Day (16), in the same grinding season at another Louisiana factory, reported that the concentration of volatile acids (formic and acetic) was greater in the condensate of the penultimate evaporator body and was even worse in condensate from the last body to the condenser as major pipe corrosion problems occurred there. The major source of these acids has been reported (16) to be the microbial quality of sugarcane wash water. This phenomenon (Figure 2) has not been reported before in other geographical areas, which may be because the presence of volatile acids is lower, or a simpler