Bury St Edmunds. about. factory

about

Bury St Edmunds factory

welcome to

Bury St Edmunds This short guide is designed to give you an overview of the workings of one of Europe’s most efficient sugar factories. We hope you find it informative and engaging.

Mike Blowers, Factory Manager

How a British Sugar factory operates The diagram on the centre pages shows how all of the processes at British Sugar’s factories are integrated. The basic sugar manufacturing process is at the core, but the additional steps show how the Bury St Edmunds factory produces much more than sugar.

factory

Homegrown sugar beet Two million tonnes of sugar beet are produced by some 1,000 UK growers, at an average distance of 28 miles from the factory. The factory processes 14,000 tonnes of sugar beet per day during the beet processing campaign. The first stage of processing involves cleaning the sugar beet. 60,000 tonnes of soil is separated, dried, screened and blended before being sold as high quality soil, under the TOPSOIL brand, to landscapers and construction projects. In addition, 1,600 tonnes of stones are removed from the sugar beet delivered to the factory, which are washed and sold as an aggregate.

The output of each process becomes the input of the next, until raw materials are turned into products, avoiding unnecessary waste.

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Extraction and animal feed

100,000

tonnes

Clean beet is sliced into thin strips called cossettes. These are pumped to three diffusion towers where they are mixed with hot water to extract the sugar. The juice is used to preheat the cossettes before passing to heat recovery systems and on to purification.

St Edmunds “ Bury produces much more than sugar ”

Purification

The remaining fibre is mechanically pressed before being dried in coal fired rotary driers. This process produces the familiar plume of steam rising from the drier chimney during the winter months. The dry fibre is compressed into pellets which are sold in bulk as animal feed. In total over 100,000 tonnes of dried animal feed is produced and sold each year. In addition, over 10,000 tonnes of wet animal feed is sold annually.

The raw juice is progressively heated through complex heat recovery systems which minimise the energy demand of the plant. Milk of lime and CO2 are added to precipitate calcium carbonate, or chalk, which removes the impurities in the raw juice. The extracted ‘thin juice’ passes to multiple effect evaporators which boil the water off and produce a syrup known as ‘thick juice’.

Raw Juice Lime & CO2

This is the complex heart of the sugar factory’s energy efficiency. The steam and water that has been removed by evaporation is condensed and used for heating throughout the factory.

Crystallisation Up to 50% of the thick juice which is produced can be stored in seven large storage tanks with a combined capacity of 220,000 tonnes. This is returned to the factory outside of the beet processing campaign to allow sugar to be produced throughout the year. Crystallisation of sugar takes place in pans which boil the thick juice under vacuum. This lowers the operating temperature and reduces energy demand. The thick juice is ‘seeded’ with tiny crystals of sugar to provide the nucleus for the grains of sugar to form and grow. When the crystals are fully grown the mixture of crystal sugar and syrup, known as massecuite, is spun in centrifuges to separate the sugar from the syrup or ‘mother liquor’. After the sugar crystals are washed, dried and cooled, they are conveyed to five concrete sugar silos, with a total bulk storage capacity of 70,000 tonnes.

how our

factory operates

: factory Edmunds Bury St s e 0 tonn

14,00 Processesbeet per day r a of sug mpaign during ca

We aim to transform raw materials into sustainable products.

Beet supplies • 2 million tonnes of beet are produced at an average distance of 28 miles from the factory.

Lime Kiln

• 1,000 UK growers.

Purification • First purification where milk of lime and CO2 are added to precipitate calcium carbonate or chalk. • Precipitated chalk is filtered, washed and pressed, producing 500 tonnes of LimeX per day.

Crystallisation • Crystallisation takes place in vacuum pans which boil the juice at lower temperatures. • Juice is ‘seeded’ with tiny sugar crystals to provide the nucleus for crystals to form and grow.

Milk of Lime Tank

TOPSOIL • Soil is separated, dried, screened and blended. • 6 0,000 tonnes produced and sold under the TOPSOIL brand each year.

Stones • 1,600 tonnes of stone cleaned and sold as aggregate each year.

Animal feed • Over 100,000 tonnes of dried animal feed are sold each year. • Plus over 10,000 tonnes of wet animal feed.

Thick Juice Storage

LimeX • 70,000 tonnes of LimeX70 sold each year.

Sugar products • Bury St Edmunds factory supplies 210,000 tonnes of granulated sugar to customers in bulk or bags each year. • 4 0,000 tonnes of milled sugar products produced each year.

Power generation • The combined heat and power plant produces steam and electricity. • Up to 50 MW can be exported into the local electrical grid.

Topsoil Recycling the soil that adheres to the sugar beet delivered to British Sugar’s factories ensures a valuable, non-renewable resource is used in a sustainable way, contributing to UK and EU soil protection strategies. Soil is separated, dried, screened and blended before being sold as high quality topsoil to landscapers and for construction projects. Weeds and other green matter are separated and composted. Derived from the country’s prime arable soils, friable and easy to handle, and with a low stone content, TOPSOIL products meet the needs of the most discerning professional. 60,000 tonnes of TOPSOIL are produced annually.

LimeX During the purification process, the precipitated chalk is filtered, washed and pressed using membranes to produce a high quality lime cake of more than 70% dry substance – LimeX70. The water removed during pressing is returned to an earlier stage of the purification process, reducing the demand for fresh water. Bury St Edmunds produces over 500 tonnes of LimeX70 per day and sells 70,000 tonnes each year as agricultural soil conditioner and fertiliser.

: facto ry d m und s E t S Bury K and EU

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50 mw

Can be exported into the local electrical grid

LimeX products, developed by British Sugar, are the ultimate performers in the management of soil acidity. They are ideal for maintaining target pH in arable and grassland rotations and the restoration of brownfield sites.

St Edmunds “Bury produces over 500 tonnes of LimeX70 per day and sells 70,000 tonnes each year

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Bury St Edmunds factory:

Over 70,000 tonnes of LimeX is sold annually

Sugar products Milled sugars 40,000 tonnes of milled sugar products are produced annually at the UK’s largest milled sugar plant; Bury St Edmunds factory. Using state of the art equipment, a full range of milled sugar and sugar products are produced for the industrial and retail markets. For retail sales, the site mills and bags 500g and 1kg cartons of standard iced sugar. Milled sugar is also used in the production of ready to roll icing available in 1kg packets. In addition, organic and fair trade product lines have been added to Bury St Edmunds’ icing sugar portfolio. For the industrial market, icing sugars of various particle sizes are produced for specific applications, such as fondant manufacture. Sherbet is also produced on site for confectionery use.

Power generation At the heart of the Bury St Edmunds factory’s operations is the combined heat and power (CHP) plant. Using gas turbine technology it produces steam and electricity. Operating throughout the year and with an overall efficiency of over 80%, the 200 MW

tonnes “40,000 of milled sugar

products are produced annually

CHP plant provides all the energy required by the main sugar manufacturing operation. In addition, electricity is supplied to a neighbouring industrial plant with up to 50 MW of electricity exported to the local electrical grid – enough electricity for approximately 120,000 people.

Sugar products Granulated sugar Bury St Edmunds factory supplies 210,000 tonnes of granulated sugar to customers in bulk or bags each year. The Bury St Edmunds site screens and bags granulated sugar, producing caster, extra fine and granulated sugars in 25kg and 1000kg bags for supply to industrial customers. In addition, we work closely with British Sugar’s sister company, Silver Spoon, which uses 140,000 tonnes of Bury St Edmunds factory’s sugar at its nearby packaging complex. Bags of Silver Spoon sugar are available on supermarket shelves throughout the UK.

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Enjoy your visit

Keep yourself and our products safe • Remain with your site contact at all times • Wear Protective Safety Equipment - Safety helmet, eye protection, Hi Vis, sensible shoes, hearing protection • Be aware of fire and evacuation procedures • Typical safety hazards and what to do to keep safe:

Our people

Vehicles - Always keep to designated walkways and crossings Slips and trips - Always hold stairway handrails, be aware of slippery surfaces and avoid spillages Hot surfaces - Be aware and do not touch vessels, pipelines and equipment Noise - Wear ear protection provided when instructed • Red buttons - Do not push

180 permanent members of British Sugar staff are employed throughout the year at Bury St Edmunds. As part of British Sugar’s commitment to future operations, a number of graduates and apprentices train on site to join the multi-disciplined team including engineers, electricians and chemists.

• Dress appropriately in food handling areas - your site contact will explain our company policy and provide suitable protective clothing

During the beet processing campaign, an additional 50 seasonal members of staff are recruited.

• Anything we need to know? Health and medical conditions, e.g. allergies, fear of heights, dietary requirements

• Wash hands before and after eating, smoking, etc • No smoking unless in designated areas • No alcohol, glass or sharp objects allowed on site

The factory is supported by a team of over 100 contractors who supply services, such as welding, plant hire and facilities management. Bury St Edmunds works to a well established business management system which is registered to ISO 9001 and which encompasses the entire operation, from buying raw materials, through manufacturing and packaging, to delivery. The facility also retains ISO 14001 Environmental Management; OSHAS 18001 Occupational Health & Safety Management; and BRC Global Higher for Food Safety accreditations.

Bury St Edmunds Factory British Sugar plc PO Box 15 Hollow Road Suffolk IP32 7BB Tel: +44 (0)1284 763291 Head Office British Sugar plc Sugar Way Peterborough PE2 9AY Tel: +44 (0)1733 563171

www.britishsugar.com