Environmental Impacts of

Alternative Uses of Rice Husks

for Thailand
Jittima Prasara-A1, Tim Grant2

1Schoolof Global Studies, Social Science and Planning, RMIT

University, Melbourne, Australia,
2Centre for Design, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

InLCA VIII
September 30 – October 2, 2008
Seattle, Washington
 Contents

• Background
• Life Cycle Assessment
Study
• Results
• Conclusions &
Discussions
• Acknowledgements

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 2

 Rice Husks: Facts

• Thailand is one of the largest

rice producers in the world
• In recent years, the nation
produced about 29 million
tonnes annually (Office of
Agricultural Economics 2006)
• By-product of rice production
is rice husk, accounting for
23% of total paddy weight
• One of the potential biomass
sources in Thailand
• Light and bulky
• Causes disposal, respiratory
and global warming problems

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 3

 Rice Husks: Facts

• Rice husk has been

traditionally used as an
Process energy required:
Paddy milling and drying: 30-60 kWh/tonne paddy energy source within the
rice mill itself.
1 tonne of
Paddy
650-700 kg
White rice • There are still surplus rice
husks after being used in
the mill.
• There is a need to find uses
Waste:
220 kg Husks ~ 90-125 kWh of this rice husks
Reference: The EC-ASEAN COGEN
Programme (1998, p. 28)

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 4

 Rice Husk Features

• Combustible
• Having granular structure, chemical
stability, insoluble in water
• Rice husk ash is rich of silica content
• Available in local area

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 5

 Rice Husks Uses

• Rice industry
• Power plant
• Cement and concrete industry
• Brick production
• Briquette production
• Waste water treatment plant
• Agricultural industry
• Cellulosic ethanol production
• Etc.

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 6

 Outline of the Study
Goals
• To assess the environmental impacts of the
main uses of rice husks in the Thai context.

• To determine how these beneficial uses of

rice husks will lead to substitution of virgin
materials, and changes in the emission
profiles of these production systems.

Scope
Rice husks alternative uses to be investigated
are uses in power generation, cement
manufacture and cellulosic ethanol
production.
School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 7
 System boundary
Rice
products

Rice growing Rice husks Rice husks disposal function

Transportation of rice husks to the users

Beneficial use:
Boiler fuel, cement
feedstock, ethanol Utilizing process:
feedstock Power plant, cement
manufacture,
ethanol production

Marginal supply of
competing inputs

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 8

 Rice Husk Power plant

• Uses rice husks as a main

feedstock
• Supplies electricity to the Thai
grid
• The ash generated from the
plant can be used as a soil
conditioner, used in clay brick
and lightweight concrete block
production. Some ash is also
dumped.
School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 9
 System Expansion for Power Plant Model
Assume that rice husk
ash are fully utilized in
local applications
Power
generation Electricity
process
Disposal of RH
Rice husk ash ash to landfill
or dump

Transportation
of rice husk
ash to the
consumers

Rice husk ash utilizing

processes: - Soil conditioner
Avoided products:
Chemical fertilizer,
Soil conditioner, clay - Clay brick
brick and lightweight
clay, Portland concrete block - Lightweight
cement production concrete block

Reference: Ekvall & Weidema (2004)

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 10
 Cement Plant
• Uses rice husks as an energy
source to substitute 20 % of
coal in the process
• Rice husk ash contains high
silica (about 95% wt.) so this
can substitute for silica in
main raw material (shale)
• Rice husk ash is bound the
with clinker to produce
cement
School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 11
 Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
• As a possible rice husk use option
for Thailand, it has not been
introduced to Thailand.
• Rice husks can be used as a
feedstock.
• Technology is still developing
• The solid residues left from the
process can be burned in co-
generation to produce heat and
electricity for use in the plant itself
and then sell the surplus power to
the grid
School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 12
 System Expansion for Ethanol Plant Model

Cellulosic Cellulosic Ethanol used in vehicles

Ethanol
production
process
Solid residues (lignin)

Steam & Burning

residues in Electricity to be
Electricity co-generation sold to the grid

Avoided products:
Electricity from the
grid Assume that solid
residues left from
the process are
Reference: Ekvall & Weidema (2004) utilized fully
School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 13
 Life Cycle Inventory

Data sources
Foreground data: Interviews with
industry personnel, LCA questionnaires,
literature

Background data: LCI database

available (Ecoinvent, Australian Life
Cycle Inventory Database), published
reports
 Life Cycle Impact Assessment
Power Plant Model: 1 MWh Electricity: Method: Eco-indicator 99 (H)
V2.05 / Europe EI 99 H/H / normalization
0.18

0.16

0.14

0.12 Thai grid mix

0.1 RH, ash as soil

conditioner
0.08 RH, ash to brick

0.06 RH, ash to

concrete block
0.04
RH, ash to
landfill
0.02

0
Climate change

Radiation

Eutrophication
Ozone layer

Minerals
Carcinogens

Ecotoxicity
Resp. organics

Land use
inorganics

Fossil fuels
Acidification/
Resp.

-0.02

Note: Draft only

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 15
Power Plant Model: Method: Greenhouse, IPPC 1990,- distinguish
main gases V1.00 / Greenhouse kg CO2eq / single score

1,000

800
Other
600
Land
transformation
400 Nitrous oxide

200 Methane

Carbon dioxide
0
Thai grid mix RH, ash as RH, ash to RH, ash to RH, ash to
-200 soil brick concrete landfill
conditioner production block
Note: Draft only production
School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 16
 Cement Plant Model : 1 tonne of cement: Method: Eco-
indicator 99 (H) V2.05 / Europe EI 99 H/H / normalization

0.040

0.035

0.030

0.025 Portland
cement
0.020 with RH
Portland
0.015 cement

0.010

0.005

0.000
Climate change

Radiation

Eutrophication
Ozone layer

Minerals
Ecotoxicity
Carcinogens

Resp. organics

Land use
inorganics

Fossil fuels
Acidification/
Resp.

-0.005

Note: Draft only

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 17
Ethanol Plant Model : 1 kg of ethanol: Method: Eco-indicator 99 (H)
V2.05 / Europe EI 99 H/H / normalization

1.0E-03

9.0E-04

8.0E-04

7.0E-04

6.0E-04

5.0E-04
Ethanol
4.0E-04 from RH
3.0E-04 Petrol
2.0E-04

1.0E-04

0.0E+00
Climate change

Radiation

Eutrophication
Ozone layer

Minerals
Carcinogens

Ecotoxicity
Resp. organics

Land use
inorganics

Fossil fuels
Acidification/
Resp.

Note: Draft only

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 18
Car use of E10 from RH/Petrol Model : 1 km: Method: Greenhouse
Model - Single Point = kg CO2eq V1.00 / Greenhouse kg CO2eq / single
score

460.0

450.0

440.0
mPt

430.0

420.0

410.0

400.0
Petrol, per km E10 from RH, per km
Comparing 1 km. 'ULP, AUDC, per km' with 1 km. 'E10, from rice husks, AUDC, per km'; Method: Greenhouse Model - Single Point = kg
Note: Draft only CO2eq V1.00 / Greenhouse kg CO2eq / single score
School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 19
CO2 Methane N2O Sequestration Other
 Conclusions & Discussions
Power plant

• Compared to the Thai grid production, using rice husks

to generate electricity helps reduce the environmental
impacts on fossil fuels and climate change.
• Causes higher impact on Resp. inorganics.
• Disposal of rice husk ash
– Should not be disposed of in landfill, it causes
impacts on carcinogens and ecotoxicity.
– Best use in lightweight concrete block production.
– All other uses have similar benefits.
– Can both add value for the power plant owner and
also benefits the environment.

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 20

 Conclusions & Discussions
Cement
• Using rice husks in cement production seems to
offer little benefit over the conventional process.

Cellulosic Ethanol
• Reduce the impact on fossil fuels and climate
change compared to petrol production.
• Causes a little higher impacts on Resp.
inorganics, ecotoxicity and land use.

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 21

 References

• Ekvall, T & Weidema, BP 2004, 'System

Boundaries and Input Data in Consequential Life
Cycle Inventory Analysis', The International
Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, vol. 9, no. 3, pp.
161 – 71.
• The EC-ASEAN COGEN Programme 1998,
Evaluation of Conditions for Electricity Production
Based on Biomass: Final report for RAMBOLL, The
EC-ASEAN COGEN Programme, Bangkok.

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 22

 Acknowledgements

• Assoc Prof Ian Thomas, School of Global

Studies, Social Science and Planning, RMIT
University, Melbourne, Australia
• The Royal Thai Government Scholarship
• Interviewees and people who provided
information related to my research
• Staff at the Centre for Design (RMIT)

School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning Slide 23

Thank you for your attention.

Your comments are welcome.

Contact:
Jittima Prasara-A
jittima.prasara-a@rmit.edu.au