The chemical used to whiten sugar is activated carbon.
Activated carbon is a highly porous material that acts as a filter, trapping impurities and discoloration from the sugar solution. This process is called decolorization.
Here's how it works:
- Sugar Refining: Sugarcane or sugar beet juice is extracted and processed to produce raw sugar.
- Decolorization: The raw sugar solution is passed through a bed of activated carbon, which absorbs the colored impurities.
- Filtration: The decolorized sugar solution is then filtered to remove the activated carbon.
- Crystallization: The filtered sugar solution is concentrated and crystallized to form white sugar.
Activated carbon is a safe and effective way to whiten sugar, and it is widely used in the sugar refining industry.
