A sugar beet is so much more than a little sugar factory
Sugar beets contain ± 17 to 18% sugar. But there's so much more to a sugar beet. At Raffinerie Tirlemontoise, the whole sugar beet is used and processed. This means that, in addition to sugar, many other products or co-products are produced. Raffinerie Tirlemontoise has been doing this for a long time, and the process has been gradually improved.
Cattle feed
When washing the sugar beets in the large washing drum, not only the last green leaves on the head of the beet are removed, but also the small roots and the bottom of the beet. We call these the beetroot tails, which are sold as cattle feed. Cows also enjoy the occasional sweets.
A second type of beet based cattle feed is pulp. After we extract sugar from the trimmings (see also our production process), pulp remains. This will be pressed in order to get pressed pulp. Pressed pulp is also nutritious for cattle.
Fertiliser
In a next step of our production process, the sugar juice is purified with lime and CO2. After filtration, we retain both sugar juice and lime enriched with minerals. This mixture is pressed and this is how we obtain lime sludge, or Neutrafertil. Lime sludge is a very good and calcareous fertiliser, highly valued by farmers.
Molasses
The sugar juice is evaporated to eliminate a large part of the water. This yields thick juice. The thick juice is further boiled, eventually producing a cooking mass. This mixture goes into centrifuges, where the syrup and sugar crystals are separated. The remaining syrup, the molasses, is used in the production of alcohol, yeast, citric acid, or animal feed.
All our co-products comply with all relevant standards. Raffinerie Tirlemontoise works closely with the Royal Institute for the Improvement of the Beet (IRBAB-KBIVB).
Visit our factory
Curious about the productions process and co-products? Do you want to find out how everything works? Then come visit our factory in Tienen! You can do so during the beet campagne from October to December.
