The diagram illustrates the process of producing sugar from sugar cane. Overall, sugar production is a seven-stage process that begins with growing sugar cane and concludes with the production of refined sugar. The main stages involve harvesting the mature crop, extracting and purifying the juice, concentrating it into syrup, separating sugar crystals, and finally drying the finished product.
Initially, sugar cane is cultivated for between 12 and 18 months until it reaches maturity. The crop is then harvested either mechanically, using a harvesting machine, or manually, with workers cutting the stalks by hand. Once collected, the sugar cane is transported to a crushing machine, where the juice is extracted.
Next, the raw juice is purified by passing it through a limestone filter to remove impurities. The purified liquid is subsequently heated in an evaporator, which removes excess water and transforms the juice into a thick syrup. This syrup is then transferred to a centrifuge, where rapid counterclockwise rotation separates the sugar crystals from the remaining liquid.
In the final stage, the sugar crystals undergo drying and cooling before becoming the finished sugar product, ready for storage, packaging, or distribution.