FAQs
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1. What is Bagasse?
Bagasse is a fibrous residue that is left over after sugarcane stalks are crushed to extract their juice. It is a byproduct of the sugar-making process and is often utilised as a source of renewable energy, animal feed, or raw material for paper and biodegradable products.
Bagasse is used in the production of paper and biodegradable products such as plates, cups, and food packaging. By using bagasse instead of traditional materials like plastic or Styrofoam, we significantly reduce our environmental impact and decrease the contribution to landfills.
2. What is agricultutal waste?
Agricultural waste or residue refers to the parts of the plant that are not utilised for human consumption, such as stems and leaves, which are released during the processing of agricultural crops like rice, grain, and sugarcane. This makes up approximately 80% of the crop, with only about 20% being used by the food industry for their seeds, fruits, roots, and juices. Despite being considered waste by the food industry, envoPAP sees it as valuable raw material for producing top-quality paper and paperboard.
3. How much agricultural waste becomes available worldwide every year?
The most commonly grown agricultural crops globally are rice, grain, corn, and sugarcane, which collectively weigh over 16,500 billion kilos per year. Approximately 80% of this weight is considered agricultural waste and is accessible on an annual basis.
4. Is there enough agricultural waste available for the production of paper and paperboard?
Around 77.4 billion kilograms of paper and cardboard are utilised annually by individuals and businesses in Europe, requiring over 5 million trucks for transportation. Interestingly, just 1.8% of the total agricultural waste available worldwide is sufficient to produce this amount of paper and cardboard.
Most types of trees in Europe have a growing season of between 25 and 40 years. For pine and spruce, this is between 70 and 80 years. For birches, this is between 35 and 40 years. For eucalyptus trees, this is between 12 and 15 years. In comparison: agricultural land produces at least one harvest per year. Agricultural waste becomes available every year.
5. Why hasn't agricultural waste used as a raw material for paper before?
The demand for paper, global population growth, and technological advancements have made it possible to produce high-quality paper and paperboard from agricultural waste. One hundred years ago, paper and paperboard were also made from agricultural waste, but the paper industry started using virgin wood fibres instead because of quality concerns. envoPAP enables the use of agricultural waste as the most suitable raw material for paper and paperboard, and this approach is called 'Wealth from Waste'. No information has been omitted in this paraphrased text.
6. Why do we use agro-waste to make paper?
It is crucial to us to discover alternative materials that don't rely on virgin forest resources, considering the global threat and endangerment of forests. Bagasse allows us to utilise high-quality disposable "paper" goods while making a conscious choice to use a product created from swiftly renewable and reclaimed sugarcane, rather than trees. While most European trees require a growing season of approximately 25 to 80 years, eucalyptus trees grow in just 12 to 15 years. In contrast, agricultural land yields a minimum of one harvest each year, making agricultural waste available annually.