What does bagasse mean and how is it made into biodegradable disposable tableware?
Bagasse refers to the fibers of sugar cane that remain after sugar production. Sugar cane belongs to the family of sweet grasses and grows very quickly, similar to bamboo. While trees take decades to grow, sugar cane only takes a few months to reach up to 6 meters. This rapid growth rate makes sugar cane an economically efficient and relatively inexpensive organic raw material.
Sugar cane is the most important raw material for sugar production worldwide. For the sugar extraction process, the sugar cane is rolled and pressed to extract the sugar-containing juice. As a by-product, the fibrous part remains, the bagasse, which produces about 10 tons of sugar and 34 tons of bagasse from 100 tons of sugar cane. Normally the bagasse would be burned as waste, but for the production of organic disposable tableware, these robust fibers are used. This avoids waste and conserves resources. The bagasse fibers are ground with water and natural binders to a uniform pulp, processed and pressed into different shapes. The result is plates, lunch boxes, hamburger boxes or cups that consist entirely of plant components and are therefore completely compostable. Depending on whether the bagasse is bleached or not, the result is a bright white or a naturally brown end product.
The advantages of organic packaging made from sugar cane are manifold:
• They are lightweight yet very stable, even for heavy meals.
• They are resistant to water, oil and grease and are suitable for both the microwave and the refrigerator.
• They are heat-resistant up to 100°C.
• They are compostable according to EN 13432.
• You save space in the warehouse because they are stackable.