Norbert Rillieux Patents Revolutionary Sugar Evaporator

Norbert Rillieux, a free Black Creole engineer from New Orleans educated in Paris, received a US patent in 1843 for his multiple-effect evaporator, a device that revolutionized sugar refining by making it safer, cheaper, and more efficient than any previous method. His invention transformed the sugar industry not only in Louisiana but across the world, and the basic principles of his design are still used in modern industrial processes. Rillieux is considered one of the most important chemical engineers in American history.