| Jacob Stepanovich Esipov | |
| Death Date: | 1805 |
| Death Place: | St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Occupation: | Businessman, Inventor |
| Years Active: | 1799–1805 |
Jacob Stepanovich Esipov (Russian: Яков Степанович Есипов; died 1805) was a Russian inventor. In 1799-1801 he developed a technology for obtaining sugar from sugar beets under industrial conditions in Russia.[1]
In November 1802, Esipov built the first beet sugar and alcohol distillery in Russia, in partnership with Yegor Ivanovich Blankennagel in the village of Alyabyevo (Russian: Алябьево) of Chernovsky County (Russian: Чернский уезд) of the Tula Governorate (Russian: Тульская губерния).
During 1802-1803 the factory produced 4.9 tons of raw sugar from beets harvested from 11 tithe of crops (1 tithe = 1.09 ha). The purity was approximately 85%. Waste sugar production (molasses, etc.) was processed into ethyl alcohol. In 1807, the sugar-refining department was added to the plant. For the first time in Russia Esipov introduced the purification of beet juice with lime. This method is still used.[2]
In the fall of 1802 Esipov built a second, more advanced beet sugar plant in the village of Nikolskoe (Russian: Никольское). In 1803-1804, it produced raw and white sugar, alcohol, and liquor. Byproducts were used for animal feed. The yield of raw sugar from beet was 3.1% of the beet mass.[3] He died in St. Petersburg, Russia.