Trends in the Development of Engineering Technologies for Sugarcane and Sugar Production in Nigeria

Abstract

Research on sugarcane started effectively in Nigeria in 1986 when the National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI), Badeggi was mandated by the Federal Government to undertake research into sugarcane genetic improvement, crop production techniques and sugar production. In line with this mandate, the Sugarcane Research Programme set up a processing technology for sustainable sugar production at the cottage level in 1986. Accordingly, the Agricultural engineering department of the Institute in collaboration with other relevant organizations developed and commissioned the first proto type Sugar Processing Plant in 1988. Also, a heat treatment system for treating sugar cane setts before planting for smut control in the field was designed and fabricated. The components of the sugar prototype plant include cane juice extractor, cane juice clarifier /boiling system, crystallizer, centrifuge and dryer. From 1988 to date, further research activities on these machineries have resulted to the development of more efficient systems, thereby improving the overall output and performance of the plant. The various trends followed in the development of the NCRI sugar processing plant and the heat treatment machineries from their prototype stages to the current stages are discussed in this paper.