Bagasse – Overview & Commercial Packaging Applications of Bagasse 
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Bagasse is the fibrous residue remaining after sugarcane or sorghum stalks are crushed to extract their juice. Traditionally bagasse has been a waste by-product of the sugarcane production process. More recently is has been used as a fuel source for sugar mills, a fiber for paper production, and as an annually renewable resource in the production of sustainable materials and packaging.
Bagasse Production
Once sugarcane is harvested it is brought to a milling plant where it is crushed – typically with a series of large rollers. These rollers crush the sugarcane stalks and thus extract the juice from the sugarcane. The juice is collected and removed to be processed into sugar. The remaining fibrous stalk (which has been crushed, squeezed, and removed of it’s juice) is bagasse.
UPDATE (8/8/2010): Viv Video | Bagasse Products & Packaging – Why We’re Big Fans of Bagasse
Typically, 10 parts of crushed sugarcane will yield 3 parts of wet bagasse. Once removed, bagasse will be stored (either wet or dry) for one of its three major uses: fuel, paper, or packaging.
Bagasse Applications
Fuel: Many sugar mills will burn the remaining bagasse as fuel to power the mill. Bagasse fuel burn is considered carbon neutral as it releases an amount of CO2 equivalent to the amount consumed by the sugarcane during its growth period.
The negative externalities of burning bagasse are moderate,with the most significant pollutants being particulate matter and ash. Bagasse also burns less sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) than conventional fossil fuels since it contains lower levels of both sulfur and nitrogen.
Paper and Pulp: An estimated 5-10% of all paper is made from agricultural crops (i.e. not from trees) and a one of the most important contributors is bagasse. Bagasse contains a large amout of short fibers called ‘pith’. Around 30% of these fibers are removed from the bagasse prior to pulping. Despite these efforts however a large amount of pith remains. Traditionally, there has been a perception among pulp and paper manufacturers that this remaining pith leads to poor paper production rates when compared to other forms of pulp (e.g., eucalypt pulp). This is not the case however and it has been found that bagasse can be processed just as efficiently as other forms of pulp. Bagasse fibers have been found to be well suited for tissue, corrugating medium board, newsprint, and writing paper.
Because of the short lifecycle and fast growth of sugarcane plant, bagasse is viewed as an annually renewable resource. As such, bagasse paper and products have a significantly smaller environmental footprint relative to traditional paper and packaging products sourced from non-annually renewable resources such as trees (or in the case of packaging, petroleum…e.g., styrofoam).
Packaging: Increasingly bagasse is being manufacturered into packaging and food packaging products such as containers, plates, and bowls. These products can be certified as 100% compostable under ASTM standard D-6868. Bagasse food packaging products are typically heat resistant up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Products are also “soak proof”, but hot items will cause moisture/precipitation to form at the bottom. You’ll notice that many of the products offered by our partner World Centric are made from Bagasse. Bagasse food containers have become particularly popular as more than 100 cities and counties have moved to ban Styrofoam in the US. Bagasse containers in these cities are being used as alternatives to traditional plastic and styrofoam to go containers and disposable food service ware. Bagasse food packaging products typically biodegrade in 1-3 months in a commercial composting facility and 2-4 months in a home composting environment.
Dear Sir,
The article is very informative and useful.
I would like to know whether there is any agency, organization or authority who can provide information about current availability of bagasse, it’s sources, suppliers and current rates of the same etc.
Thanks,
Hey M.B.,
Thanks!
Unfortunately I don’t know of an “industry organization” for bagasse. It’s an excellent question though and something I’ll look into you.
If you do find one, definitely post it back here. I’d love to check it out!
dinesh
KROYBOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i really liked this site very helpful :) and the vid is pretty cool too i used alot of the info for a assignment i was doing.
Glad we could help Blake!
Are you aware of any companies producing bagasse containers in the United States? Everything I have found is coming from Asia. All the US Sugar producers I have researched are talking about using it as a fuel for power in their processing plants.
Hey Stevie,
All the companies that I know who are manufacturing bagasse containers are based in the US, but have the containers manufactured in Asia. I know World Centric is looking into manufacturing in the States, but it’s a significant increase in cost.
Dear Dinesh
i’m a phd student, and i would like to work on light weiaght panel with nonwood materials such as Baggase.
could you help me about this topic, new idea, previous researches and so on.
Thank you for your kind help
Hi Ali,
Thanks for reaching out. Can you help me further understand what you’re looking for?
I don’t have any in-depth research on hand, but perhaps I could point you in the right direction. Let me know,
dinesh
this sounds really cool I am going to tell everyone in my school and I am the eco- warrior for my class.
Mark says; we used some paper made from Bagasse to do our half term homework
We are proud of our clever grandsons. They are learning to be environmentally aware.
Hi Denish,
Just found your site today and I’m very excited about it. I am getting ready to open a frozen yogurt bar in my hometown and wonder if Bagasse would be an acceptable choice to serve the yogurt in. I read where it is good for hot or cold, but you only mention soup and hot foods in your video. I want to use Bagasse if at all possible.
Thanks!
Hi Marlo – Bagasse bowls will definitely work for frozen yogurt. We have lots of ice cream store owners that actually specifically buy the bagasse bowls shown here – http://vivbizclub.com/products/biodegradable-food-packaging/compostable-bowls/ – and use these bowls to serve and store their ice cream,
dinesh
Hi there, I was wondering if you wold give me permission to use your hand holding bagasse photo on our website. Thanks much! I love your site! Kelly Morgan
hey can u giv an idea on production of bagasee products on commercial basis???:)