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Bagasse is the fibrous residue remaining after sugarcane or sorghum stalks are crushed to extract their juice and is currently used as a renewable resource in the manufacture of pulp and paper products and building materials. Bagasse is a heterogeneous material containing approximately 30-40% w/w of pith fiber, which is derived from the core of the plant and is mainly parenchyma material, and rind or stem fiber, which makes up the balance of the material. Bagasse is often used as a primary fuel source for sugar mills. When burned in quantity, it produces sufficient heat energy to supply all the needs of a typical sugar mill, with energy to spare. In addition, a secondary use for this waste product is in cogeneration, the use of a fuel source to provide both heat energy, used in the mill, and electricity, which is typically sold on to the consumer electrical grid.

Agave plants are used for fiber (henequén) production in the Yucatan peninsula for tequila and mezcal production in southern, west-central, and western Mexican states; and also for producing a traditional fermented beverage called pulque, in the highlands of central plateau of Mexico, including agricultural areas within the limits of Mexico City. The agave bagasse consists of the tissue of the blue agave after extraction of the sap. It is the residual fiber from slaughterhouses remaining after cooked agave heads are shredded and milled and the sugars are water-extracted. The bagasse is primarily the rind and fibrovascular bundles dispersed throughout the interior of the agave head.

The availability and characteristics of agave bagasse including structure, fiber size, and absorbency suggest that agave bagasse would be a suitable bulking agent for composting and to determine a viable method for the biodegradation of waste by piling alternate layers of offal with agave bagasse as a bulking agent.

See also: Bagasse, Biomass.