THE PAPER-MAKING QUALITIES OF BAGASSE. 
unstable since to make calculations that could have any permanent 
value. Furthermore, the local conditions must be taken into account. 
Entirely new figures would have to be compiled to make the financial 
side applicable to Australia. Some of the estimates; based on 1912 
conditions, are as follows :— 
Capital cost (1) for a 30-ton daily output for 300 days a year, (2) 
for a 10-ton daily output for 300 days a year. 
Pulp mill... .. £48,000 a dh ZH 
Paper mill .. = 42,000 ay. BEAMIN 
Power plant a 20,000 ay 10,000 
Working capital 20 10,000 S¢ 5,000 
£120,000 oye £47,000 
Return on investment. . 25% ar 15% 
The plant to be installed would depend on the availability of capital, 
the supply of raw material, the market, and various other economic 
factors (labour, fuel, water, &c.). 
Vatur or BagassE as Furr. 
In the Hawaiian Islands we é¢annot consider bagasse as a by- 
product, as it hag a distinct value, chiefly as a fuel. This value will 
vary according to the cost of the fuel which it replaces. On pre-war 
estimates this has been estimated at about 5s. a ton for green bagasse 
carrying 45 per cent. water. 
The value of bagasse as a fuel depends on several factors, ¢.g., the 
percentage of moisture and its thermal value, its cost and handling. 
Typical Hawaiian bagasse, with an average of 45 per cent. moisture, is 
calculated to have a heating value of 2,909 B.T.U. For Cuban bagasse, 
Meyers calculated the value as 3,848 B.T.U. on a 47 per cent. of 
moisture. Since bagasse commonly replaces some other fuel, its value 
is calculated on the efficiency with which it does so. In the figures 
quoted, Californian fuel oil is replaced, and from a knowledge of the 
boiler efficiency, calorific value, and costs of oil, the cost of wet bagasse 
is arrived at, equal to 1.2 dollars per ton. 
Warer Suppry. 
The question of water supply is important. In any locality the 
quantity of water required will depend on the character of the product. 
For high-grade rag writing paper as much as 150,000 to 200,000 gallons 
per ton are used, while for newspaper as little as 12,000 to 15,000 
gallons per ton. In England, with esparto fibre, which is much like 
bagasse, from 25,000 to 50,000 gallons per ton are used. The conclu- 
sion arrived at is that 50,000 gallons per ton would be necessary, exclu- 
sive of water required for the steam plant. The purity of the water 
must not be overlooked, as is well known to paper-makers. The disposal 
of waste water containing much organic matter and the recovery of 
waste products must also receive careful consideration. 
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