What is bagasse?
Bagasse is the fibrous plant residue that remains in sugar production after the sugar canes have been pressed. They usually consist of 40-60% cellulose, 20-30% hemicelluloses and about 20% lignin. Bagasse is mainly found in countries where a lot of sugar is produced, such as Brazil, China or Thailand.
Although bagasse is a so-called by-product, it remains a waste product for many. In the past, it was primarily used as a fuel for production facilities. Even today, part of the bagasse still ends up in the kilns of the factories. But since people started to recycle materials, bagasse has also been upgraded as a material. Today it is used for the production of building materials, packaging materials and disposable tableware. And in the paper industry too, sugar cane fibres are already partly replacing paper products made of wood, such as napkins, toilet paper and cardboard.