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Raw sugar juice leaving the crushing stage contains more than dissolved sugar. Fine fibrous residue from the cane, known as bagacillo, can remain suspended in the juice and continue toward clarification.
Effective bagacillo removal from raw sugar juice is therefore an important early filtration step. If the fibres remain in the liquid stream, they add to the suspended-solid load entering downstream processing.
The challenge, however, is not only separating bagacillo from the juice. Because the material is fibrous, wet, and lightweight, it can remain on the filtration mesh and gradually reduce the open area available for liquid flow.
For sugar processors, efficient raw sugar juice filtration therefore depends on two things: separating the fibres and removing them from the filtration surface quickly
Bagacillo is the fine fibrous residue generated during sugarcane extraction. Unlike the coarser bagasse removed during crushing, finer fibres can remain carried with the extracted raw or mixed juice.
Galaxy Sivtek identifies bagacillo removal as an application within sugar processing, where Vibro Separators are used to remove fibrous residue from extracted juice before it continues downstream.
The process broadly follows:
Sugarcane crushing → Raw / mixed juice → Bagacillo removal → Clarification
The purpose of filtration at this stage is not to replace clarification. It is to remove mechanically separable fibrous solids before the juice reaches that process.
Bagacillo behaves differently from ordinary granular solids.
Wet and dry fibres can remain on the mesh surface instead of discharging immediately. As these fibres accumulate, the effective filtration area decreases and less open mesh remains available for the juice to pass through.
This can result in:
So, in sugar juice filtration, retaining the bagacillo is only part of the job. The retained fibre also needs to leave the filtration surface efficiently.
In a documented sugar-mill application, Galaxy Sivtek used the Sivtek 360° Discharge Separator® for filtering raw/mixed sugar juice.
After sugarcane crushing, both wet and dry bagacillo remained in the juice. The separator’s peripheral-discharge arrangement allowed the retained fibrous material to move outward and leave around the complete circumference of the machine instead of remaining on the mesh for an extended period.
During the process, the juice passes through the filtration mesh while retained bagacillo is continuously directed away from the active filtration area.
This is particularly useful for a fibrous application because quicker discharge helps keep a greater portion of the mesh available for continuous liquid flow.
In mixed juice filtration, the behaviour of the retained solids matters almost as much as the filtration itself.
Bagacillo that remains on the mesh progressively occupies the available filtration area. The longer the fibres stay there, the greater the possibility of restricting juice flow.
With a 360° peripheral discharge arrangement, retained fibres have a shorter path before leaving the active filtration surface.
Galaxy Sivtek’s onsite raw sugar juice application specifically highlights this configuration for discharging wet and dry bagacillo while helping keep the mesh free from blockage and supporting filtration output.
The application therefore depends on three connected factors:
effective bagacillo separation + rapid fibre discharge + available filtration area.
A raw sugar juice filtration system should be selected according to actual process conditions rather than treated as a standard liquid-filtration duty.
Important considerations include:
Galaxy Sivtek also identifies Vibro Separators more broadly for bagacillo removal in sugar processing. The final equipment configuration should therefore be based on the actual juice flow, fibre load, and operating conditions of the sugar plant.
Bagacillo removal happens early in sugar processing, but its effect continues into the next stages.
Allowing avoidable fibrous residue to continue with the raw juice increases the suspended-solid load reaching clarification. Removing it earlier gives downstream processing a better-prepared juice stream.
The key to effective bagacillo removal from raw sugar juice is not simply capturing the fibres. The filtration system must also prevent those fibres from accumulating on the mesh and restricting juice flow.
For sugar plants handling raw or mixed juice containing wet and dry bagacillo, an appropriate filtration and discharge arrangement can help maintain more usable filtration area while preparing the juice for clarification.
Talk to Galaxy Sivtek’s experts to evaluate the right raw sugar juice filtration solution for your process.
