate alternative therefore can be applied until the fourth leaf stage of sugar cane without lasting damage. In some situations, temporary burning of the crop is even profitable and encourages the growth of buds (mocollos). Paraquat can then be used to dry the crop spraying by air 3-14 days before harvest.
The intensive use of glyphosate has caused new weed problems as species less well controlled have been “invested” to become more pervasive and problematic. Some species have evolved biotypes that are resistant to glyphosate. Paraquat has a different mode of action, so that when used in integrated weed management, helps to avoid problems of investment and weed resistance.
What is raw sugar?
Raw sugar is refined by washing to remove the contaminated outer coating of crystals. Then the sugar is dissolved to produce a 70% sucrose syrup. Filtered impurities and subsequent rounds of concentration and crystallization result in refined white sugar. Sugar crystals are again separated from the molasses in a centrifuge. remaining sugar and brown sugar is recovered. and sugar can not be recovered for economic, final molasses still contains 20-30% 15-25% sucrose and glucose and fructose. Granulated sugar is made by drying the sugar in a hot rotary dryer and then the drying with cold air conditioning for several days.
Sugar cane is a grass with a thick fibrous stalk, which grows to 6 m in height. Commercial varieties of sugarcane are complex hybrids of several species within the genus Saccharum. The best known is Saccharum officinarum.
Plants store sugar cane sucrose in the sap of the stem to fill the seeds after flowering. However, it is important for sugar cane crops do not flourish to give high yields of sugar. At the time of harvest, the cane contains about 10% sugar, which changes depending on the variety, season and location.
Crystal sugar extraction involves grinding freshly harvested sugar cane to produce raw sugar is then purified to produce refined white sugar is 99% sucrose.
In milling raw sugar is washed, cut and grind the cane, then mixed several times with water and crushed between rollers. The juice obtained (‘garapa) contains up to 15% sucrose, while the remaining fibrous solids (“bagasse”) are a useful source of energy, animal feed or used to make paper. The addition of lime neutralizes the pH of cane juice. This stops the division of sucrose into glucose and fructose, and precipitates some impurities. Allow the suspended solids to settle before the juice is evaporated to a syrup. The syrup is concentrated under vacuum and crystallized sugar out of the ‘molasses’ liquid when it is scarlet with crystal sugar.