Rice hulls (or rice husks) are the hard protecting coverings of grains of rice. In addition to protecting rice during the growing season, rice hulls can be put to use as building material, fertilizer, insulation material, or fuel.
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Production
Rice hulls are the coatings of seeds, or grains, of rice. The husk protects the seed during the growing season, since it is formed from hard materials, including opaline silica and lignin. The hull is mostly indigestible to humans.
Winnowing, used to separate the rice from hulls, is to put the whole rice into a pan and throw it into the air while the wind blows. The light hulls are blown away while the heavy rice fall back into the pan. Later pestles and a simple machine called a rice pounder were developed to remove hulls. In 1885 the modern rice hulling machine was invented in Brazil. During the milling processes, the hulls are removed from the raw grain to reveal whole brown rice, which may then sometimes be milled further to remove the bran layer, resulting in white rice.
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Uses
Ash
Combustion of rice hulls affords rice husk ash (acronym RHA). This ash is a potential source of amorphous reactive silica, which has a variety of applications in materials science. Most of the ash is used in the production of Portland cement. When burnt completely, the ash can have a Blaine number of as much as 3,600 compared to the Blaine number of cement (between 2,800 and 3,000), meaning it is finer than cement. Silica is the basic component of sand, which is used with cement for plastering and concreting. This fine silica will provide a very compact concrete. The ash also is a very good thermal insulation material. The fineness of the ash also makes it a very good candidate for sealing fine cracks in civil structures, where it can penetrate deeper than the conventional cement sand mixture.
A number of possible uses for RHA include absorbents for oils and chemicals, soil ameliorants, a source of silicon, insulation powder in steel mills, as repellents in the form of "vinegar-tar" release agent in the ceramics industry, as an insulation material. More specialized applications include the use of this material as a catalyst support.
Goodyear announced plans to use rice husk ash as a source for tire additive.
Rice hulls are a low-cost material from which silicon carbide "whiskers" can be manufactured. The SiC whiskers are then used to reinforce ceramic cutting tools, increasing their strength tenfold.
Toothpaste
In Kerala, India, charcoal from Rice husks (Umikari in Malayalam) were universally used for over centuries in cleaning teeth, before toothpaste replaced it.
Brewing
Rice hulls can be used in brewing beer to increase the lautering ability of a mash.
Fertilizer and substrate
Rice hulls can be composted, but their high lignin content can make this a slow process. Sometimes earthworms are used to accelerate the process. Using vermicomposting techniques, hulls can be converted to fertilizer in about four months.
Rice hulls that are parboiled (PBH) are used as a substrate or medium for gardening, including certain hydrocultures. The hulls decay over time. Rice hulls allow drainage, and retain less water than growstones. It has been shown that rice hulls do not affect plant growth regulation.
Fireworks
Rice hulls are coated with fine-grained gunpowder and used as the main bursting charge in aerial fireworks shells.
Fuel
With proper techniques, rice hulls can be burned and used to power steam engines. Some rice mills originally disposed of hulls in this way. Unfortunately the direct combustion of rice hulls produces large quantities of smoke. An alternative is gasification. Rice hulls are easily gasified in top-lit updraft gasifiers. The combustion of this rice hull gas produces a blue flame, and rice hull biochar makes a good soil amendment.
Juice extraction
Rice hulls are used as a "press aid" to improve extraction efficiency of apple pressing.
Pet food fiber
Rice hulls are an inexpensive byproduct of human food processing, serving as a source of fiber that is considered a filler ingredient in pet foods.
Pillow stuffing
Rice hulls are used as pillow stuffing. The pillows are loosely stuffed and considered therapeutic as they retain the shape of the head.
Insulating material
Rice hulls themselves are a class A thermal insulating material because they are difficult to burn and less likely to allow moisture to propagate mold or Fungi. Rice hulls are also used for making cardboard, it is also used to cover roofs of houses after mixing it with mud and water.
Particle boards and cardboard
Rice hulls are also used to make particle boards and cardboard. The silica in rice husk make the particle boards less attractive to termites.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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