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What is bagasse?
Introduction
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After sugarcane stalks are crushed and pressed to remove their juice, the remaining plant matter is known as bagasse. After the water is removed (and bagasse can contain a lot of water), bagasse is mostly composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Typically this material is burned by the sugar mills directly to generate heat for other processes running at the mill or electricity, which can also be used at the mill or sold back to the electric grid. Bagasse also finds its way into paper production. Recently bagasse has been targeted as a potential source of ethanol.