Production process

Raffinerie Tirlemontoise and the Belgian sugar beet: a successful marriage that has lasted for decades. The sugar that we produce is extracted from local sugar beets. On this page you will learn how we go from beet to sugar.

We work closely with 3.500 beet growers who sow about 40.000 hectares of land with sugar beets each year. These are harvested between September and January, and then transported to our factories. Our "The Best Is Close" project emphasises the local connection with our sugar and the collaboration with farmers. 

The transportation of beets to our factories is crucial during the harvest season. We strive for efficiency and environmental awareness by limiting the distance to a maximum of 50 kilometres. Farmers are stimulated to clear beets on the field, which results in less dirt and more beets per transport. This means we need 5.300 fewer rides per campagne, and empty return journeys are avoided by handing co-products to farmers and transporters.

Safety is a primary concern for Raffinerie Tirlemontoise and transporters. Since 2010, the 'Safe Beet Traffic' charter has been drawn up annually, in which transporters promise to work responsibly during loading and transport, with respect for the location and the environment.

1. Beets are weighed: The trucks are weighed upon entry (gross weight) and after unloading (tare weight). The difference is the next weight of beets.
2. Sugar in beets is measured: A sample of the beets is taken and analysed in the laboratory for sugar content. The farmers' compensation is determined by both the weight and the sugar content of the beet.
3. Stone trap: The beets are separated from impurities, such as stones.
4. Herb trap: The beets pass through an installation that removes leaves, weeds, and other plant residue. This plant residues are reused as green fertilisers.
5. Beet washing: The beets are washed thoroughly in order to remove sand, dirt, and other contaminants.
6. Circular water: Used washing water is collected, cleansed, and reused in the washing process, resulting in a sustainable circular approach.
7. Beets are cut into trimmings: The clean beets are cut into thin slices, known as beet chunks or trimmings, to increase the surface for a more efficient extraction of sugar.
8. Trimmings conveyor belt: The beet trimmings are transported via conveyor belt to the extraction department.
9. Mixer: In this step, the trimmings are mixed with hot water of facilitate the sugar dissolution.
10. Extraction tower: The mix of trimmings and water goes through the extraction tower, where sugar is extracted from the beets, creating a juice rich in sugar.
11. Press: The remaining pup is pressed in order to remove the remaining moisture and sugar.
12. Beet pulp for animals: The remaining dry pup is used as nutritious animal feed.
13. Sugar juice: The result of the extraction is a juice rich in sugar that will be further purified and concentrated into crystal sugar.

• Juice Purification: The juice from the diffusion process still contains impurities that must be removed. First, the juice is mixed with milk of lime. This milk of lime and carbon dioxide are produced on-site in our lime kiln. The lime and carbon dioxide bind together and capture the impurities in the juice. The juice is then filtered from the lime slurry into a “clean and clear” thin juice. The remaining lime cake is pressed and dried into a soil improver, which we call schuimaarde or lime sludge.
• Evaporation: To increase the sugar concentration, water is evaporated from the juice. The evaporation installation consists of a series of tall columns, which are heated with steam. This steam is passed from one column to the next. In terms of energy consumption, this evaporation system is the most efficient available. The concentrated juice that comes out of the final column is either cooled and stored for later production, or immediately sent to the crystallization phase (the next step).

1. Liming
2. Lime kiln
3. Milk of lime
4. Lime
5. Carbonation
6. Filtration
7. Schuimaarde (foam soil) or lime sludge (as a soil improver)
8. Softening
9. Primary steam
10. Evaporation
11. Thick juice (or concentrated juice)
12. Thick juice tank

• In the crystallization department, the thick juice from the evaporation stage is further concentrated in vacuum pans. At the end of the cooking process, a massecuite is formed, consisting of 55% sugar crystals in syrup. This mixture is pumped to centrifuges, where the crystals are separated from the syrup. The result is finished refined sugar, which is then dried and sent to the storage silo.
• The remaining syrup is cooked again until only molasses remains. This molasses is used in the production of alcohol, animal feed, yeast, or citric acid. Producers of yeast and citric acid are important customers for molasses.
• After centrifugation, the sugar is dried and cooled. After spending around 40 hours in the maturation cells, the sugar moves to the screening installation. There, it is sorted into different grain sizes, which are sent to intermediate silos or storage.

1. Thick juice (or concentrated juice)
2. Vacuum pan (or boiling pan)
3. Centrifuge
4. Refined sugar
5. Sugar silo
6. Sugar B
7. Sugar C
8. Remelting of the sugar
9. Molasses tank