Bagasse fibre for sustainable manufacturing

Abstract

Processing sugarcane produces one third of matted cellulose fibre residue known as bagasse. Several millions of tons of bagasse are produced each year in the major cane sugar growing countries and environmental concerns can arise for its safe disposal. Current practice is to use the bagasse as a fuel for boilers within the sugar processing part of the industry, which represents an alternative natural resource for sustainable energy production. Other methods for the deployment of bagasse are evaluated within this work with the intention of presenting the broad background for bagasse fibre use. The alternative uses of bagasse can be classified as high volume/low technology or low volume with a high added value. The high value applications of bagasse are considered in the current work where the intrinsic characteristics and properties of the fibre are exploited for niche markets in the bio-polymers arena.