New Products to Be Derived from Waste Rice Husks

A Bartın University project supported under TUBITAK aims to obtain high-value-added lignin and paper from waste rice husks using green (environmentally friendly) chemicals. The project titled "Obtaining Green Chemicals, Lignin and Paper from Rice Husks," led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sezgin Koray Gülsoy from the Department of Forest Industry Engineering at Bartın University's Forestry Faculty, with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayhan Gençer and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayben Kılıç Pekgözlü serving as researchers, has been approved for support. Through the project supported under the TUBITAK 1002 - Rapid Support Program, research will be conducted within the framework of Sustainable Environment (Waste, Recycling, Effects and Prevention of Pollutants), one of the priority areas identified by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), and the conversion of waste rice husks into high-value-added products will be investigated. Gülsoy, providing information about the project, emphasized that the project will make significant contributions toward converting waste rice husks into high-value-added products using environmentally friendly chemicals and determining the most suitable conditions.

The Project Aims to Add Value

Noting that rice husk is used as an agricultural waste with low economic value, Gülsoy stated that 200,000 tonnes of rice husk are generated annually as waste in our country, its use as animal feed is not recommended, and its low density causes storage problems. Gülsoy said: "These wastes are burned in open fields or in various industries to obtain energy. This causes greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Rice husks are also used as bedding in poultry farming. Through our project, we will provide data to enable better utilization of rice husks, which have low economic value." Gülsoy also addressed the uses of lignin and its economic value to be obtained through the research to be conducted: "Lignin, which ranks second among renewable materials in nature, has attracted particular interest in recent years in the production of renewable fuels and valuable chemicals thanks to its high energy density and numerous phenolic phenyl propane units. Lignin and lignin-based products have generated a gain of 704 million dollars with a 2.28 per cent increase in recent years. Lignin, which is no longer a waste material, is now an important source for new-generation smart materials with its sustainable and renewable characteristics. Currently, more than 70 million tonnes of lignin are produced annually in the kraft industry worldwide. However, due to its heterogeneous structure, the use of this lignin is restricted in some sectors."