Agave tequilana is an outstanding crop from the western semi-arid region of Mexico and is the base for the internationally renowned drink called tequila. The industrialization of tequila production has led to an extensive farming, being the cause of environmental deterioration and waste production. One of the residues from the industrial activity for tequila production is agave bagasse. This material finds its origin in the core of the plant not in the leaves, as the leaves are left in the ground representing also an unused resource. The importance of lignocellulosic residues in new applications is increasing rapidly, accordingly the methods for processing this materials are being assessed by a wide range of investigators. To produce a liter of tequila agave 8 kg are required, which generate 3.2 kg of agave bagasse as waste. The management of this waste represents a great challenge and so far has been used as compost and for the production of low economic value goods. In this sense, this study has the main goal to obtain nanocellulose from this agroindustrial waste. Cellulose is a polymer that in nanoscale form offers excellent physical properties, this makes it a versatile material for various applications.

Nanocellulose recovery from industrial bagasse of agave tequilana

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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