Impact/Purpose:

The goal of the proposed research is to convert an agricultural byproduct, rice husks (RHs), to two value-added products: lignocellulose and silica nanoparticles.

Description:

At the end of this project, we will have the demonstration package including lignocellulose fibers and silica nanoparticles (with microscope images), and a chart illustrating the optimized process. We will also submit a conference abstract and a journal manuscript for national dissemination.

Record Details:

Record Type:PROJECT( ABSTRACT )

Start Date:08/15/2011

Completion Date:08/14/2012

Record ID: 250906

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Related Organizations:

Role :OWNER

Organization Name :SOUTH CHINA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Mailing Address :Banshan West Road

Citation :Tianhe Guangzhou



Role :OWNER

Organization Name :TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

Mailing Address :P.O. Box 42013

Citation :Lubbock

State :TX

Zip Code :79409



Role :OWNER

Organization Name :TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY

State :TX

Project Information:

Approach :

The annual global production of RHs is ca. 160 million tons. RHs are often burnt in open field, generating serious pollution issues. RHs are mainly composed of lignocellulose (ca. 85 wt%) and hydrated silica (ca. 15 wt%). We aim to develop an effective approach to first separate lignocellulose from RHs by dissolving it in ionic liquids. The dissolved lignocellulose will be subsequently separated and used as a starting material for fabric products, biofuel, etc. The remaining product after extraction which contains a high concentration of hydrated silica will be thermally treated to synthesize silica nanoparticles. The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between faculty and students in the Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Dept. of Chemical Engineering. Chemistry students will focus on fundamental aspects, while Chemical Engineering students will focus on process design and scale-up.

Cost :$15,000.00

Research Component :Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development

Approach :

The annual global production of RHs is ca. 160 million tons. RHs are often burnt in open field, generating serious pollution issues. RHs are mainly composed of lignocellulose (ca. 85 wt%) and hydrated silica (ca. 15 wt%). We aim to develop an effective approach to first separate lignocellulose from RHs by dissolving it in ionic liquids. The dissolved lignocellulose will be subsequently separated and used as a starting material for fabric products, biofuel, etc. The remaining product after extraction which contains a high concentration of hydrated silica will be thermally treated to synthesize silica nanoparticles. The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between faculty and students in the Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Dept. of Chemical Engineering. Chemistry students will focus on fundamental aspects, while Chemical Engineering students will focus on process design and scale-up.

Cost :$15,000.00

Research Component :P3 Challenge Area - Agriculture

Approach :

The annual global production of RHs is ca. 160 million tons. RHs are often burnt in open field, generating serious pollution issues. RHs are mainly composed of lignocellulose (ca. 85 wt%) and hydrated silica (ca. 15 wt%). We aim to develop an effective approach to first separate lignocellulose from RHs by dissolving it in ionic liquids. The dissolved lignocellulose will be subsequently separated and used as a starting material for fabric products, biofuel, etc. The remaining product after extraction which contains a high concentration of hydrated silica will be thermally treated to synthesize silica nanoparticles. The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between faculty and students in the Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Dept. of Chemical Engineering. Chemistry students will focus on fundamental aspects, while Chemical Engineering students will focus on process design and scale-up.

Cost :$15,000.00

Research Component :P3 Challenge Area - Materials & Chemistry

Project IDs:

ID Code :SU835084

Project type :EPA Grant