2 months ago
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Rice husk, erstwhile treated arsenic a low-value byproduct of paddy milling, is emerging arsenic a cardinal earthy worldly successful the paddy-rich West Godavari territory for a fast-growing greenish silica industry, attracting policymakers, industrialists, and investors.
West Godavari and Eluru districts unneurotic nutrient astir 25 lakh metric tonnes of paddy annually. After milling, astir 19% of the output, astir 4.75 lakh metric tonnes, remains arsenic paddy husk.
For decades, astir of it was either burned arsenic low-grade boiler substance oregon discarded adjacent atom mills. Now, the aforesaid byproduct is being converted into high-value concern material.
Through controlled combustion, atom husk is transformed into Rice Husk Ash (RHA), which contains implicit 90 per cent silica. The silica is processed into products specified arsenic precipitated silica and silica gel, some witnessing rising request successful home and planetary markets.
Officials said that the automotive assemblage was driving overmuch of this demand. Industry estimates bespeak that the tyre and rubber manufacture unsocial accounts for astir 57 per cent of the planetary silica market.
Wide scope
Tyre manufacturers are progressively adopting rice-husk-derived silica for producing fuel-efficient ‘green tyres’ with improved tensile strength, durability, and little rolling resistance, portion besides reducing dependence connected environmentally damaging mined silica.
The applications widen beyond tyres. Silica gel derived from atom husk ash is wide utilized successful electronics for moisture protection, successful toothpaste and cosmetics arsenic a thickening agent, and successful the nutrient manufacture arsenic an anti-caking material.
“The West Godavari territory medication has submitted a Circular Economy Blueprint to the A.P. authorities to alteration the territory into a zero-waste concern hub by encouraging atom millers to diversify into value-added industries. ”Chadalavada Nagarani West Godavari District Collector
“The West Godavari territory medication has submitted a Circular Economy Blueprint to the Andhra Pradesh authorities to alteration the territory into a zero-waste concern hub by encouraging atom millers to diversify into value-added industries. More than 500 atom millers precocious attended meetings successful Bhimavaram to research opportunities successful silica extraction, atom bran lipid production, and biomass vigor generation,” Collector Chadalavada Nagarani told The Hindu.
She said investments are gathering momentum, with companies specified arsenic Gowthami Solvent Oils already operating processing facilities, portion caller silica manufacturing projects worthy astir ₹30 crore are being developed nether the MSME framework.
The Andhra Pradesh Food Processing Policy 2024-29 offers incentives, including a 25 per cent superior subsidy and 7 per cent involvement subsidy for eligible units, the Collector said.
Ms. Nagarani said manufacture estimates suggest refined silica gel tin fetch astir ₹200 per kilogram, importantly enhancing the worth of cultivation waste.
For Andhra Pradesh, which produces astir 70 lakh metric tonnes of paddy annually, the displacement could boost agrarian industrialisation, employment, and sustainable economical growth, she added.
