Agave bagasse biorefinery: processing and perspectives

Agave bagasse (AB) is the main solid waste generated by the tequila industry in Mexico, which is an environmental concern due to its considerable volume of production (377,000 Ton in 2016). AB is a lignocellulosic biomass that has been considered as a potential feedstock for different industrial uses in the framework of lignocellulosic biorefinery concept. The lignocellulosic biomass is a complex structure constituted by cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Therefore, for a complete waste revalorization, different processing steps would be required. In this work, the scientific advances toward the AB biorefinery composed by three sequential stages: pretreatment, treatment and biofuels production were reviewed. Moreover, the by-products of the process could also be recovered and used for the synthesis of value-added products. This integrative approach of AB in the conceptualized biorefinery generates positive impacts on environment as well as on local and regional economies. [GRAPHICS] .