|
The lime was used as described in this 1920 article (it also was the source of the carbon dioxide gas mentioned in the article, in addition to the lime):
Process Explanation
The beets are flumed from the storage bins
to the factory, washed thoroughly, and elevated to the top of the factory where
they are weighed by automatic scales and delivered to the Beet Slicers. In the slicers the beets are cut into thin
slices known as Cosettes by knives revolving either in a horizontal plane as in
the Kilby slicer or in a vertical plane as in the French or Maguin slicer. The cossettes after leaving the slicers are
placed in Cells or vessels holding from two and one half to seven tons of the cossettes
and water is circulated around them. Twelve or fourteen of these cells are
connected as a Battery in such a manner that the water passes from one cell to
another beginning at the cell that contains the most nearly exhausted cossettcs
and finally being drawn off as Diffusion Juice or Raw Juice from the cell in
which the new cossettes are added. The
exhausted cossettes when free from all but a small percentage of sugar are
known as Pulp and this product is used as a cattle feed.
The above in brief outlines the manner of
extracting the sugar from the beet and the next step in the process consists in
purifying the extracted juice which may be outlined as follows. The diffusion
or raw juice is sent through heaters to a station known as the First
Carbonation where Milk of Lime, which is usually lime slaked by a dilute sugar
solution, or Saccharate Milk is added and the
mixture is then treated with Carbon Dioxide C02 gas until most of the lime has
been precipitated as calcium carbonate. After the carbonation has been completed to
the point desired the whole mixture is heated either in the tanks or by being
pumped through heaters and is sent to the First Filter Presses where the precipitated
calcium carbonate and the impurities contained therein, called First Lime Cake,
are removed . The purified juice from the first filter presses is known as
First Press Juice and is pumped to Second Carbonation where most of the
remaining lime is precipitated by means of carbon dioxide gas. From second carbonation the juice is sent to
the Second Filter Presses where the precipitated calcium carbonate is removed
as Second Lime Cake and the filtrate known as Second Press Juice is sent to
Third Saturation where it is treated with Sulphur Dioxide SO2 gas.
After treatment with the sulphur dioxide
gas and a further filtration through the Thin Juice Filters the juice which is
known as Third Press Juice enters the Evaporators where it is concentrated to a
syrup containing about 50% sugar. The juice leaving the evaporators called
Evaporator Thick Juice goes to the Blow Ups at which station melted sugar is
mixed with it and the mixture is treated with sulphur dioxide gas filtered
through the Thick Juice Filters and becomes after filtration a syrup known as
Blow Up Thick Juice. The blow up thick
juice is drawn into the White Vacuum Pan where it is concentrated to such a
point that the sugar contained crystallizes out and the whole mass of crystals
and liquor surrounding them is called White Massecuite. The white massecuite is
placed in Centrifugals where the crystals are retained on a screen and the
syrup surrounding the crystals passes through and becomes known as High Green. Since some of the syrup remains on the
crystals it is necessary to wash them with a spray of hot water and the syrup
made by this washing is called High Wash.
The washed crystals are dried by air in the
Granulators and sacked as Granulated Sugar while the high wash goes back to
enter the next white pan and the high green is drawn into the Remelt or Raw Pan
and concentrated to such a point that crystallization takes place. This mass of sugar crystals and the syrup
surrounding them is known as Remelt Massecuite and the crystals are separated
from the syrup by centrifgual force in the same manner as was done with the
white massecuite. The syrup spun off is
known as Low Green, the washed crystals are called Remelt Sugar, and the syrup
obtained during the washing is designated as Low Wash.
The remelt sugar is melted up and added to
the thick juice at the blow ups as stated before the low wash goes back to the
next remelt strike boiled and the low green is sent out of the factory as
Molasses which is either used for cattle feed or sent to the Steffen Process
for further sugar extraction . If the
molasses is to be worked in the Steffen Process it is sent to the Steffen House
and diluted to a solution known as Cooler Solution containing from 5 to 7 per
cent sugar. The cooler solution is drawn
into the Coolers where finely divided lime is added which combines with sugar
forming an insoluble sugar lime compound. The material leaving the coolers is pumped to
the Saccharate Presses where the insoluble lime sugar compound known as
Saccharate Cake is retained while the non sugars which are still in solution
pass out with the Waste Water to the sewer or potash reservoir. The saccharate
cake is diluted with a mixture of juice and wash water from the first
carbonation presses forming Saccharate Milk which is sent to first carbonation.
Simple, eh?
Richard Townsend
Lincoln City, OR
-----Original Message-----
From: qutlx1@aol.com [CBQ] <CBQ@yahoogroups.com> To: CBQ <CBQ@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Thu, Jan 26, 2017 8:12 am Subject: Re: [CBQ] Interesting paint job,etc Thanks Hol,
This begs the question as to how the limestone was used in the sugar beet processing.
Sorry if you covered it in BB32. My copy is packed away.
Leo
__._,_.___ Posted by: Richard Townsend <richtownsend@netscape.net> __,_._,___ |