Bagasse
Reviewed by Afonso Firmo, Co-Founder & Director · Updated 7 July 2026
Bagasse has an emission factor of 13.44 kg CO₂-e per tonne combusted (NGA Factors 2025). Calculate Scope 1 emissions from sugar mill boilers with examples.
Emission Factor Value
13.44 kg CO₂-e/tonne
Try it with your own numbers
Estimated emissions
—
Fuel combustion emissions are reported under Scope 1. Calculated as quantity × 13.44 kg CO₂-e per tonne (9.6 GJ/t × 1.4 kg CO₂-e/GJ CH₄ + N₂O, NGA Factors 2025 Table 4). Biogenic CO₂ is zero-rated and reported separately.
Official Source & Citation
This emission factor is sourced from the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025 , Table 4 — Solid fuels and certain coal-based products, published by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
Citation: DCCEEW (2025). Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025. Commonwealth of Australia. Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/climate-change/publications/national-greenhouse-accounts-factors-2025
Notes
Derived from NGA Factors 2025 Table 4: energy content 9.6 GJ/t × combined Scope 1 emission factor 1.4 kg CO₂-e/GJ = 13.44 kg CO₂-e per tonne. Bagasse is the fibrous residue left after sugarcane crushing, burned in sugar mill boilers for steam and electricity. It is a biomass fuel: the CO₂ emission factor is zero (biogenic CO₂ is reported separately) and the 1.4 kg CO₂-e/GJ covers methane and nitrous oxide only. No Scope 3 upstream factor is estimated. 1 tonne combusted = 13.44 kg CO₂-e.
Calculation Example
If your sugar mill combusted 100,000 tonnes of bagasse during the crushing season:
| Working | Result |
|---|---|
| 100,000 t × 13.44 kg CO₂-e/t = 1,344,000 kg CO₂-e | 1,344 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1) |
Every crushing season, Queensland and northern New South Wales sugar mills burn millions of tonnes of bagasse — the fibrous residue left after cane crushing — to power themselves and, often, the local grid. It is one of Australia’s largest renewable fuel streams, and it still generates a reportable line in the mill’s Scope 1 inventory.
The number is small because the CO₂ is biogenic; what counts is the methane and nitrous oxide. Here is the 2025–26 factor with worked examples you can check in a Scope 1 and 2 calculator.
Quick Verdict
Bagasse carries a combined Scope 1 emission factor of 1.4 kg CO₂-e per gigajoule under the NGA Factors 2025. At an as-fired energy content of 9.6 GJ per tonne, each tonne combusted produces 13.44 kg of CO₂-equivalent — roughly 181 tonnes of bagasse for the emissions of one tonne of bituminous coal. As a biomass fuel, its CO₂ is biogenic and zero-rated; the reportable factor covers methane and nitrous oxide only. The mill operating the boiler reports these emissions under Scope 1. Values come from Table 4, published by DCCEEW for the 2025–26 reporting year.
How to Calculate Bagasse Emissions
Emissions (t CO₂-e) = Quantity (t) × Energy content (9.6 GJ/t) × Emission factor (1.4 kg CO₂-e/GJ) ÷ 1,000
Worked Example 1: Sugar mill burning 100,000 tonnes in a season
A mid-sized mill fires 100,000 tonnes of bagasse across the crushing season. Using the per-tonne factor:
100,000 t × 13.44 kg CO₂-e/t = 1,344,000 kg CO₂-e
1,344 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)
Worked Example 2: Co-generation plant burning 5,000 tonnes
A co-generation unit consumes 5,000 tonnes of stockpiled bagasse in the off-season.
5,000 t × 9.6 GJ/t = 48,000 GJ of energy
48,000 GJ × 1.4 kg CO₂-e/GJ = 67,200 kg CO₂-e
67.2 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)
Worked Example 3: Energy-based records of 20,000 GJ
A mill’s energy accounting attributes 20,000 GJ to bagasse firing.
20,000 GJ × 1.4 kg CO₂-e/GJ = 28,000 kg CO₂-e
28 tonnes CO₂-e (Scope 1)
How Bagasse Compares to Other Solid Fuels
| Fuel | Energy content (GJ/t) | Scope 1 EF (kg CO₂-e/GJ) | kg CO₂-e per tonne |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bagasse | 9.6 | 1.4 | 13.44 |
| Sulphite lyes (black liquor) | 12.4 | 0.58 | 7.19 |
| Dry wood | 16.2 | 1.2 | 19.44 |
| Green and air-dried wood | 10.4 | 1.2 | 12.48 |
| Charcoal | 31.1 | 6.3 | 195.93 |
| Bituminous coal | 27 | 90.24 | 2,436.48 |
NGER and AASB S2 Reporting
Bagasse combustion is reportable under NGER: mills above the thresholds report the CH₄ and N₂O to the Clean Energy Regulator using this Table 4 factor, with biogenic CO₂ disclosed separately outside the total. The same figures flow into your AASB S2 climate disclosure, so keep crushing records, fibre analyses and boiler metering aligned through the season.
Related Emission Factors
Frequently Asked Questions
Disclaimer
This page is provided for general information, not professional or compliance advice. The factor shown is reproduced from the official publication cited above, and while we work to keep it current, government factors change — the publication is always the authoritative source.
- Before using this value in any formal reporting — including under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 — confirm it against the current official publication and the methods specified by the Clean Energy Regulator.
- NetNada is independent of the Australian Government, DCCEEW, and the Clean Energy Regulator. Government data is Crown copyright, Commonwealth of Australia.