Norbert Rillieux, a free-born Black inventor and chemical engineer from New Orleans, patented his multiple-effect evaporator under vacuum on this day. This invention revolutionized the sugar refining process, making it safer, more efficient, and more economical.
Rillieux’s system replaced dangerous open kettles with a closed, steam-heated method, dramatically reducing the risk of burns and improving the quality of sugar production. His breakthrough not only transformed the sugar industry but laid the groundwork for advances in chemical engineering and industrial evaporation used in many industries today.
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