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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Healthy Processed Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #341015
Research Project: New Sustainable Processing Technologies to Produce Healthy, Value-Added Foods from Specialty Crops

Location: Healthy Processed Foods Research

Title: Rice straw and hulls

Author
item YI, ZHENG - Clemson University
item VENKITASAMY, CHANDRASEKAR - University Of California
item Pan, Zhongli

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2018
Publication Date: 6/20/2018
Citation: Zheng, Y., Venkitasamy, C., Pan, Z. 2017. Rice straw and hulls. In: Pan, Z., Khir, R., editors. The Science and Engineering of Rice. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: DEStech Publications, Inc. p. 587-668.

Interpretive Summary: Every year, about 650–975 million tons of rice straw and 800 million tons of rice husk are generated during postharvest and processing of rice. The rice straw and husk are disposed by in-field and on-site burning or dumping causing various environmental issues, which significantly affects the sustainability of rice agriculture. Finding value-added outlets for straw and husk can not only eliminate the environmental impact of improper disposal, but also create additional profit for rice farmers. This chapter summarizes the various physical and chemical properties of rice straw and rice husk, their major applications, previous studies on the life cycle assessment (LCA) on their application for biofuels, and their potential market. The various conversion technologies available for the rice straw and rice husk for their utilization as biofuel, building material, raw material in bio-refineries, fertilizer and animal feed are also discussed. The chapter provides a single major source of information on the utilization potential of rice straw and rice husk in various sectors.

Technical Abstract: As the world’s third largest grain crop, rice grain production is accompanied by the generation of a large quantity of residues in the form of rice straw and rice husk. The disposal of such residues is a key factor which significantly affects the sustainability of rice agriculture. In-field and on-site burning or dumping of straw and husk causes various environmental issues and negative impact on rice agriculture. Finding value-added outlets for straw and husk can not only eliminate the environmental impact of improper disposal, but also create additional profit for rice agriculture. This chapter summarizes the various physical and chemical properties of rice straw and rice husk, their major applications, previous studies on the life cycle assessment (LCA) on their application for biofuels, and their potential market. The various conversion technologies available for the rice straw and rice husk for their utilization are also discussed. The chapter provides a single major source of information on the rice straw and rice husk utilization.