formerly waste. Sugar drying and storage Granulated sugar is sugar in which the individual sugar grains do not clump together. This is achieved by drying. The sugar is first dried in a hot rotary dryer, and then by blowing cool air through it for several days in conditioning silos. The finished product is stored in large concrete or steel silos. It is shipped in bulk, big bags or bags to industrial customers or packed in consumer-size packages to retailers. The dried sugar must be handled with caution, as sugar dust explosions are possible. For example, a sugar dust explosion which led to 13 fatalities was the 2008 Georgia sugar refinery explosion in Port Wentworth, GA. Byproducts Molasses Bagasse Many road authorities in North America use desugared beet molasses as de-icing or anti-icing products in winter control operations. The molasses can be used directly, combined with liquid chlorides and applied to road surfaces, or used to treat the salt spread on roads. Molasses can be more advantageous than road salt alone because it reduces corrosion and lowers the freezing point of the salt-brine mix, so the de-icers remain effective at lower temperatures. Adding the liquid to rock salt also reduces the bounce and scatter of the rock salt, keeping it where it is needed, and reduces the activation time of the salt to begin the melting process. Factory automation in sugar refineries As in many other industries factory automation has been promoted heavily in sugar refineries in recent decades. The production process is generally controlled by a central process control system, which directly controls most of the machines and components. Only for certain special machines such as the centrifuges in the sugar house decentralized PLCs are used for security reasons. References Bibliography External links Sugar related online glossary. Sugar refining. Egyptian inventions Industrial buildings Refinery