10 VASILISSIS FREIDERIKIS, JACKI COURT, 1st FLOOR, 1066 LEFKOSIA, CYPRUS
M.K. ASGATE LTD is a rice husk silica sales company.
We contribute to the global environment with our business of recycling rice husks instead of industrial wastes.
Current issues of rice husks
The rice husks that are produced every year can be disposed of by mixing them into the soil, incinerating them, or disposing of them as industrial waste. In recent years, incineration has become a complaint and some lands are regulating it.
Every year, 90 million tons of rice husks are discharged all over the world, and as much as 2 million tons in Japan. Those rice husks contain about 20% silica.
In the world today, there is an urgent need to move away from oil and fossil resources, and to decarbonize and reduce CO2 emissions. We are actively involved in the SDGs as part of our actions and efforts to address global environmental issues.
In the world today, there is an urgent need to move away from oil and fossil resources, and to decarbonize and reduce CO2 emissions. We are actively involved in the SDGs as part of our actions and efforts to address global environmental issues.
Many agricultural operations are carried out with the main purpose of producing food and other products.
On the other hand, most of the residues that are not suitable for food and other purposes are unused waste because of the time and cost required to collect them.
At present, rice husks are mainly used as soil improvement materials, compost, and bedding material for livestock, while about 20% of rice husks are disposed of.
(From "Efforts to Use Biomass Energy by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries")
Extraction of high-purity, amorphous silica from rice husks
The high purity silica (>99%) has the following applications.
The high purity silica of more than 99% has the following applications and is expected to be used for commercialization of rice husk-derived silica and high value addition.
Construction: Construction field: Construction materials will be strengthened as an admixture for high performance cement.
Electronic components: Silica is indispensable for semiconductor encapsulation materials and other electronic components of all kinds.
Health foods: Silica has recently been in the spotlight as an ingredient for health.
Cosmetics: Silica is used not only in hair, face, and body care, but also in cosmetics and nail polish. One of the reasons for the increased need is that microbeads in cosmetics currently account for 70% of the microplastics in ocean pollution, so demand for alternatives is expected to increase.
Tire reinforcement materials: Silica can be used in tires to increase the driving force to kick the ground, thus saving fuel and reducing CO2 emissions, thus reducing environmental impact.
Batteries: Silica improves the safety, life and performance of batteries.
Glass Products: Silica is essential in the manufacture of heat resistant glass, such as fire door windows, which provide outstanding heat resistance.
Toner: By mixing silica into toner powder, it is possible to control the electrostatic charge characteristics to give the toner optimal flow characteristics.
Paint additives, etc.
Rubber products for machinery
Thermal insulation materials, etc.
Fumed silica is available in both hydrophobic and hydrophilic types and is used as a rheology modifier due to its high pseudo-liquid properties even at relatively low concentrations.
It is also sticky, which stabilizes the solution and prevents solids in the solution from sinking.
Due to these properties, they are used in coatings, inks, adhesives, resins, sealants and greases.
Fumed silica is also used in medicines and cosmetics.
Conventional silica production technology (mineral silica)
(1) Amorphous silica is produced from mineral silica.
(2) In addition, chemicals are used during the production process, so the produced silica already has reaction groups.
(3) The pore volume decreases due to the high temperature (about 1300°C) of the process.
Current technology to produce silica from rice husks
The majority of attempts to extract silica from rice husks are based on the method of extracting silica from the incinerated ash of rice husks.
The reason for this is that the main components of rice husks, other than silica (about 20%), are carbohydrates and water.
The reason is that it was thought that silica could be extracted as calcined ash by a relatively simple process such as burning rice husks.
However, the composition of the incinerated ash is composed of about 20% silica and about 5% ash.
However, the composition of the incinerated ash is composed of about 20% silica and about 5% ash, and the carbon (C) generated in the combustion process of carbohydrates is incorporated into the silica and becomes residual carbon in the calcined ash.
The carbon (C) generated during the combustion process of carbohydrates is incorporated into silica and becomes residual carbon in the calcined ash, causing a decrease in purity due to problems in the separation procedure.
In some cases, chemicals are used to increase the purity.
Furthermore, if the incineration temperature and time are not controlled, the ash will be mixed with crystalline silica.The naturally occurring fumed silica in rice husks can be extracted without using chemicals.
The fumed silica in rice husk is extracted without using chemicals and at low temperature without reducing the pore size, which is environmentally friendly and has been long awaited by the industry.