Rice Husks Used in Carbon-Neutral Concrete

A Plano, Texas-based company says it has figured out how to use rice husks in the production of carbon-neutral concrete.

By cooking the husks in a low-oxygen environment, researchers with ChK Group, Inc. say they can reduce the material to nearly pure silica, which can replace carbon intensive cement in concrete mixes.

Other materials, such as coal fly ash, have been used to replace cement in a greener concrete, but rice husks are an especially promising byproduct in China and India where rice and concrete consumption are especially high. 

The researchers are currently building a pilot operation to test and refine the process.

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