Can calcium hydroxide be used in sugar production?

Calcium hydroxide can be used in the sugar industry. It is a classic chemical additive in the sugar-making process and a "low-key yet crucial" purification assistant for the sugar industry.

Main Application Scenarios and Principles

Neutralizing Acidity and Adjusting pH Value

The sugar juice obtained after pressing sugar-making raw materials (sugarcane, sugar beet) contains a small amount of organic acids, which will affect subsequent purification and the stability of sucrose. Calcium hydroxide can neutralize the acidity and adjust the pH value of the sugar juice to an appropriate range (generally 6.5-7.5) to prevent sucrose hydrolysis.

Clarifying and Purifying Sugar Juice

Calcium hydroxide reacts with impurities in the sugar juice to form insoluble precipitates. These precipitates will adsorb colloids, proteins, pigments and other impurities in the sugar juice to form large floccules, which can be quickly separated through sedimentation and filtration to obtain clear sugar juice.

Removing Non-Sugar Impurities

It can react with phosphoric acid, carbonic acid and other substances in the sugar juice to form calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate precipitates. At the same time, it adsorbs some heavy metal ions and organic substances, further purifying the sugar juice and improving the purity and taste of the final sugar product.