Pune: Bagasse which is mainly used to produce electricity in the co-generation plants will not have a good future, believes industry expert.
Speaking at an event organized by The Sugar Technologists Association of India (STAI), President Sanjay Awasthi stressed on future of bagasse. He said, “Bagasse will become a big problem for the industry in the next five years as most of the states are getting power surplus owing to higher efficiency and capacity utilization by the thermal and hydro projects and cheap power from solar energy. No new PPAs are being signed by the states with the sugar mills”.
India produces nearly 80 million metric tonnes (MMT) of bagasse annually. It is high time that the industry has to ponder over as to how would they utilize the surplus bagasse in future.
Citing an example of Coca-Cola company, he said, “I have seen a plant in Mexico, where coco-cola has acquired the technology of converting plastic bottles from bagasse, which is decomposable and if you bury that bottle into the soil, it will decompose within six weeks. At this moment plastic what we are using is an environmental havoc and takes over 100 years to decompose”.
“The industry has to now look at alternate, innovative and lucrative methods for efficient utilization of bagasse in future like the manufacture of paper, hard board, bio-plastic, disposable cup plates, 2nd generation ethanol etc. We have to also see the viability of each of them and what suits to the industry in a particular area.” he further added.
