Bagasse (Sugarcane) fibre

Botanical Information

Generic name of sugarcane is Saccharum officinarum and is a member of the Poaceae family .
It is an herbaceous plant within the grass family.
It is a perennial monocot.
It grows mainly in tropical and sub-tropical zones.

Sugarcane cultivation can thrive in various soil types, encompassing sandy soils, clay loams, and heavy clays.
However, the optimal conditions for sugarcane growth are found in well-drained, deep, loamy soils with a pH of pH5 to pH8.5.
Annually, 75-100cm of rainfall is necessary for sugarcane to thrive.
The optimal conditions for sugarcane cultivation include an extended, warm growing period characterized by abundant sunlight, a temperature of 21°C to 27°C and sufficient soil moisture.
The total sugar crop area worldwide is around 31.3 million hectares, with sugar cane comprising about 70%.
In 2016, the leading sugar-producing nations were Brazil, India, and China, contributing 20.57%, 16.91%, and 6.31% to the global production, respectively.
In the recent period, China’s sugar cane cultivation spanned around 1.23 million hectares, with a corresponding production of about 100 million tons in the 2017- 18 period.

Bagasse is the fibrous remainder of cane stalk that remains after the sugar cane has been crushed and its juice extracted .
Mountains of bagasse make up the heaps, and a single mill can generate up to 3500 tons per day.
Bagasse consists of a combination of long and fine fibres found in the outer rind of the stalk, while the inner part, referred to as the pith, contains short fibres .
Each year in Egypt, the annual production of crop residues exceeds 33 million tons, with sugarcane bagasse accounting for 3 million tons of this waste.
Derived from sugarcane, it is a versatile by-product that can serve as a renewable source for manufacturing or reconstructing products with recyclable foundations.

Table1.Physical & mechanical properties and chemical composition of bagasse fibres

Length

200- 250mm

Fineness

6.5-14 tex

Tensile strength

4.1 cN/tex

Breaking elongation

1.80±1.12%

Cellulose

45%

Hemicellulose

33%

Lignin

20%

In a sugar cane factory, bagasse is typically incinerated as a source of fuel to generate steam and sustainable electricity.
As sugarcane is a cellulose-based plant, the bagasse is used as a resource for paper production.
Additionally, it serves as cattle feed due to its protein enrichment.
It can also be utilized in the manufacturing of industrially significant enzymes such as cellulase, xylanase, amylase, etc. and biofuel.
If sugarcane bagasse is pretreated in a mild acid solution under moderately rigorous conditions, the process releases sugars and various hydrolysates, such as volatile organic acids, furfurals, and acid-soluble lignin. These hydrolysates can be utilized by the aerobic bacterium Ralstonia eutropha to biosynthesize valuable bioplastics known as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) .
Bagasse can be used as reinforcement materials to create composites which can be used for construction, automobiles, etc.