IGPN - International Green Purchasing Network

May 8, 2013

A second life for rice husk

The rice husk (or hull) is the outermost layer of the paddy grain that is separated from the rice grain during the milling process. Around 20 percent of paddy weight is husk and rice production in Asia produces about 770 million tons of husk annually.

Rice husk was largely considered a waste product that was often burned or dumped on landfills, according to Martin Gummert, postharvest expert at the International Rice Research Institute. “In Vietnam, it used to be a waste some years ago and was dumped in the rivers, causing a big problem, but now it has value,” Mr. Gummert said. “In fact, in most countries, rice husk is not waste anymore.” Some enterprising companies are turning it into various products not only for eco-conscious market place but also for the industrial sector.

India, one of the biggest rice producers in the world, not surprisingly, also produces vast amounts of rice husk. For Mr. Gyanesh Pandey, an engineer and co-founder and CEO of Husk Power Systems (HPS), this was an inexpensive energy source to light up villages outside India’s industrial power grid. HPS is a rural empowerment enterprise that designs, installs, and operates mini power plants using a biomass gasification technology he co-developed. The mini power plants, operated by local villagers trained by HPS, can generate from 25 kW to 10 kW of electricity.

Another company is bringing rice husk back to the dining table, not as food but as the main material for producing disposable chopsticks. Algan Technology, a company that specializes in reusing waste products and by-products, has developed a new material that contains 90 percent rice husk and only 10 percent resin. This nontoxic material, called SOLIT RICEIT, can be used for manufacturing reusable and disposable chopsticks without cutting down a single tree.

Read more at Eco Business.

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