Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Valuable Chemicals from Rice Husk Biomass
EPA Grant Number: SU835292Title: Valuable Chemicals from Rice Husk Biomass
Investigators: Sun, Luyi , Wang, Weixing , DeBord, Katelyn , Martin, Jarett , Oliphant, Adam , Huang, Wenxi , Chen, Haoran , Yarbrough, Braylon , Lee, Kaitlynn , Doerr, Paige , Turner, Raheim , Glinski, Vitold , Gifford, Daniel , Chen, Caixing , Huang, Zhan , Tan, Zhuyan , Lin, Pinzhen
Institution: Texas State University , South China University of Technology
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: II
Project Period: August 15, 2012 through August 14, 2014
Project Amount: $90,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet - Phase 2 (2012) Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , P3 Challenge Area - Chemical Safety , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The goal of this project is to develop a novel technology to extract both lignocellulose and nano-silica from waste RHs. It is hoped that this project will help significantly minimize pollution and cost associated with the current disposal of RHs and provide starting materials for biofuels and other products.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
We achieved the expected goal to extract both lignocellulose and nano-silica from waste RHs, converting a biowaste to two value added products.
Relationship to people, prosperity and the planet
People
We have been engaged with the intended users before the start of the project. Three H’s, LLC., the supplier of rice husks (RHs) for this project, has been involved in storage, transportation, and disposal of RHs for many clients. They have been seeking promising applications for such a huge amount of bio-waste for years. Our proposed approach can not only avoid the pollution and other related environmental issues from the current open-field burning of RHs, but also produce two value-added products, lignocellulose and silica nanoparticles. The two valuable products are expected to bring substantial benefits to many people on the earth.
Prosperity
Considering RHs are produced as a byproduct of rice, which is the main food source for a majority of the world’s population, there must be a huge and continuous demand on the utilization of RHs. Thus, it is believed that the approach we developed in this project, which can turn waste to value with virtually no pollution, will lead to very appreciable economic benefits.
Planet
The approach we developed will not only avoid existing pollution problems associated with open-field burning of RHs, but also create a green and economical route to prepare silica nanoparticles, which are currently made from silica precursors that are produced from a highly energy intensive and eco-hazardous method. The success of our approach can thus in turn avoid the related negative impact from the production of silica precursors, diminishing unnecessary resource and energy consumption. The lignocellulose separated from RHs can be used as a starting material for paper industry and biofuel. Thus, our comprehensive approach is expected to have several positive impacts on the planet in general, and benefit the environment.
Relevance and significance to developing or developed world
Both developed countries (e.g., US, Japan, Korea, etc.) and developing countries (e.g., China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, etc.) are main rice producers. Thus, this project has a significant impact to both developing and developed world.
Conclusions:
We have successfully developed an ionic liquid extraction approach to obtain both lignocellulose and silica nanoparticles from RHs bio-waste. The recovered lignocellulose can be used for biofuel and prepare bio-based surfactants. The silica nanoparticles from RHs have been successfully converted to organo-silicon compounds, which can be subsequently used to synthesize various silicon containing materials. This project has brought huge benefits to people, prosperity, and the planet
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 13 publications | 4 publications in selected types | All 4 journal articles |
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Wang Z, Liu J, Wang W, Wei Z, Wang F, Gong P, Wang J, Li N, Liu B, Zhang Z, Wang W, Sun L. Photoluminescent carbon quantum dot grafted silica nanoparticles directly synthesized from rice hk biomass. JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY 2017;5(24):4679-4689 |
SU835292 (Final) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
Rice husk, silica, lignocellulose, biowaste, environmentProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractP3 Phase I:
Extracting Lignocellulose and Synthesizing Silica Nanoparticles from Rice Husks | Final ReportThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.