Sugarcane Fibre Analysis a highlight of this years ISSCT conference in India 2023

Geoff Kent, Principle Research SRI, Australia presents at ISSCT, Hyderabad, India 2023

A comprehensive examination of the performance of current sugarcane fibre analysis methods was reported recently at the International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists meeting in Hyderabad, India. Authored by Changrong Shi (SRI), Geoff Kent(SRI) and Christopher Henderson(Jeffress Eng) the paper reviews the application, operation and performance of diffusion technology methods, the press method, the Hamna method and the ICUMSA method.

Repeatability measurements were calculated for all methods showing the diffusion method of fibre analysis to be the most repeatable and precise. The Jeffco Cane Fibre Analyser was reviewed and demonstrated to be the best performing of the available technologies, with a leading and low repeatability of +/- 0.29 units fibre. Press methods provide a lower precision and higher repeatability of +/- 0.66 units fibre whilst the ICUMSA method for fibre demonstrated the worst performance at +/- 1.39 units fibre. The paper stated that” the best performing methods are those that require a single sample of cane for analysis and require minimal or no assumptions in the fibre calculation” (Shi et al, 2023, A new approach to measuring the fibre content of sugarcane, ISSCT proceedings.)

Jeffress Engineering General Manager Chris Henderson attended the ISSCT and the paper presentation and was impressed to see over 100 delegates present in the room to hear Geoff Kent’s presentation. “With the increase in fibre due to dirt, soil, trash, sand, tops and rocks entering the cane supply as a result of increased harvesting mechanization, and the significant interest in value adding discussed at the conference, it is a fact that sugar factories, biomass and cogeneration plants are interested in fibre so as to minimize costs and improve opportunities for revenue expansion” he said. “Only with accurate reliable data can the best decisions be made for improvements in profits and smoother operations”.

Further information about the Jeffco Cane Fibre Analyser can be found on the Jeffress Engineering website www.jeffress.com.au