about

Cantley
factory

welcome to

Cantley

This short guide is

designed to give you
an overview of the
workings of one of
Europes most efficient sugar factories.
We hope you find it informative and
engaging.

factory

Homegrown sugar beet

1.3 million tonnes of sugar beet are
produced by some 750 UK growers, at
an average distance of 28 miles from the
factory.
Beet samples are sent to the central
tarehouse at British Sugars Wissington
facility, which serves all of British Sugars
factories.

Steve Lynn, Factory Manager

How a British Sugar

factory operates
The diagram on the centre pages shows
how all of the processes at British Sugars
factories are integrated. The basic sugar
manufacturing process is at the core, but
additional steps show how Cantley produces
much more than sugar.
The output of each process becomes the
input of the next, until raw materials are
turned into products, avoiding unnecessary
waste. The factory can process up to
10,000 tonnes of beet
a day, with an average
daily throughput of
9,000 tonnes. 1,350
tonnes of sugar are
produced every day. It is
stored in six silos with a
total storage capacity of
60,000 tonnes.

Cantley

Rotary stone catchers remove around 7,000

tonnes of stone each year from incoming
beet, which is washed and sold as an
aggregate.
Soil is also separated, dried, screened and
blended before being sold as high quality
topsoil, under the TOPSOIL brand, to
landscapers and for construction projects.

factory

00
up to 10,0
Processes eet a day
b
tonnes of

Extraction and
animal feed

70,000

tonnes

Cantley
produces much
more than sugar

Purification

Clean beet is sliced into thin strips called cossettes.

These are pumped to two separate diffusers 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.

The remaining fibre is mechanically pressed before

being dried in coal and oil fired driers. This process
produces the familiar plume of vapour rising from the
drier chimney during the winter months.
The dry fibre is compressed into pellets which are sold
in bulk as animal feed. 70,000 tonnes of animal feed
pellets are produced and sold each year.

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 factorys energy efficiency.

The steam that has been removed by evaporation is condensed,
used for further heating and then stored to be used in other
processes on site.

Crystallisation
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 six concrete storage silos, with a total bulk
capacity of 60,000 tonnes.
Syrup from a second crystallisation stage is stored in two
large tanks, with a combined capacity of 44,000 tonnes.
The syrup is exported to British Sugars Wissington factory as
feedstock for the chromatography process, which produces
betaine, sugar and raffinate for animal feed.

how our

factory operates

:
factory
Cantley

Produces

more than

sugar

We aim to transform
raw materials into
sustainable products.

Beet supplies
1.3 million tonnes of beet
are produced at an average
distance of 28 miles from
the factory.
750 UK growers.

Lime
Kiln

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 400 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.

TOPSOIL
Soil is separated, dried,
screened and blended.

Milk of Lime
Tank

Stones
7,000 tonnes of stone
cleaned and sold as
aggregate each year.

Animal feed
In total around 70,000 tonnes
of dried animal feed are sold
each year.

LimeX
Over 60,000 tonnes
of LimeX45 is sold
annually.

Sugar products
Thick Juice Storage

Cantley factory supplies

200,000 tonnes of sugar to
food and drink manufacturers
in the UK and Europe.

Power generation
The combined heat and power
plant produces steam and
electricity.
E xcess power can be exported
into the local electrical grid.

Resin separation
Residual syrup is exported
to Wissington for resin
separation.
Three products are produced:
a sugar stream called extract;
an amino-nitrogen stream
which is mainly betaine; and
a further stream, raffinate.

Topsoil
Recycling the soil that adheres to the sugar beet delivered to
British Sugars 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 for inclusion in compost products.

Environmental management
Set in the heart of Broads National Park, Cantley factory
is surrounded by areas of European importance for both
natural habitat and bird life. Our own extensive pond
systems are home to a huge variety of birds. Ducks, swans
and geese can be seen throughout the year, and in the
summer and autumn wading birds come to feed on the
mud flats. Recent rare bird visitors include a Red Necked
Phalarope, Black Tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Lapwing and Ruff.

Cantley factory:

Contributing to UK and EU
soil protection strategies

13

Can be exported
into the local
electrical grid

LimeX
During the purification process, the
precipitated chalk is filtered, washed
and pressed, producing 400 tonnes
of LimeX per day. The water removed
during pressing is returned to an earlier
stage of the purification process
reducing the demand for fresh water.

60,000
Over
tonnes of LimeX
is sold annually

mw

Over 60,000 tonnes of LimeX45 is

sold annually to farmers to correct
acidity, add nutrients, and improve
the structure of soil, and for other
non-agricultural uses.

Sugar products
Cantley supplies 200,000 tonnes of sugar
to food and drink manufacturers in the UK
and across Europe.

heat
Complex
recovery systems

minimise the energy

demand of the plant

Power generation
At the heart of Cantley factorys operations
is the combined heat and power (CHP)
plant. It produces steam and electricity
using coal and oil fired boilers, with a power

generating capacity of 13 MW. Excess

power can be exported into the local
electrical grid.

Cantley factory then and now

Cantley sugar factory has a special place in the history
of this countrys sugar industry. Built in 1912, and as the
first British beet sugar factory, it marks the birth of the
homegrown sugar industry. For over 100 years, the factory
has been a landmark on the banks of the River Yare, from
where it can be seen for miles around.
Historically, sugar making at Cantley had the feel of a
family business with fathers, sons and daughters working
alongside each other in the factory. The tradition of
long-service continues today and several of Cantleys
staff have worked at the factory for many years, providing
our business with a wealth of experience.
Cantley factory works to a well established business
management system which is registered to ISO 9001 and
which encompasses the entire operation from buying the
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.

Cantley factory :
Cantley was the first UK
beet sugar factory

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
Operation of the Cantley factory relies
heavily upon the skill, knowledge and
dedication of our staff including the process
and engineering technicians, many of whom
are multi-skilled and also take on process roles
during the campaign.
Cantley factory employs a permanent workforce
of 120, rising to 180 during the processing
campaign which lasts on average, for about
140 days. The factory operates 24 hours a day
throughout the campaign. The factory also
employs up to 150 contractors to carry out
maintenance work and provide other services.
British Sugar operates an active apprentice
recruitment scheme which attracts and trains
talented young people to step into others shoes
and retain the high standards and experience base.
15% of Cantleys current technicians have
risen through the ranks from its Advanced
Modern Engineering Apprenticeship scheme.
The scheme delivers practical college based
engineering skills, on-the-job training, as well
as nationally recognised BTEC qualifications in
mechanical and electrical engineering.
Cantley relies on local contracting companies to
provide a variety of essential work at the factory,
including welding, cleaning, packaging, painting,
civil works, as well as more specialist works and
major capital installations.

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
Dress appropriately in food handling areas
- your site contact will explain our company
policy and provide suitable protective clothing
Wash hands before and after eating, smoking etc
No smoking unless in designated areas
No alcohol, glass or sharp objects allowed on site
Anything we need to know?
Health and medical conditions e.g. allergies /
fear of heights / dietary requirements

Cantley Factory
British Sugar plc
Norwich NR13 3ST
Tel: +44 (0)1493 700351
Head Office
British Sugar plc
Sugar Way
Peterborough PE2 9AY
Tel: +44 (0)1733 563171

www.britishsugar.com