Sugarcane processing bagasse

Bagasse is a waste biomass from the sugarcane refining process. Bagasse residues represent the largest quantity industrial biomass waste available worldwide and therefore the most significant potential source of power produced from biomass. Figure 1 shows a comparison of the potential number of power plants by 2025 at 7 and 40 MW of electricity production for various biomass residues. ... 

Bagasse is a sugarcane-based polymer that can be made into paper-like products for packaging, disposable tableware, and containers (Liyana et al. 2012). Bagasse is a fiber-pulp product that is part of the sugarcane stalk. Bagasse fibers can be processed similar to paper pulp to produce compostable products for stationary, paper products, food packaging, and disposable service ware (Baud et al. 2007). 

The approach "select favorable raw material has a major impact on the selection of pretreatment processes. For example, the poplar responds splendidly to many pretreatments that fail with Douglas fir or pine-based materials (I). Specific tissues and cells of a given biomass raw material will respond quite differently. For example, the rind fiber of sugarcane bagasse behaves quite differently from the pith fiber (11)- In woody species, the selection of tissues low in bark and extractives is an important factor in the ease or resistance to cellulose hydrolysis. Before embarking on development of processes for hydrolysis of a biomass resource, it is highly desirable to exercise discretion with respect to the choice of raw materials at both the species and tissue levels. This idea is all the more important in an initial choice of species and pretreatment process. 

The Purdue concepts have been applied to several different agricultural products, such as corn stalks, alfalfa, orchard grass, tall fescue, and sugarcane bagasse. No experiments have been reported on either hardwoods or softwoods. The processes have been explored in two major modes. In the first, the entire agricultural residue is treated with solvent in the second, a dilute acid pretreatment to remove hemicellulose precedes solvent treatment. The first process is especially desirable for making furfural or fermentation products from hemicellulose as a separate activity. Then, the hemicellulose-free raw material can be converted to substantially pure glucose. 

Zandersons J.. Gravitis J., Kokorevics A., Zhurinsh A., Tardenaka A. Spince B. (1999) Studies of the Brazilian sugarcane bagasse carbonisation process and products properties. Biomass and Bioenergy, 17, 209-19. 

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