The blue agave (Agave tequilana Weber, Var. Azul) is mainly located in the states that have a Tequila Denomination of Origin: Jalisco, Nayarit, Michoacán, Guanajuato and Tamaulipas, being the raw material of Tequila. Once the alcoholic beverage has been produced, the residual fiber that is obtained is known as bagasse. This waste represents approximately 40% of the total weight of processed agave and currently more than 2 million tons are generated annually. In order to find alternative uses for this waste, at Penka we collect the bagasse that companies that work with this species of agave discard and pass them on to a fiber treatment process so that they can be mixed with plastic materials, such as Polypropylene. In this way, agave fiber is used as reinforcement in polymeric materials
This fiber is ground to reduce its size and then separated into its different lengths by means of a screen. Finally, an extrusion process is carried out where agave fiber is mixed with a base resin, this compound is called PolyAgave®.
Agave fiber composites have a wide variety of applications in different industries. Penka, is a Mexican company that designs, manufactures and sells innovative products made with PolyAgave® from BioSolutions Mexico. Thus, what was originally waste from the tequila industry becomes raw material for the creation of new environmentally friendly products. Our products are characterized by being biobased and biodegradable, in addition, they can be reusable. We manufacture straws, cutlery, brushes, among others. In addition, we offer personalized project design services for companies that seek to make their products with sustainable materials.