Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1869-08-25
How Beet. Root Sugar is Made.


met Tina by meteors alone.
How Beet Root Sugar is Made.
The process Of manufacturing sugar from
the beet, which has during the present
century acquired iu continental Europe an
Importance second only 70 tire coal and
iron interests, is quite complex. The
juice Of the beet root contains much
larger proportion Of water and of other
foreign substances, which have to be-
eliminated. during various successive opera
tons, than does eane-juice' and demands
consequently, more expensive machinery
,ad more skiilful handling. We shall
limit ourselves, in this article, to general
summary of the subject, for the gen
sral benefit of many who are at the
prc-eut day directing their thoughts toward
this profitable branch of industry. The
successive operations 10 which the beet
root Is subjected, after having been carried
into the factory, are Is follows First
washing Of the roots I; second, pulplng
,Rird, pressing the pulp fourth, defeating
TIE Juice fifth, carbonatlng the juices
sixth. fiter!ng seventh, concentrating
eighth. fltering again; ninth, boiling ;
tenth, cr7s,aliring or grainiug eleventh,
centrifugalzing twelfth, breaking up and
packing the sugar for market. In order
70 wash off the adhercnt dirt, the beets are
thrown into large revolving cylinder IN a
tank full of water. from the lower extrem-
ity af which an automatic apparatus takes
them at once to the .pulping machine
-Ioss. thcy arc seized hy spikes or erect
blades, placed on receiving cylinders, aud
pressed by means of special levers against
the rapidly revolving surface OF pulping-
drums, which are constructed OF a Sc
rics of small parallel saws separated by
narrow wooden rulers, the teeth of the
saws alone projecting beyond the rulers. \
small stream of water Is allowed TO fow
continuously upon the pulping-drum while
ia operation.
The beet-Ioot, on leaving the pulper be-
ny reduced to the consistence of thin
mush. Is shoveled into Toolen sacks and
submitted to the action of powerful hy-
Jraulic presses, which express the greater
portion Of the contained juice The spent
pulp Is a valuable proyender for sheep and
cattle The juice is now taken 10 the de-
tecating pans, where it is heated 10y steam
with a small percentage of Stacked lime
4 thick scum forms at the surface which
is taken off, and the juice is thus freed
from considerable portion of the albumin
Gus and other extraneous substances it
contained.
The defeated juice is next run into the
carbonating pans, where 1t Is submitted for
some time to the action Of current of
clrbonic acid gas blown through it by the
means Of gas force-pump. This sepa-
rates from the liquor nearly all the lime
eft in it from the previous operation, be-
sides eliminating various other salts. From
the carbonating pans the juice is run
through high vertical iron cylinders, or
filters, filled with granulated bone-black.
1t Is then ready for concentration, por-
ton of the contained water being vapor-
ized. In modern works this is generally
done very economically, and at a low
temperature, by means of exhaust steam,
in what are known by the name of vacuum
pans. The concentrated juice is again fiji
tered through bone-black, after which it Is
boiled in a second set of vacuum pans
smaller than those used for the first con-
rentration. When the consistencc acquir-
q by the liquid is that of thick syrup,
from which the sugar will spontaneously
erystallize after short period of rest, 1t Is
collected in shallow pans, or erystallizers.
At the end of few days, the liquid
portion is separated from the grains or
crystals of sugar, by introducing the whole
mixture into very rapidly revolving drums,
Hor centrifugal machines, the outer surface
Of which is made of metallic wire tissue,
Of such nature as to allow Of the passage
Of the uncrystallized syrup, while it re-
tains internally the solid grains Of sugar.
This furnishes US with the first sugar and
tie first syrup, which are considered Of
superior quality The first syrup is again
collected in vats, and at the end of few
weeks, a second crop of sugar is ready tor
the centrifugals This furnishes seconds,
both in sugar and syrups. The second
s7rup is allowed to settle in large tanks or
reservoirs, for period of several months,
and third lot of sugar is the result. This
Constitutes the third, and is generally of
low grade. The third syrups are called
molasses. and are only fit for the distiller,
as beet-root molasses has a disagreeable,
unpalatable bitter flavor, which it is near
y impossible to destroy. The Jumps ofsu-
gar are brokenzup or crushed, the sugar is
passed through a screen, and, being per-
tectly dry, is then placed in sacks or bar
res and weighed, when it is ready for mar
ket.
One of the great advantages which the
Production of the beet-root presents over
the cane consists in the fact that nothing is
here lost or wasted. The pressed pulp is
Invaluable for the fattening of live stock
The residues of ali kinds are rich fertilizers
potash is often made from the residue of the
distilled molssses besides which, the leaves
Of the beet are. after being properly treat