Suiker Unie restarted the production of granulated sugar at the factories in Dinteloord and Vierverlaten this week. The producer, part of Royal Cosun, will process the stored thick juice into sugar in the coming weeks.
Despite restrictions due to the corona virus, the sugar factories were able to complete maintenance and investments on time, Luc Kroes, plant manager of Suiker Unie, said in a statement.
During the beet campaign, the sugar factories produced about 400.000 tons of thick juice and stored them in tanks: 3 in Dinteloord and 3 in Vierverlaten. The thick juice, an intermediate product, was made during the last beet campaign. By producing and storing the concentrated juice, the factories can process significantly more sugar beets during the beet campaign.
Investments in maintenance
It then takes approximately 15 days to process the thick juice from one tank into sugar, Suiker Unie reports. Vierverlaten runs for about 30 days and Dinteloord about 40 to 45 days, until the end of June/beginning of July. In total, about 250.000 tons of sugar is produced. “In Dinteloord this concerns 150.000 white sugar, or our full silo storage capacity here,” Kroes said in a statement.
For the thick juice campaign, Suiker Unie made additional investments in maintenance. For example, 5 out of 10 white sugar centrifuges have been replaced. "Due to the corona measures announced in mid-March, this was a lot of work. Everyone had to stick to the one and a half meter working distance," said Kroes. The thick juice refining itself also takes place in accordance with the 1,5 meter economy and the hygiene rules of the RIVM.
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