Removing Calcium Ions from Remelt Syrup with Rosin-Based Macroporous Cationic Resin

Mineral ions (mainly calcium ions) from sugarcane juice can be trapped inside the heating tubes of evaporators and vacuum boiling pans, and calcium ions are precipitated. Consequently, sugar productivity and yield are negatively affected. Calcium ions can be removed from sugarcane juice using adsorption. This paper described the experimental condition for the batch adsorption performance of rosin-based macroporous cationic resins (RMCRs) for calcium ions. The kinetics of adsorption was defined by the pseudo-first-order model, and the isotherms of calcium ions followed the Freundlich isotherm model. The maximal monolayer adsorption capacity of calcium ions was 37.05 mg·g(−1) at a resin dosage of 4 g·L(−1), pH of 7.0, temperature of 75 °C, and contact time of 10 h. It appeared that the adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic based on the thermodynamic parameters. The removal rate of calcium ions in remelt syrup by RMCRs was 90.71%. Calcium ions were effectively removed from loaded RMCRs by 0.1 mol·L(−1) of HCl, and the RMCRs could be recycled. The dynamic saturated adsorption capacity of RMCRs for calcium ions in remelt syrup was 37.90 mg·g(−1). These results suggest that RMCRs are inexpensive and efficient adsorbents and have potential applications for removing calcium ions in remelt syrup.