Porous Refractories Synthesized Using Rice Husk and Rice Husk Processing Products

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Ceramic Engineering
• Sustainable Manufacturing

Background:

• Growing demand for sustainable refractory ceramics.
• Focus on utilizing secondary raw materials for high-quality products.
• Need for eco-friendly binders and additives in refractory production.

Purpose of the Study:

• Develop novel high-temperature porous refractories using environmentally friendly components.
• Investigate the use of rice husk and its by-products as substitutes for traditional refractory ingredients.
• Evaluate the performance of new binders derived from rice husk.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of porous refractories using magnesium sulfate-refractory clay-chamotte-aluminum system.
• Incorporation of ground rice husk as a burnout additive and silica source.
• Utilization of rice husk pyrolysis organic condensate and alkali-activated rice husk as binders.
• Characterization using chemical analysis, XRD, GC-MS, TA, SEM, EDS, and standard refractory property tests.

Main Results:

• A sample with 14.4 wt.% rice husk and 10.5 wt.% organic condensate showed promising properties.
• Achieved apparent porosity of 44%, volumetric weight of 1.1 g·cm⁻³, compressive strength of 2.1 MPa, and bending strength of 4.5 MPa.
• Demonstrated excellent thermal shock resistance (155 cycles) and low thermal conductivity (0.05 W·(m·K)⁻¹).

Conclusions:

• Rice husk and its pyrolysis by-products are viable eco-friendly substitutes in refractory production.
• The developed porous refractories exhibit excellent thermal insulation characteristics.
• These materials show potential as prospective thermal insulating materials.