The Cuban henequen industry in the circular economy: Opportunities for waste valorization

Abstract

In recent years, the circular economy model has received a lot of attention as these policies constitute important factors that are necessary to accelerate and expand circular practices in the economy, such as the introduction of changes in product design and supply chains and industrial production processes, as well as the way in which products are used and disposed of at the end of their useful life. The circular economy involves abandoning the current linear economy model, which is based on “take, make and throw away” and where resources are extracted, converted into products, used, or consumed and subsequently disposed of. The concept of circular economy includes principles of life cycle and “cradle to cradle” approaches - which consider that waste is “food” for new products and processes - and is based on the transition towards renewable energy sources. In Cuba, the process associated with the employment and development of henequen has low productivity, but at the same time, it does not report large sources of income to the country due to the low use of the crop, since only the fibers of the agave leaves are used, which barely represent the 2% of the plant. The rest is made up of biomass and short fibers that are wasted, in most cases burned and represent both an environmental and financial cost. In order to propose alternatives for the treatment of waste from the henequen process, an analysis of the liquid and solid waste generated was carried out, identifying its properties and potential uses. The results show that the residual juice can be used as a detergent and the pineapples for the production of inulin and bioethanol, as well as animal feed, reducing pollution and generating benefit. It is concluded that the implementation of these alternatives is viable and fundamental for the transition of the henequen industry towards a circular economy model in Cuba