In cooperation with York University, the world's first plant to manufacture citric acid from bagasse
Scientists have discovered how to significantly improve the sustainability of the sugarcane industry by converting a major by-product into valuable chemicals used in food, medicine and cosmetics.
In a project between British scientists, including the University of York, in collaboration with Indian and British companies, researchers have found a way to convert bagasse, the fibrous material left over from crushing sugarcane plants, into citric acid.
India is the world's second largest sugar producer and the industry is one of the largest rural employers. However, the industry generates a lot of industrial waste in the form of bagasse. This biomass is currently burned to power sugar mills, but the process is inefficient and doesn't use all the bagasse available.
Professor Simon J McQueen Mason, from the University of York's Department of Biology, said: "In order to assess the economic potential of this process, the next step is to attract further investment to conduct a 100L scale processing trial. If this goes well, Indian sugar company Natems Sugars is very well positioned. Interested in building a factory to run this process, which will be the first of its kind in the world."
