03/02/2023
Why Is Sugarcane Used to Make Paper?
(By Timothea Xi, eHow Contributor)
The reasons for making sugarcane paper are manifold. With staggering statistics like 900 million trees that are cut down annually to supply U.S. paper mills and 67 million tons of paper used by Americans each year, alternatives to wood-based paper offer a reprieve to the forests. While recycling paper is one way to mitigate the use of trees, another solution uses no trees at all: sugarcane-fiber paper is made from bagasse, or the husk of the cane left over after being processed for sugar.
1.It Doesn't Use Up Trees:
Sugarcane paper takes an existing waste product, bagasse, and converts it into usable products. In addition to making paper from bagasse, manufacturers can also make compostable tableware, tissues and napkins from the same fiber. The sugarcane paper can be used like regular paper for making napkins, for example. You can also recycle sugarcane paper and include it in the recycling stream along with ordinary paper.
2.Sugarcane Fiber Would Otherwise Contribute to Air Pollution:
One way to get rid of sugar cane fiber after sugar processing is to burn it. However, this abets air pollution and increases greenhouse gas emissions. Rather than using the bagasse in a way that harms the environment, the fiber can be redirected to be processed into paper. The bagasse is pulped and bleached without using chlorine; finally, the material is woven to create paper.
3.Producing Sugarcane Paper Uses Less Energy
The energy required to make sugarcane paper is less than that needed for traditional wood-pulp paper making. Sugarcane husks, as a byproduct and agricultural waste product, are available in abundance and are not harvested for paper from virgin plants, unlike trees intended for paper. Fewer intermediate steps to creating paper makes sugarcane more streamlined and less fuel-intensive than its wood based counterpart.
4.Sugarcane Paper Biodegrades Faster than Regular Paper
From an archival standpoint, users of paper want their paper goods to withstand the elements and last a long time. From an environmental vantage point, however, something that does not hasten towards decomposition is not as eco-friendly. Sugarcane bagasse biodegrades faster than does regular paper, which can be advantageous or less so, depending on what you require of your paper.
