Beet sugar processing - From thin juice to sugar cristal

Of the 175.5 million metric tons of sugar (sucrose) produced in 2024–2025, 20% is derived from sugar beets and 80% from sugarcane. In both cases, from the start of the process to the production of the final sugar, the goal of sugar mills is to start with the purest possible raw material and produce high-quality sugar with optimal yield. The sugar refinery is therefore primarily a separation and purification industry involving a large number of unit separation operations. For the sake of brevity, this article focuses on the production of sugar (crystallized sucrose) from sugar beets (with France being the world’s second-largest producer in 2023–24), detailing the processes used in French refineries.

The article [F 6 150] describes the front end of the sugar refinery, that is, the facilities for receiving, storing, and washing sugar beets; extracting and purifying sugar juice; and finally, processing and utilizing by-products. The second part [F 6 151] describes the steps involved in producing crystallized and packaged sugar, with a particular focus on energy optimization throughout the entire process and the crystallization stage. A few points distinguishing the sugar production process from beet versus cane are mentioned at the end of the article, which concludes with a look toward the future and technological developments.