title: Recycling of ash from mezcal industry: a renewable source of lime.
abstract: Agave bagasse is a byproduct generated in the mezcal industry. Normally it is burned to reduce its volume, then a byproduct is generated in the form of residual ash, which can contaminate the water in rivers and lakes near the production places called "mezcaleras". This report details measurements of the Agave Salmiana fiber transformation after the burning process. The wasted ash was heated at 950°C, and then hydrolyzed. The compounds were indentified using the X-ray diffraction. The images obtained by scanning electron microscope showed all the morphological transformations of the lime through the whole process. Thermal, elemental and morphological characterization of the agave bagasse were done. Experiments showed that 16% of ash was produced in the burning process of agave bagasse (450°C), and 66% of the ash remains after heating (950°C) in the form of calcium oxide. The results show an important renewable source of calcium compounds, due to the high production of agave based beverages in México.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanotechnology, PIIT Monterrey, C.P. 66600, Apodaca, Centre of Innovation Research and Development on Engineering and Technology, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Nuevo León, Mexico. leonardo.chavezgr@uanl.edu.mx
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chávez-Guerrero
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.forename: B I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Kharissov
mesh_terms: D027882:Agave; D017610:Calcium Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D017745:Incineration; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010087:Oxides / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D013818:Thermogravimetry; D018505:Waste Management / Q000379:methods*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D017610:Calcium Compounds; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010087:Oxides; D002482:Cellulose; C027433:bagasse; C016538:lime