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58-458: A râperie consists of: In a final step before transport, some milk of lime is added to the raw juice to prevent oxidation. The raw juice is then transported to a main beet sugar factory by an underground pipeline. In the main factory the raw juice undergoes the final steps to produce sugar. The hydraulic transport from the râperie to the sugar factory is aided by pumping stations . The pipelines can stretch for dozen kilometers, and can consist of

116-490: A capacity to process 1,000 tonnes a day, Bergen op Zoom would get a capacity of 600 tonnes a day. The main problem of the company was the challenge of getting enough beet at a price low enough to make a good profit. In 1897 Paul Wittouck attempted to enforce this by founding the Nederlandsche Maatschappij van Beetwortelsuiker Industrie, in which 19 producers participated. It led to this society founding

174-609: A factory in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw , Belgium. The factory opened in October 1863. At first, the sugar factory might have been known as the one in Bergen op Zoom. However, in 1870 the partnership Laane, Rogier, Daverveldt & Co was formed to found another sugar factory in Bergen op Zoom. In January 1871 'Van der Linden & Co.' gave orders to construct the final parts of a third sugar factory in Bergen op Zoom, located near

232-475: A fine grained network of canals, was the huge cost of transport by wagon. While sugar beet had a sugar content of just somewhat over 10%, almost 90% of these costs were made to transport parts of the beet which were not required to make sugar. This was even worse than it seemed, because the beet pulp which was produced by the sugar factory also had to be transported back to the farmer and was therefore of only limited value. The high transport cost caused that most of

290-411: A leather process called liming . The ion CaOH has been detected in the atmosphere of S-type stars . Limewater is a saturated aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide. Calcium hydroxide is sparsely soluble at room temperature in water (1.5 g/L at 25 °C ). "Pure" (i.e. less than or fully saturated) limewater is clear and colorless, with a slight earthy smell and an astringent/bitter taste. It

348-557: A lot of cheap raw cane sugar was imported from Java. The annual report over 1924 was nevertheless quite positive. The campaign of that year had processed 166,000 tonnes of beet. Attempts were made to get part of the Zeeland production refined in Dinteloord. In the 1925 campaign 160,000 tonnes were processed. About one-third of the production was white sugar, thanks to an investment in refining equipment. The low market prices made that

406-655: A massive expansion. In 1920 a 34 hectare stretch of land was bought in the Geertruida polder. This was on the Oosterschelde , west of the city center on what is now the Markiezaatsweg. In 1921 the company decided to borrow 700,000 guilders for further investments. In 1920-1921 an annex to the factory was built for the first steps of the sugar production process. It had open air storage areas which declined towards gutters, so called gorren . Cranes unloaded

464-437: A network of connected râperies. In the early 19th century, there were two options to transport sugar beet to a sugar factory . In France most beet were transported by wagons drawn by oxen or horses. This limited the maximum distance over which it was economically feasible to transport sugar beet to about 5 or 6 km. Speed was slow, and a wagon could transport only a very limited tonnage. These constraints severely limited

522-653: A number of sugar factories in Belgium. Félix-Guillaume Wittouck (1812-1898) also wanted to establish a beet sugar factory in the Netherlands. In late December 1862, the municipality of Goes declined his request from June that year, to get a lease on city terrains as a location for a sugar factory. The grounds to refuse this focused on the scarcity of fresh water in the area. It might very well be that this very late decision on Wittouck's request had become irrelevant by then. On 22 December 1862 Wittouck gave orders to lay

580-404: A practical way to realize it. A practical way to realize a râperie which fed a central sugar factory was invented by the sugar engineer Jules Linard (1832-1882). He devised the râperie as a place to extract the raw juice from the sugar beet by diffusion close to where the beet were grown. The juice was then transported to the sugar factory by means of an underground cast iron pipe line, which

638-456: A process called sulfation , sulphur dioxide reacts with limewater: Limewater is used in a process known as lime softening to reduce water hardness. It is also used as a neutralizing agent in municipal waste water treatment. Calcium hydroxide adopts a polymeric structure, as do all metal hydroxides. The structure is identical to that of Mg(OH) 2 ( brucite structure ); i.e., the cadmium iodide motif. Strong hydrogen bonds exist between

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696-580: A process known as nixtamalization . Nixtamalization makes the niacin nutritionally available and prevents pellagra . Traditionally lime water was used in Taiwan and China to preserve persimmon and to remove astringency . In chewing coca leaves , calcium hydroxide is usually chewed alongside to keep the alkaloid stimulants chemically available for absorption by the body. Similarly, Native Americans traditionally chewed tobacco leaves with calcium hydroxide derived from burnt mollusc shells to enhance

754-544: A railroad from the station to the new harbor. In January 1887 the foundation of the 'Sucreries de Breda et Berg-op-Zoom' was announced. Its statutory seat was in Ixelles near Brussels , but its administrative seat was in Breda. It led to the sugar factories of Breda and Bergen op Zoom being part of the same company. The company was also known as Sucrerie Wittouck. In 1894 the company expanded its factories. Breda would get

812-481: Is also used in tanning and making parchment . The lime is used as a dehairing agent based on its alkaline properties. Treating one's hair with limewater causes it to stiffen and bleach, with the added benefit of killing any lice or mites living there. Diodorus Siculus described the Celts as follows: "Their aspect is terrifying... They are very tall in stature, with rippling muscles under clear white skin. Their hair

870-428: Is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ca ( OH ) 2 . It is a colorless crystal or white powder and is produced when quicklime ( calcium oxide ) is mixed with water . Annually, approximately 125 million tons of calcium hydroxide are produced worldwide. Calcium hydroxide has many names including hydrated lime , caustic lime , builders' lime , slaked lime , cal , and pickling lime . Calcium hydroxide

928-406: Is as a flocculant , in water and sewage treatment . It forms a fluffy charged solid that aids in the removal of smaller particles from water, resulting in a clearer product. This application is enabled by the low cost and low toxicity of calcium hydroxide. It is also used in fresh-water treatment for raising the pH of the water so that pipes will not corrode where the base water is acidic, because it

986-414: Is basic in nature with a pH of 12.4. Limewater is named after limestone , not the lime fruit . Limewater may be prepared by mixing calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH) 2 ) with water and removing excess undissolved solute (e.g. by filtration). When excess calcium hydroxide is added (or when environmental conditions are altered, e.g. when its temperature is raised sufficiently), there results a milky solution due to

1044-407: Is blond, but not only naturally so: they bleach it, to this day, artificially, washing it in lime and combing it back from their foreheads. They look like wood-demons, their hair thick and shaggy like a horse's mane. Some of them are clean-shaven, but others – especially those of high rank, shave their cheeks but leave a moustache that covers the whole mouth...". Calcium hydroxide is also applied in

1102-464: Is cooked with nextli to become nixtamal , also known as hominy . Nixtamalization significantly increases the bioavailability of niacin (vitamin B3), and is also considered tastier and easier to digest. Nixtamal is often ground into a flour, known as masa , which is used to make tortillas and tamales. Limewater is used in the preparation of maize for corn tortillas and other culinary purposes using

1160-481: Is large enough that its solutions are basic according to the following dissolution reaction: The solubility is affected by the common-ion effect . Its solubility drastically decreases upon addition of hydroxide or calcium sources. When heated to 512 °C, the partial pressure of water in equilibrium with calcium hydroxide reaches 101   kPa (normal atmospheric pressure), which decomposes calcium hydroxide into calcium oxide and water: When carbon dioxide

1218-561: Is passed through limewater, the solution takes on a milky appearance due to precipitation of insoluble calcium carbonate : If excess CO 2 is added: the following reaction takes place: The milkiness disappears since calcium bicarbonate is water-soluble. Calcium hydroxide reacts with aluminium . This reaction is the basis of aerated concrete . It does not corrode iron and steel , owing to passivation of their surface. Calcium hydroxide reacts with hydrochloric acid to give calcium hydroxychloride and then calcium chloride . In

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1276-518: Is self-regulating and does not raise the pH too much. Another large application is in the paper industry, where it is an intermediate in the reaction in the production of sodium hydroxide. This conversion is part of the causticizing step in the Kraft process for making pulp. In the causticizing operation, burned lime is added to green liquor , which is a solution primarily of sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate produced by dissolving smelt , which

1334-483: Is the molten form of these chemicals from the recovery furnace. In orchard crops, calcium hydroxide is used as a fungicide. Applications of 'lime water' prevent the development of cankers caused by the fungal pathogen Neonectria galligena . The trees are sprayed when they are dormant in winter to prevent toxic burns from the highly reactive calcium hydroxide. This use is authorised in the European Union and

1392-426: Is used as the colour solvent to apply on fresh plaster. Historically, it is known as the paint whitewash . Limewater is widely used by marine aquarists as a primary supplement of calcium and alkalinity for reef aquariums. Corals of order Scleractinia build their endoskeletons from aragonite (a polymorph of calcium carbonate). When used for this purpose, limewater is usually referred to as Kalkwasser . It

1450-536: Is used in making naswar (also known as nass or niswar ), a type of dipping tobacco made from fresh tobacco leaves, calcium hydroxide ( chuna / choona or soon ), and wood ash. It is consumed most in the Pathan diaspora, Afghanistan , Pakistan , India and Bangladesh . Villagers also use calcium hydroxide to paint their mud houses in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. In buon fresco painting, limewater

1508-471: Is used in many applications, including food preparation, where it has been identified as E number E526 . Limewater , also called milk of lime , is the common name for a saturated solution of calcium hydroxide. Calcium hydroxide is modestly soluble in water, as seen for many dihydroxides. Its solubility increases from 0.66 g/L at 100 °C to 1.89 g/L at 0 °C. Its solubility product K sp of 5.02 × 10 at 25 °C, its dissociation in water

1566-668: The Sucrerie centrale de Cambrai also knows as Sucrerie d' Escaudœuvres . It originally consisted of a central sugar factory fed by 17 râperies. By the end of the 19th century, it was the biggest sugar factory of the world. By 1884 there were 527 sugar factories in France. Some processed only 5 or 6,000 t of beet, while a handful of others were very large, the Usine Centrale de Cambrai even processing 160,000 t. These super large factories had been made possible by râperies. At

1624-414: The 1990s the army moved out. Several plans were made till the municipality of Bergen op Zoom became actively involved in 2009. It declared the halls a municipal monument, hoping to get provincial funding. In 2012 the three halls were renovated and a covered shopping mall was constructed inside the halls. In May 2014 the renovation was completed. The shopping center 'De Zeeland' has three floors with room for

1682-664: The Algemeene Suiker Maatschappij (ASMij). In September 1913 the Coöperatieve Beetwortelsuikerfabriek Zeeland (Cooperative Beetsugar Factory Zeeland) was founded in Middelburg. The idea was that it would give Zeeland farmers a better price for their sugar beet. However, it struggled to set up a business, because the price for a new factory was high. The cooperative got an opportunity, when during World War I,

1740-491: The French beet sugar factories could not achieve the scale at which it was profitable to invest in more modern machinery. This is how the idea for a division of labour between a central sugar factory and outlying râperies, which would feed it with raw juice, came up. It was published in 1858, including the use of the word râperie. However, explaining the economic theory behind the concept was something very different from inventing

1798-519: The United Kingdom under Basic Substance regulations. Calcium hydroxide is used in dentistry, primarily in the specialty of endodontics. Because of its low toxicity and the mildness of its basic properties, slaked lime is widely used in the food industry , In Nahuatl , the language of the Aztecs , the word for calcium hydroxide is nextli . In a process called nixtamalization , maize

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1856-442: The Zeeland cooperative therefore decided that the beets which it had promised to buy for the 1929/30 campaign would be processed in Dinteloord and Zevenbergen. The price would be 3 guilders higher than that which Dinteloord paid her own members, thus compensating the members of the Zeeland cooperative for the cost of not using their factory. The attempt to coordinate with Dinteloord and Zevenbergen nevertheless failed. In September 1929

1914-552: The Zuid Nederlandsche Melasse Spiritusfabriek N.V. This was a factory for Denatured alcohol spiritus which would re-use the buildings of Wittouck's Maltose factory in Bergen op Zoom. Denatured alcohol was made out of beet molasses. In May 1903 Wittouck bought the sugar factory 'De Twaalf Apostelen' of competitor Laane, Rogier, Daverveldt & Co. In September 1905 the public company Suikerfabrieken van Breda en Bergen op Zoom N.V.

1972-627: The big arsenal. In 1871 the Sugar Factory Zeeland was referred to as 'Fabriek Wittouck'. Other designations were: 'Fabriek van de heer Wittouck', 'Beetwortelsuikerfabriek van de heer F. Wittouck' etc. In 1872 a sugar factory had been built in Princenhage (near Breda). Its two first campaigns were disastrous. In 1874 Félix-Guillaume Wittouck acquired this sugar factory for 174,000 guilders. In 1881 he gifted it to his son Paul Wittouck (1851-1917), but this might have referred to

2030-440: The boats directly onto these gorren, from where the beet were washed to the first factory hall. The same applied to beet brought by rail or wagon. This eliminated almost all manual labor in this step. The first of three new halls served for the washing, slicing and diffusion steps of the process. A smaller hall between the first and the third contained the engine room and a storage for pulp. The third hall contained centrifuges to dry

2088-415: The buyers in the future. The short explanation for the required deposit is that the cooperative was in debt for a few million, mainly invested in buildings and machinery. These debts now had to be repaid, and 750,000 guilders fell far short of this amount. In 1930 the new Instituut voor Suikerbietenteelt, later Instituut voor Rationele Suikerproductie (IRS) settled in the former laboratories and offices of

2146-672: The cooperative therefore appointed a commission that would have to sell the sugar factory. On 17 March 1930 the cooperative decided to sell the factory and other assets to the Centrale Suiker Maatschappij , the partnership in Dinteloord, and the cooperative in Puttershoek, for 750,000 guilders. The members of the Zeeland Cooperative would have to deposit 300 guilders per share for the liquidation. They could diminish this by contracting to deliver to

2204-400: The effects. It has also been used by some indigenous South American tribes as an ingredient in yopo , a psychedelic snuff prepared from the beans of some Anadenanthera species. Calcium hydroxide is typically added to a bundle of areca nut and betel leaf called " paan " to keep the alkaloid stimulants chemically available to enter the bloodstream via sublingual absorption. It

2262-546: The factory invested 250,000-300,000 guilders in a new harbor to facilitate the flow of resources and products. This later became known as the Zeeland Harbor. It was filled up in 1971. The new factory complex was taken into use on 3 October 1921. The new large Sugar Factory Zeeland would not be successful. From 1923 onwards the sugar industry went downhill. The economy was plagued by protectionism and overproduction , and wages were ever increasing. To make matters worse,

2320-574: The factory. The former chief executive of the factory became its director. In 1952 the institute moved to the former sugar warehouse. A hall, the refinery, the boiler house, and the chimney on the south side of the harbor were demolished. The other buildings of the old factory were later repurposed. The three big halls of the 'new' factory on the Markiezaatsweg were finally bought by the Ministry of Defense. They were used for several goals, including storage of ammunition. This in effect saved these halls. In

2378-416: The financial result was not satisfactory. In 1926-27 180,000 tonnes were processed. Almost half of the sugar production was white sugar, but profit was marginal. In 1927-1928 the company processed only 143,000 tonnes, which had a negative effect on profit. In 1928/29 155,000 tonnes of beet were processed. The price the company paid for beet in 1928 was lower than what other cooperatives paid. In March 1929

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2436-423: The flow of resources to a sugar factory, which was a major concern for the owners. Inland navigation was the only serious alternative to transport by wagon. In e.g. the Netherlands and Flanders , a wagon only had to make a very short trip from the field to one of the many boats which sailed a finely grained network of canals. In short, the main problem that limited the scale of a sugar factory in an area without

2494-414: The foundations for a sugar factory in Bergen op Zoom. This would be done by Van der Made from Klundert for 15,460 guilders. Wittouck had already bought the machinery at Cail Allaur & Co. On 9 March 1863 J. van den Heuvel from Tilburg won the order to further construct the sugar factory on the south side of the harbor for 32,049 guilders. Wittouck was described as a notable industrialist and owner of such

2552-541: The government put a maximum on the amount of beets that each sugar factory was allowed to process. In August 1916 the cooperative bought the Bergen op Zoom factory for 1,160,000 guilders. It made a 5-year contract with the Wester Suikerraffinaderij to process the raw sugar that it would produce. Sugar Factory Zeeland started its first campaign on 9 October 1917. As sugar prices rose, the company became very profitable. It therefore decided to invest in

2610-651: The homogeneous suspension of excess calcium hydroxide. This liquid has been known traditionally as milk of lime . Unprotected exposure to Ca(OH) 2 , as with any strong base , can cause skin burns, but it is not acutely toxic. Sugar Factory Zeeland Sugar Factory Zeeland was a beet sugar factory in Bergen op Zoom , a city and municipality in the North Brabant province in the Southwestern Netherlands. It got its peculiar name when it

2668-512: The idea, because they could very well be reached by inland navigation. The advent of the truck and much better roads would finally lead to the demise of the râperie. The decentral râperies processed only a limited tonnage of beet in comparison to the increased scale of sugar factories. E.g. in Picardy about 60 râperies on average processed only 150 t of beet per day before 1914. In time, the decreased transport cost made it more economical to close

2726-415: The layers. Calcium hydroxide is produced commercially by treating (slaking) quicklime with water: Alongside the production of quicklime from limestone by calcination , this is one of the oldest known chemical reactions; evidence of prehistoric production dates back to at least 7000 BCE. Calcium hydroxide is commonly used to prepare lime mortar . One significant application of calcium hydroxide

2784-431: The management only. In 1882 Paul Wittouck was indeed mentioned as director of the Breda sugar factory. Meanwhile, the sugar factory in Bergen op Zoom continued to be referred to as the sugar factory of Mr. Wittouck. The arrival of Paul Wittouck in Breda signaled a slow transfer of authority to him. In May 1883 our sugar factory in Bergen op Zoom was suddenly referred to as that of 'Messrs. Wittouck'. In January 1884 there

2842-471: The pulp, which became cattle fodder. It also contained machinery to clear the juice. The end product of this part of the factory was thin juice, which was transported to the old factory on the Wittoucksingel by a large pipe . The evaporators, pans and centrifuges of the later stages of the process remained in the old factory. All this made that the new complex resembled a râperie . At the same time

2900-540: The râperies and to use trucks to transport the beet to a central factory with more efficient machinery for washing, slicing and diffusing. The last operational râperie of the world is the Râperie de Longchamps , which feeds the Sugar Factory Wanze. Many old râperies still dot the landscape of France, especially in the north. Limewater Calcium hydroxide (traditionally called slaked lime )

2958-540: The sugar factory in Bergen op Zoom. In 1884 the factory of 'F. Wittouck' got new machines. Amongst these, a conveyor belt for unloading boats. This alone saved half of the staff during the campaign. Also in September 1884, the factory of 'Messrs. Wittouck' started to work with electric lighting. Most transport to and from the factory was over water. However, in July 1885 the factory of Paul Wittouck got permission to build

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3016-401: The sugar industry, in particular in France and southern Belgium. The small râperies eliminated the high transport cost of sugar beet in areas that had no waterways. The convoys of wagons were replaced by hydraulic transport by pumps or gravity. This greatly increased the area from which a beet sugar factory could process sugar beet. In 1872 Jules Linard founded his own sugar factory. This is now

3074-399: The time, there were 150 râperies feeding 57 central factories. The one of Cambrai had 21 or 22 râperies, that of Origny-Sainte-Benoite and Meaux each had 13. Many sugar factories or distilleries had 3 or 4 râperies. Many had one or two, apart from the one in the central factory itself. Some small sugar factories were converted to râperies. In Belgium the idea of the râperie and central factory

3132-603: Was founded. It started with a share capital of 2,000 preference shares of 400 guilders each. 1,950 of these were paid for by transferring the two sugar factories of the Belgian public company. The three executive managers were P. Wittouck from Brussels, F. Wittouck from Ixelles, and R. Wittouck from Breda. In 1908 the Suikerfabrieken van Breda en Bergen op Zoom merged with Sugar factory de Mark in Oudenbosch to form

3190-596: Was picked up by the Sucreries de Wanze. In the Netherlands, the Sugar Factory Zeeland in Bergen op Zoom was expanded by adding a new building at some distance from the old factory and connecting it to the old factory by tubing. This did not make it a true râperie, because it did not maintain the râperie machinery on the old location. Apart from this example, the Dutch beet sugar factories had little use for

3248-475: Was sold to the Coöperatieve Beetwortelsuikerfabriek Zeeland , a cooperative of sugar beet farmers from neighboring Zeeland province. The factory was in operation from 1863 to 1929. Some of the imposing factory buildings remain and are protected as industrial heritage . In 2012 a reconstruction started to change the old buildings to a large shopping mall called De Zeeland . By 1863 the Wittouck family owned

3306-497: Was talk of the sugar factory of Paul Wittouck in Breda and Bergen op Zoom. The successes of Paul Wittouck would come from two ideas: refining and economies of scale. While the numerous competitors focused on producing raw sugar, Paul was one of the first Dutch beet sugar producers to think about refining his own sugar. However, it would be 1903 before his Breda factory became the first Dutch factory to produce white sugar directly from beet. Paul Wittouck invested heavily in modernizing

3364-466: Was the real invention. Linard first applied the process in November 1867, when the râperie of Saint-Acquaire also known as Boncourt opened. This fed the sugar factory of Montcornet, Aisne located 8 kilometers from the râperie. The Montcornet factory had been built in the previous year and was directed by Linard's brother Adolphe-Désiré Linard. The introduction of the râperie led to a profound change in

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