Approach to better beet washing. Part 2

Abstract

In 2014 the first part of the “Approach to better beet washing” was published by Spapens-Oerlemans et al. [1]. The enlargement of capacities and the increase of the relative amount of clay-soil received by the Dutch Suiker Unie factories, requires a more effective beet washing. The experiments done since 2009 gave new insights in ‘mechanical’ washing of sugar beet originating from clay-soils. To reach the desired washing result a sufficient ‘mechanical’ washing is required with an additional spray washing step. Since 2013 new understandings about the relevant design parameters and the optimal configuration for spray washing of clay-soil-beet were derived from theoretical studies as well as pilot and factory scale experiments. An additional benefit of spray washing instead of extended mechanical washing is the more gentle treatment and short contact time with wash water, which results in less sugar elution. By implementing the pilot scale based washing curve and analyzing the sugar elution to wash water a technical design of two new beet washing facilities in the Netherlands could be made.